The final for the Noumea Challenger has gone exactly to form, with the title match set to be contested by the top two seeds, Adrian Mannarino and Alejandro Falla.
No.1 seed Adrian Mannarino has had an excellent tournament, typified by his ruthless display against seventh seed Daniel Brands in the semi-finals,winning 6-3, 6-4, breaking an opponent who prides himself on strong serving a total of three times. Indeed, Mannarino was able to book his place in the final without dropping a set, with his closest encounter coming in the second-round when compatriot Maxime Janvier managed to win ten games. The Frenchman’s dominance is somewhat expected as, in addition to being the top seed, he is the only player in the entire draw to be ranked within the Top 100.
Second seed Alejandro Falla is ranked a full seventy-five places beneath Mannarino, but nonetheless won all four of his matches to ensure he at least gets a crack at winning the title. For a while in his opening match, it looked as if Falla might be headed for an early exit, as he conceded the first set to Mitchell Kreuger. Falla would regroup to win that match however, and dropped just twelve games across his next three matches, including an impressive dismantling of former top 30 player Julien Benneteau. Falla managed to negotiate his semi-final in much easier fashion than many would have anticipated, defeating Australian sixth seed Jordan Thompson 6-1, 6-4.
Both players come into the final with a number of one-sided wins under their belts. However, Mannarino is still a class apart from Falla, and the Colombian is likely going to end up being handed a comprehensive defeat.
Prediction for the Noumea Challenger title: Adrian Mannarino in straight sets.
