5 exciting clashes to watch out for in the Antalya Open 2021

The 2021 ATP Tour kickstarts with the Antalya Open in Turkey held alongside the Delray Beach Open in Florida. The ATP 250 event was played on grass earlier but now the players will battle it out on hardcourts.

Here are some must-watch matches at the Antalya Open that can have the fans at the edge of their seats

David Goffin vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert

Goffin is a former top-10 player and is ranked 16 in the world now. He is the second seed here and will look to begin afresh this season with his new coach, Germain Gigounon. On the other hand, Herbert is a grand slam winning doubles player ranked 83 in singles. 

Goffin leads the head to head record 5-0. Both the players will also be playing doubles together in the tournament. It will be a captivating contest between Goffin's ferocious ball-striking and Herbert's strong defense. 

Miomir Kecmanovic vs Stefano Travaglia

The 42nd ranked Kecmanovic won his first title at the Kitzbuhel Open in Austria last season. Travaglia's current ranking is 75. The Serb is a good player on hardcourts who loves to dominate the proceedings from the start. 

Travaglia is an experienced clay-court specialist who is coming back to the tour after suffering an elbow injury that forced him to cut short his season last year.

Alex de Minaur vs Malek Jaziri

Alex de Minaur is ranked 23 in the world and is mentored by the legendary Lleyton Hewitt. Jaziri is ranked 249 in the world. The Australian is known for his speed and agility on the court along with his raw energy. 

Jaziri will relish the prospect of playing in front of his home crowd in Turkey in the Antalya Open having previously won some lower-tier titles here. Both the player will be rusty as they are playing competitive tennis after a long gap.

Matteo Berrettini vs Ergi Kirkin

Berrettini is the current World number 10 and is the top seed in this tournament. Kirkin is a Turkish player ranked 446 in the world now. The 21-year-old is on a 10-match winning streak having won two back-to-back ITF titles in Tunisia last year. 

Berrettini will depend on his strong groundstrokes and big serve to do the damage. Kirkin lost in the first round of the tournament last year and will be keen to improve his performance and win his first match on the ATP Tour playing on a wildcard.

Jeremy Chardy vs Radu Albot

Chardy is ranked 72 now. and has been active on the tour for the last 15 years. Albot is a Moldovian player ranked 85 in the world currently. Chardy played only 7 matches last season winning two. Albot gave a miss to the ongoing Delray Beach Open. Chardy leads the head to head record 2-0 against Albot. This is their first clash in 3 years.

Star players and relatively unknown youngsters will enthrall the fans for one week in Antalya. The last-minute withdrawal of players like Jannik Sinner and Borna Coric has come as a big blow but that has not taken away any sheen from the competitive event.

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