Hamburg Open 2020: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dan Evans preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dan Evans
Date: 23 September 2020
Tournament: Hamburg European Open 2020
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Hamburg, Germany
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: €1,062,520
Match timing: Approx. 2 pm CEST, 5.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dan Evans preview
Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas looks to build up some claycourt momentum ahead of Roland Garros as he faces British No. 1 Dan Evans in the first round of the Hamburg Open on Wednesday.
Tsitsipas has had a season full of high and lows. After a disappointing run at the Australian Open and Rotterdam, the Greek player rallied to win a trophy in Marseille and reach the final in Dubai.
But since the tour's resumption, Tsitsipas has had a disappointing run. The 22-year-old made a semifinal exit at the Cincinnati Masters which was followed by an agonizing third-round exit at the US Open at the hands of Borna Coric.
He also crashed out of the Italian Open at the very first hurdle, in a three-set encounter against Jannik Sinner.
Tsitsipas' opponent on Wednesday, World No. 33 Dan Evans, has also been hot and cold all season. After strong showings in Adelaide, Rotterdam and Dubai earlier this year, Evans has looked inconsistent since the restart.
The Brit lost in the second round of both the Cincinnati Masters and the US Open. And he comes into this match after crashing out in the first round at Rome against Hubert Hurkacz.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dan Evans head-to-head
The meeting in Hamburg will be the second match between the two players, with Stefanos Tsitsipas leading the head-to-head 1-0 so far.
The pair's only previous meeting came in the semifinals of the Dubai Open earlier this year, a match which saw Tsitsipas prevail 6-3 6-3 to set up a final against Novak Djokovic.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dan Evans prediction
Given their current form and previous history on tour, Stefanos Tsitsipas comes into the match with an edge over Dan Evans.
However, his patchy match against Sinner could be a cause for concern for the Greek, and a source of hope for Evans. Tsitsipas claimed to have struggled to shift from the American hardcourts to European clay, and it showed in his encounter against Sinner in Rome.
Evans possesses a wildly unpredictable game, which he uses to break rallying rhythms and to rattle his opponents during tricky pressure points. His solid baseline game and varied groundstrokes make him a formidable opponent, even in the absence of a clear and dependable weapon.
Over the past few seasons, Tsitsipas has shown that his all-court game and shot selection suit the red dirt, and his strong forehand wing has the ability to control rallies from the baseline. At the end of the day, that could prove to be too much for Evans.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.