Pavel Kotov vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Mallorca Open

Prediction published on 27/06/2023, 01:51  by Daniel Ngulu in Tennis Predictions

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and lucky loser Pavel Kotov will battle each other on Tuesday at the Mallorca Championship. Kotov defeated Li Tu in straight sets in the last round, revenging against the player that had defeated him in the qualifiers. This was his second win on grass and 24th overall in 44 matches played this year. The Russian has alternated between the top two levels in the ATP. His highlight of the campaign thus far came in Marrakech where he made his first tour semifinal. Kotov is playing on grass for the first time this season. He will hope to make it two wins in a row against Davidovich Fokina after winning the first encounter last season in Astana. After the win over Tu, he is up seven places to number 109 in the live ranking.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina starts the week ranked 34th in the world. He has won 19 of the 34 matches he has played. The Spaniard arrives to make his debut in Mallorca after his first-round elimination in London. That straight-sets loss to Jiri Lehecka started his grass-court campaign on the wrong foot and he will be out to make amends here. Davidovich Fokina is not a strong performer on grass and has managed only eight wins on the surface in 18 matches since 2018. He is however more experienced on grass than Kotov. Coupled with the backing of the home crowd, he will fancy his chances of winning this match. The winner of this second-round showdown will play either Roman Safiullin or Lloyd Harris, both qualifiers, in the quarterfinals.