Alexandre Muller vs Pavel Kotov Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Grand Prix Hassan II

Prediction published on 08/04/2023, 06:45  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 08/04/2023 at 06:45 in Tennis Predictions

The ATP Marrakech semi-final will see Alexander Muller and Pavel Kotov meet for the first time in their careers in the sem-final on Saturday. Ranked 114th in the world, Pavel Kotov has had a decent season to date, with a record of 13-10 in 2023 but will want to break inside the top 100, where he featured as recently as October last year. The Russian’s previous best finish of the year came in Dubai, where he reached the round of 16 but was beaten in straight sets by Hubert Hurkacz (7-5 6-1). On the clay here in Marrakech, Kotov beat Pedro Martinez (6-2 1-6 7-6) in the tournament opener and then followed up with one of his best displays of the season, beating Benjamin Bonzi (6-0 7-6) in the round of 16. Christopher Oconnell put up a stern contest in the quarter-final but was eventually beaten (6-3 6-7 7-6) by Kotov. Having taken down a few higher-ranked players already in this tournament, Kotov’s confidence will be at an all-time high, and he will fancy that he has a genuine chance here. 

Alexander Muller has been working extremely hard over the last couple of years, and it’s starting to show. The Frenchman reached his peak rank of 126th in March, following a challenger tournament final appearance, which came in Waco at the end of February. Muller has been good on the clay surface over the last month and reached the quarter-final stage of the Sanremo Challenger tournament at the end of March. In this tournament, Muller has already beaten the likes of Richard Gasquet (6-4 6-4) and Francesco Passaro (6-4 6-4) in the earlier rounds, then followed it up with a very impressive showing against Lorenzo Musetti (6-3 1-6 6-4) in the quarter-final. Muller looks comfortable on this surface and will be heavily fancied to reach the final in this tournament.