Shintaro Mochizuki vs Ugo Humbert Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Japan Open

Prediction published on 24/09/2024, 03:42  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 24/09/2024 at 03:45 in Tennis Predictions

Wildcard Shintaro Mochizuki will play unseeded Ugo Humbert in the first round of the Japan Open. This Wednesday encounter will be their first career meeting and we have some stats for this match and a prediction.

Humbert has had consistency issues in his most recent fixtures and failed to win successive matches since July. The last time he won back-to-back matches at a tournament was in Wimbledon where he produced a fourth-round finish.

This tied his best-ever performance at a major. The Frenchman is having a strong year despite his recent struggles. He won the Dubai Championship to claim his second ATP 500 title and was also a quarter-finalist in Monte-Carlo.

Humbert also won the Open 13 title in Marseille and produced a semi-final run in Hertogenbosch. Currently 19th in the live ranking, the 26-year-old has compiled a 28-20 record thus far.

Shintaro Mochizuki is seeking his first main draw victory of the season. He has lost in the first round six times. But as he is returning to a tournament he had his best-ever tour performance last year, he will be confident of defeating Humbert.

Last year, Mochizuki earned his first tour-level main draw victory in Tokyo and he would superbly make it to the semi-finals. Another deep run will be on his mind for sure.

The 21-year-old has battled with consistency issues so far this year and has lost three more matches than the 21 he has won. He is coming off a first-round exit as a qualifier in Chengdu.

The Japanese number four is currently placed 146th in the live ranking. The winner here will play Frances Tiafoe or Brandon Nakashima next.