2021 Australian Open First Round – Yasutaka Uchiyama vs Ugo Humbert Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
Where is Yasutaka Uchiyama vs Ugo Humbert taking place? Melbourne Park, Melbourne
When is Yasutaka Uchiyama vs Ugo Humbert on and what time does it start? Monday 8th February, 2021 – not before 03:15 (UK)
Where can I get tickets for Yasutaka Uchiyama vs Ugo Humbert? Click here to reach the official 2021 Australian Open ticket selection
What channel is Yasutaka Uchiyama vs Ugo Humbert on? The 2021 Australian Open will be televised on Eurosport so it is worth checking their schedule for this specific match
Where can I stream Yasutaka Uchiyama vs Ugo Humbert in the UK? Sky customers can stream this match on the Sky Go app. Alternatively, the match can be streamed to subscribers of Eurosport Player, either on the official website or as an add-on to an Amazon Prime subscription
THE LOWDOWN
YASUTAKA UCHIYAMA
- World number 108 Yasutaka Uchiyama has just one tour-level match to his name in 2021 with a straight-sets defeat to Aljaz Bedene at one of the Melbourne Park warm-up tournaments.
- The 28-year-old has never won a Grand Slam match having lost in the first round four times, once each at Wimbledon, Roland-Garros, the US Open and the Australian Open since 2019.
UGO HUMBERT
- Ugo Humbert had shown promising signs in 2019 but really came into his own in 2020, winning the first title of the year at the Auckland Open and then coming into some shockingly good form to claim the European Open title in October.
- The 22-year-old Frenchman then made it past Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Marin Cilic at the Paris Masters before eventually falling in a deciding tiebreak to Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals.
THE PREDICTION
For the more casual tennis fan Ugo Humbert may well be a relative unknown but the young Frenchman won over plenty of pundits with his incredible displays towards the end of last season. The left-hander has an exceptional, pinpoint forehand and plenty of likeable mental qualities that could make him one to watch for the future and he should have no trouble in this first round match against Yasutaka Uchiyama. The Japanese won their only previous encounter two years ago in Brisbane but this should be a straight-set revenge for the 22-year-old with 2021 looking like a potential breakthrough year.
