Marbella 2021: Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kwon Soon-woo preview, head-to-head & prediction | Andalucia Open
Match details
Fixture: (1) Pablo Carreno Busta vs (7) Kwon Soon-woo
Date: 9 April 2021
Tournament: AnyTech365 Andalucia Open 2021
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Marbella, Spain
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: €408,800
Match timing: Not before 3 pm local time, 6.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Europsort
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kwon Soon-woo preview
Top seed Pablo Carreno Busta will take on seventh seed Kwon Soon-woo in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Andalucia Open on Friday.
Following an excellent 2020 campaign, Carreno Busta got his season off to a solid start in Melbourne. The 29-year-old reached the semifinals of the ATP Cup with Spain, winning two out of his three singles matches. Carreno Busta then beat Kei Nishikori and Jiri Vesely to reach the third round of the Australian Open, where he retired due to injury against Grigor Dimitrov.
But the World No. 15 played just one match between the Australian Open and the Andalucia Open - a three-set defeat at the hands of Marton Fucsovics in Dubai. Now in Marbella, Carreno Busta has taken down Mario Vilella Martinez in straight sets to set up the encounter against Kwon.
Kwon Soon-woo's start to 2020 was far from ideal. The South Korean suffered early exits at Delray Beach, Melbourne and the Australian Open, but regrouped to win the Challenger tournament in Biella.
Kwon then reached the quarterfinals in Singapore, before losing in the Miami first round at the hands of Ilya Ivashka.
The 23-year-old overturned a one-set deficit against Holger Rune in his opener at Marbella. In the second round against Facundo Bagnis, Kwon prevailed in straight sets to make the last eight.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kwon Soon-woo head-to-head
The quarterfinal encounter in Marbella is the first professional meeting between Pablo Carreno Busta and Kwon Soon-woo, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kwon Soon-woo prediction
Given his form, stature and ranking, Pablo Carreno Busta is the overwhelming favorite for his quarterfinal match against Kwon Soon-woo.
The Spaniard's dogged and patient style of tennis has seen great success on clay over the years. That includes, but is not limited to, his quarterfinal finish at last year's Roland Garros.
Carreno Busta relies on his solid groundstrokes and quick movement to elicit errors from his opponents.
Kwon, on the other hand, fares best on quick hardcourts where he can use his excellent footwork and defensive skills to redirect pace. The South Korean can also hit his opponents with his flat groundstrokes, which is always useful on any surface.
Kwon may be the underdog coming into the match, but he could take advantage of Carreno Busta's rustiness to cause an upset.
Prediction: Kwon Soon-woo to win in three sets.