Paris Masters 2020: Diego Schwartzman vs Richard Gasquet preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Diego Schwartzman vs Richard Gasquet
Date: 4 November 2020
Tournament: Rolex Paris Masters 2020
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: €3,901,015
Match timing: Approx. 1 pm local time, 5.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six / Sony Liv
Diego Schwartzman vs Richard Gasquet preview
Sixth seed Diego Schwartzman faces off against home favorite Richard Gasquet in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday.
Schwartzman is one of the form players on the tour at the moment, having reached two finals and a semifinal in his last three tournament appearances. Notably, the Argentine dispatched Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinal of the Rome Masters, before losing in the final against Novak Djokovic.
He then went on to defeat US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the quarterfinal of Roland Garros a few weeks later.
Despite the fact that quick hardcourt is not his best surface, Schwartzman had a good run at Cologne 2. He defeated youngsters Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Felix Auger-Aliassime on his way to the final, before losing 2-6 1-6 to Alexander Zverev.
Schwartzman next goes up against France's Richard Gasquet, a veteran of the tour who is now in his 18th professional season. The 34-year-old, however, has been in a torrid run of form since the pandemic has struck, having won a grand total of three matches since.
But even though Gasquet may not be the player he once was, he did pick up a confidence-boosting win against American Taylor Fritz in the first round on Tuesday.
Diego Schwartzman vs Richard Gasquet head-to-head
The second round matchup between the two players is their fourth meeting on tour. Richard Gasquet leads the head-to-head 3-0 over Diego Schwartzman, having defeated him as recently as the 2019 Cincinnati Masters.
The Argentine is yet to win a set over Gasquet, losing in straight sets in their previous two encounters as well - at Monte Carlo in 2018 and at Antwerp in 2016.
Diego Schwartzman vs Richard Gasquet prediction
Having just launched himself into the top 10 of the men's rankings, Diego Schwartzman comes into the match against Richard Gasquet as the favorite.
Schwartzman's dogged playing style is more suited to clay, but his excellent footwork, anticipation and tactical awareness make him a force on other surfaces too. The Argentine will be looking to replicate his strong recent play in Paris so that he can seal the final spot at the Nitto ATP Finals in London.
Blessed with plenty of variation and a powerful single-handed backhand, Gasquet will look to reproduce the tennis he found against Fritz in the previous match. But going further in the tournament might be too steep a hurdle for the Frenchman given the form of his next opponent.
Prediction: Diego Schwartzman to win in straight sets.