Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
Francesco Maestrelli vs Mikhail Kukushkin: Roland Garros – qualifiers
Two players born 15 years apart will play for a spot in the main draw of the Roland Garros.
Francesco Maestrelli Profile
Francesco Maestrelli is 206th in the ATP rankings, and his career high was No. 149 in the world. The 21-year-old Italian is 18-16 for the season and 13-8 on clay courts.
In the previous two rounds of the Roland Garros qualifiers, Maestrelli defeated Marc Andrea Huesler 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 and won the first set 6-1 against Bernabe Zapata Miralles when the Spaniard retired.
Last week at the Turin Challenger, Maestrelli made it to the second round of the main draw, where he lost to Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves in the decisive tiebreak.
His best results this season were the semifinals at the Challengers in Szekesfehervar and Tenerife.
This is the second time for Maestrelli to play in the qualifiers for the French Open after losing in the first round to Adrian Andreev last year.
Mikhail Kukushkin Profile
Mikhail Kukushkin is 135th in the rankings, and his career high was No. 39 in the world. The Kazak is 29-12 for the season and 8-5 on clay.
Kukushkin won both previous matches in the qualifiers in straight sets against Li Tu 6-4, 6-2, and Leandro Riedi 6-4, 6-3.
Last week, Kukushkin failed to qualify for the ATP Rome tournament, losing in the second round to Diego Schwartzman.
Kukushkin won two Challengers this season in Tenerife and Manama.
The veteran made his debut at Roland Garros in 2008, and his best result has been the second round that he has reached four times in his career, the last one in 2020.
Head-to-Head Kukushkin leads 1-0
- Kukushkin vs Maestrelli 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 (2022 Mallorca Challenger, second round)
Prediction and Conclusion
This will be an interesting match between two players from different generations. Kukushkin has a huge amount of experience, and he is trying to reach the Roland Garros main draw, probably for the last time in his career. That will not be easy at all since Maestrelli is having a solid week and is trying to feel the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. He beat the odds to reach the third qualifying round, and this is where his journey stops, as Kukushkin will win this one.
