Australian Open 2021 qualifiers: Prajnesh Gunneswaran vs Brayden Schnur preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Prajnesh Gunneswaran vs Brayden Schnur
Date: 11 January 2021
Tournament: Australian Open 2021 qualifiers
Round: First round
Venue: Doha, Qatar
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Match timing: Approx. 2.30 pm local time, 4 pm IST
Prajnesh Gunneswaran vs Brayden Schnur preview
India's No. 1 men's singles player Prajnesh Gunneswaran has been pitted against Canada's Brayden Schnur in the first round of the Australian Open 2021 qualifying competition.
Gunneswaran played at the Challenger level for most of 2020, registering some mediocre results along the way. But he will now be looking to rediscover the form that saw him rise to as high as No. 75 in the ATP rankings (back in April 2019).
Brayden Schnur, 25, turned professional in 2016 after years of playing college tennis. And while he hasn't had the biggest results on the ATP tour, he still has a vast level of experience playing on hardcourt.
The Canadian made the final of the 2019 New York Open, beating a couple of big names from American tennis in the form of Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson en route.
With solid groundstrokes and good defensive abilities, Schur could prove to be a tenacious opponent for Gunneswaran, giving the Indian a lot to think about.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran vs Brayden Schnur head-to-head
Prajnesh Gunneswaran leads Brayden Schnur 1-0 in the head-to-head record. The Indian beat his opponent in straightforward fashion in their only prior meeting, which came on the hardcourts of Bangalore in 2018.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran vs Brayden Schnur prediction
The first round encounter will see two very different brands of tennis, with Prajnesh Gunneswaran's firepower taking on Brayden Schnur's stealth.
The last time that the two men played, Gunneswaran managed to outmuscle his Canadian opponent. However, the latter has grown in stature since.
The Indian's fortunes on the other hand have plummeted in the past year or so, and he has been unable to sustain any sort of form. He has also been guilty of coughing up too many unforced errors in his matches, and will need to pull out a special performance if he wishes to progress past Schnur.
Prediction: Brayden Schnur to win in three sets.