Newly crowned Singapore champion Alexei Popyrin will try to win his first main draw match in Dubai when he faces Austria’s No.2 player Dennis Novak in the first round of the 2021 ATP Dubai on Sunday, March 14. The match is expected to start not before 8:20 pm local time. Get the live streaming options of this Alexei Popyrin v Dennis Novak match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Alexei Popyrin v Dennis Novak Head to Head
Novak brings a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head, having triumphed in the second round of the Bratislava Challenger in 2019.
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Popyrin Returns after Singapore Title Win
Alexei Popyrin became the second Australian player to win an ATP title in 2021, joining Istanbul winner Alex De Minaur, following his success at the newly-minted Singapore Tennis Open. The 21-year-old Next Gen star performed spectacularly on the Little Red Dot, beating up-and-coming and established stars to win his maiden tour level title.
In a week in which he beat Adrian Andreev, Marin Cilic and Alexander Bublik, Popyrin made up 32 places in the ATP rankings, breaking the top 100 for the second time and currently sits at a career high world no.82.
He posted some astonishing numbers in the past fortnight. In his five matches in Singapore, he dropped only two sets. While serve was broken four times during the week. Popyrin’s full-blooded forehand was wreaking havoc and derailing all the momentum that Bublik had built at the start of the second set in the final.
The general consensus is that Popyrin is playing top 50 level tennis right now, and his success in Singapore has been earmarked as the turning point in his career.
The Sydney native who is both ferocious and organized has made a fine start to the season. For the third straight year, Popyrin defeated a seeded player at his home Slam. He saved multiple match points to produce one of the biggest upsets on day two of the Australian Open when he shocked 13th seed David Goffin in five sets.
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Mixed Start to the Year for Novak
It has been a rollercoaster year for Dennis Novak on so many levels. From one of the best wins of his career at the turn of the year, Novak has also been a master of his own downfall at times.
Austria’s ATP Cup campaign began in the best possible fashion with Novak stunning Fabio Fognini in the opening group match. But it ended in whimper as the would only win one singles match after that.
Then, at the Australian Open, the 27-year-old had a good shot at winning his maiden main draw match at the year’s first Grand Slam. But he fell to Adrian Mannarino, whom historically, has had little success in the first quarter of the year.
But there was a reaction from Novak in Montpellier a couple of weeks ago, as he secured two gutsy wins over seasoned campaigners such as Gilles Simon and Dusan Lajovic en route to the quarterfinals. That result went along way to steer Austria’s No.2 to return to the world’s top 100 for the second time in his career.
With an improved ranking, Novak is now getting invites to some of the most prestigious events on the ATP calendar. This of course starts with the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he has received a wildcard entry.
Popyrin v Novak Prediction and Tip
The onus is on Popyrin to live up to the billing as a new ATP tour titlist. But Novak has been known to throw a spanner in the works this season. This should be tight, but expect the Aussie young gun to have the edge.
Tip: Popyrin to win: 4/9 (bet365)
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The 2021 ATP Dubai Open will be played from March 14-21. You can watch & bet on these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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