Miami Open 2021: Roberto Bautista Agut vs Jan-Lennard Struff preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (7) Roberto Bautista Agut vs (31) Jan-Lennard Struff
Date: 28 March 2021
Tournament: Miami Open 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: Miami, Florida
Category: ATP Masters 1000 Series
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $3,340,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Jan-Lennard Struff preview
World No. 12 Roberto Bautista Agut will take on the dangerous Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round of the 2021 Miami Open on Saturday.
Bautista Agut has had a mixed start to his 2021 season. He suffered early-round defeats at the Australian Open and the Rotterdam Open, but registered runner-up finishes at Montpellier and Doha.
The Spaniard is yet to play a match at the 2021 edition of the Miami Masters, as his opening-round opponent Lloyd Harris withdrew due to injury.
Jan-Lennard Struff, meanwhile, was in spectacular form at the start of the year, beating higher-ranked players like Milos Raonic and Dusan Lajovic at the ATP Cup. But the German has not enjoyed great results since then, slumping to a 1-4 W-L record prior to entering the Miami Masters.
Struff beat Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis in straight sets to book the third-round match with Bautista Agut.
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Jan-Lennard Struff head-to-head
Roberto Bautista Agut leads Jan-Lennard Struff 4-1 in the head-to-head. While the Spaniard won the first three matches of the rivalry, Struff beat him in their most recent showdown - at the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Jan-Lennard Struff prediction
Roberto Bautista Agut always looks to take the early initiative in the baseline exchanges with his deep and accurate groundstrokes. But his lack of a powerful forehand can sometimes be his downfall; the Spaniard often gets trapped in the same patterns of play, and fails to pull the trigger when needed.
Jan-Lennard Struff, on the other hand, is a big server whose game is built around striking the ball hard and flat. That said, the 6'6" German often lacks consistency in his shots, which in turn leads to a slew of unforced errors.
Although Struff kept the errors at bay in his last match, he will have to be extra cautious when he faces a superb retriever like Bautista Agut.
All things considered, Struff might like his chances going into the match-up. And if Bautista Agut fails to show enough teeth on his groundstrokes, he just might be outmatched by his younger opponent.
Prediction: Jan-Lennard Struff to win in three sets.