French Open 2022: Facundo Bagnis vs Daniil Medvedev preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros
Match Details
Fixture: Facundo Bagnis vs (2) Daniil Medvedev
Tournament: French Open 2022.
Date: May 24, 2022
Round: First round (Round of 128).
Venue: Paris, France.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €21,256,800.
Live telecasts: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports, Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten.
Facundo Bagnis vs Daniil Medvedev preview
Argentine Facundo Bagnis will take on World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the first round of the French Open on Tuesday.
Facundo Bagnis didn't have a very good hardcourt season and made early exits from the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami Masters. The World No. 98 has looked much better on clay.
He made the quarterfinals of the Chile Open and won the inaugural Pereira Challenger in Colombia. Bagnis defeated Facundo Mena 6-3, 6-0 in the final to lift his first title of the year. He played two more events on the ATP Challenger tour. However, he couldn't progress further than the round of 32 in Buenos Aires or Mexico.
He will be entering the French Open on the back of an unfortunate first-round exit at the Geneva Open. He was forced to retire against Nikoloz Basilashvilli due to a calf injury.
Daniil Medvedev, meanwhile, made a strong start to the 2022 season, reaching the Australian Open final. He was two sets to love up against Rafael Nadal, who made a blistering comeback to win the match 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.
The 26-year-old continued his good form at the Mexican Open and eased his way into the semifinals to temporarily clinch the World No. 1 spot. He fell short to Nadal once again, losing to the Spaniard in straight sets.
The Russian fared poorly at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters. Gael Monfils scored a three-set victory over Medvedev in the third round at Indian Wells. The Russian needed to reach the semifinals in Miami to reclaim the top spot in the rankings, having lost it at Indian Wells. However, the reigning US Open champion lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals in straight sets.
He was on the sidelines for six weeks due to hernia surgery before returning to action at the Geneva Open, where he lost to Richard Gasquet in the second round (first-round bye).
Facundo Bagnis vs Daniil Medvedev head-to-head
This will be the first time Medvedev and Bagnis will face off against each other, so their head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Facundo Bagnis vs Daniil Medvedev odds
Facundo Bagnis vs Daniil Medvedev prediction
Bagnis will be entering the match as the underdog, but he will fancy his chances against the Russian, who has historically struggled on clay. The Argentine likes to take the ball early and open up the court with his forehand, but the Russian has great court coverage and is unlikely to allow too many balls past him.
Fitness could also be an issue for the Argentine after being forced to retire in his last match in Geneva. If he has made an adequate recovery, he could have a chance against the Russian.
Even though clay is not Medvedev's favorite surface to play on, he is still capable of producing a few good performances on the red dirt, reaching the quarterfinals of the Paris Major last year. Medvedev will want to dictate points from the baseline, but that might be a tough task against a fellow grinder. His flat forehand is a liability on clay, but his booming serve might play a major role in the match.
A claycourt specialist is a difficult opponent first up for Medvedev as he looks to fine-tune his game at the Paris Major, but he should have the firepower to advance.
Pick: Medvedev to win in straight sets.