LONDON, June 13, 2021 (Press Release)
Five-time champion Andy Murray will play Benoit Paire in the main draw first round of the LTA’s cinch Championships, which starts on Monday.
Murray, who is making his return to the ATP Tour having not played since Rotterdam in March, has won both of his previous meetings with the Frenchman, including one at Wimbledon in 2017.
Murray is in a loaded top half of the draw and could face No.1 seed Matteo Berrettini, making his debut at The Queen’s Club, in round two. Berrettini, who has pedigree on grass having won the MercedesCup in Stuttgart in 2019, begins against fellow Italian Stefano Travaglia.
Dan Evans is a possible quarter-final opponent for Berrettini. The British No. 1, who hasn’t won a match at the cinch Championships since 2014, faces a tough test against rising star Alexei Popyrin in the first round, while Liam Broady is a possible second round opponent. The British wild card will play former quarter-finalist Adrian Mannarino in his first match.
Marin Cilic, who won the title in 2012 and 2018, meets a qualifier in the opening round before a possible second round clash with eighth seed Fabio Fognini.
In the bottom half, Queen’s Club favourite Denis Shapovalov has been drawn against a qualifier and he could meet defending champion Feliciano Lopez in round two.
Jannik Sinner, playing just his second ATP main draw on grass, meets British wild card Jack Draper in his first match while Aslan Karatsev is up against a qualifier.
The doubles draw shows the strength of Britain in the men’s doubles game, with 14 players featuring.
The qualifying draw will conclude today.
There’s no place like (our) home.
🏠 🌱 ☀️ 🎾 #cinchChampionships pic.twitter.com/C2NZSo4FJp
— cinch Championships (@QueensTennis) June 12, 2021
The cinch Championships, one of the LTA’s major summer events, will be able to accommodate approximately 25% of its normal full capacity, and the event will be socially distanced, in line with the current safety protocols required by the UK Government and the ATP Tour.
