Paris Masters 2020: Alex de Minaur vs Stefano Travaglia preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Alex de Minaur vs Stefano Travaglia
Date: 2 November 2020
Tournament: Rolex Paris Masters 2020
Round: Round of 64 (First round)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: €3,901,015
Match timing: Approx. 5 pm local time, 9.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six / Sony Liv
Alex de Minaur vs Stefano Travaglia preview
16th seed Alex de Minaur will lock horns against qualifier Stefano Travaglia in the opening round of the 2020 Rolex Paris Masters on Monday.
The 21-year-old Australian is coming off an excellent run at the European Open in Antwerp, where he made the final. De Minaur lost to Ugo Humbert in the title match, but not before defeating the likes of Richard Gasquet and Grigor Dimitrov.
Hardcourt is De Minaur’s best surface by far, as reinforced by his results since the resumption of the tour. The Australian made his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows in September, only losing to eventual champion Dominic Thiem.
That said, De Minaur’s form at Masters 1000 events this year has been disappointing to say the least. The 21-year-old was ousted in the opening rounds at both Rome and Cincinnati, and would be looking to avoid an encore in Paris.
At last year’s Paris Masters De Minaur had made the third round, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas. This time, the Australian is drawn to face the in-form Lorenzo Sonego in the second round and World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev in the third.
But first Alex De Minaur will have to get past Italy’s Stefano Travaglia, who is riding high after two consecutive wins in the qualifying rounds.
Travaglia's favorite surface is clay, and he is yet to win a main-draw hardcourt match since the tour resumed. But his strong performance in the Paris qualifiers might have given him enough momentum to sink his teeth into this match.
Alex de Minaur vs Stefano Travaglia head-to-head
The head-to-head between Alex de Minaur and Stefano Travaglia is currently 0-0 as the two have never faced each other before.
Alex de Minaur vs Stefano Travaglia prediction
Stefano Travaglia may not be your run-of-the-mill hardcourt baseliner, but he does have the tools to do well on any surface. The Italian can hit his groundstrokes big, and can also retrieve well under pressure.
However, Travaglia’s error-prone style of play can prove to be his undoing on occasion. And that is exactly what Alex de Minaur would look to exploit; the Aussie can use his remarkable defensive ability to repeatedly make the Italian play that extra shot.
De Minaur may not be able to put away a lot of easy winners, but he will likely have the upper hand in the longer rallies due to his exceptional footwork. Even if the 21-year-old is taken the distance in this match, it is unlikely that Travaglia will be able to keep hitting the ball past him.
Prediction: Alex de Minaur to win in three sets.