Gilles Simon knows exactly how Harold Mayot will feel when he steps onto the court against him in the first round. Fifteen years ago, the man from Nice experienced the memorable moment of playing his very first match on the circuit. And that was also in Marseille. Since then, Gillou has built up a busy career, during which he has played in 22 finals and won 14 titles, including two at the Open 13 Provence, in 2007 and 2015. Harold Mayot, on the other hand, has landed in the main draw thanks to a wild card awarded to him following his recent performance in Australia: last month the Messinian won the Australian Open for juniors, thereby becoming the world number one in the category. At just 18 years of age, Mayot, after several finals on the ITF circuit in 2019, is now moving up a gear in Marseille with one objective: to enjoy the tournament. I'm going to make the most of it and try to enjoy myself on the court," he said. When I saw the draw coming out, it was so funny to see my name next to all these players. And it's amazing to be in a tournament where so many big names have played.
The 18 year old who turned 18 just after his return from Melbourne has been following the draw closely: "I have stars in my eyes to be able to play Gilles. I will try to play my game and whatever happens will happen.
But beware, Gilles Simon does not intend to cut short his Marseille adventure. The former world number 6 is still on a quarter-final run in 2019 and wants to add to the list of his many memorable moments in Marseille.
Khachanov and Tsitsipas make their debut
Another Frenchman is also in the running. At noon, on the opening day of this second round, Antoine Hoang is up against Hubert Hurkacz from Poland. Last year, for his first participation, Hoang faced a certain? Gilles Simon. This time, the local of the stage hopes to pass the first round. Against Hubert Hurkacz, seeded No. 8, the Hyères native faces a real challenge. One hundred places separate the two players in the rankings, with Hurkacz ranked 29th and Hoang now 129th. But at 24 years of age, Lionel Zimbler's protégé is already accustomed to making a splash, having reached the third round at Roland Garros in 2019.
The last two winners of the tournament also make their debut on the court on Tuesday. In singles, 2018 winner Karen Khachanov faces Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene, who has never beaten him in three meetings.
Finally, Stefanos Tsitsipas starts his tournament with a doubles match on court one. It will be a very smooth affair, just like in 2019. With his brother Petros, Stef lost the first match, admitting afterwards that Petros had played well while he had played at a catastrophic level. A few days later, he won the singles tournament? Bis repetita?
