Paris Masters 2020: Diego Schwartzman vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (6) Diego Schwartzman vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Date: 5 November 2020
Tournament: Rolex Paris Masters 2020
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Indoor Hardcourt
Prize money: €3,901,015
Match timing: 11 am local time, 3.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six / Sony Liv
Diego Schwartzman vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina preview
The red-hot Diego Schwartzman will face Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Thursday in the third round of the 2020 Rolex Paris Masters.
Seeded number six, Diego Schwartzman began his Paris Masters campaign with a comfortable straight-sets win over Richard Gasquet on Wednesday. Schwartzman maintained a high first serve rate at 75% and won 80% of his first serve points, while breaking the home favorite thrice across the two sets.
The Argentine is one of the most in-form players in the world at the moment. He is coming in on the back of a career-best Grand Slam performance at the French Open, where he reached the semifinals. Schwartzman also reached the final in Rome and started off his indoor hardcourt season by finishing runner-up at Cologne 2.
The 28-year-old is also in pole position to clinch the final spot at the ATP Finals. A semifinal appearance in Paris would do the job for him.
Qualifier Alejandro Davidovich Fokina got his first-ever main draw win at the ATP Masters 1000 level in the opening round, beating the 2018 champion Karen Khachanov in three sets. The Spaniard continued his run by beating local favorite Benjamin Bonzi in the second round in straight sets.
Like Schwartzman, Davidovich Fokina has also had a year of career-best performances. His most impressive run came at the US Open, where he reached the Round of 16.
The 21-year-old would be looking to cap off his year in style by reaching a Masters quarterfinal for the first time in his career.
Diego Schwartzman vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina head-to-head
The head-to-head between Diego Schwartzman and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina currently stands at 2-0 in favor of the Argentine.
The pair's most recent meeting came a couple of weeks back in Cologne 2, where the Argentine fought back from a one-set deficit to win in three. Schwartzman edged a tight second set in a tiebreak before sailing through the decider to complete the comeback win.
Diego Schwartzman vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina prediction
Diego Schwartzman is playing some of the best tennis of his career right now. The diminutive Argentine has sometimes looked practically unplayable from the baseline, returning with interest everything the opponent throws at him.
Schwartzman can hit solid groundstrokes off both wings, and he likes to use his opponents' pace against them. Historically though, the World No. 9 has struggled on faster surfaces and in indoor conditions, mainly because of the lack of an imposing serve.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina's troubles also revolve around his sub-par serve and inability to consistently hold under pressure. But the Spaniard has one of the best drop shots on the tour and can hit some really powerful groundstrokes, both of which are big weapons in indoor conditions.
The match should see a lot of service breaks, akin to their recent meeting in Cologne - which had as many as 15. Schwartzman starts as the favorite, but looking at their last match, it is unlikely to be a straightforward affair for the No. 6 seed.
Prediction: Diego Schwartzman to win in three sets.