Roland Garros 2021: Camila Giorgi vs Varvara Gracheva preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Camila Giorgi vs Varvara Gracheva
Date: 3 June 2021
Tournament: Roland Garros 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Red Clay
Prize money: €17,171,108
Match timing: Approx. 1 pm local time, 11 am GMT, 7 am EST, 4.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Camila Giorgi vs Varvara Gracheva preview
Camila Giorgi opened her 2021 Roland Garros campaign with an upset win over the in-form Petra Martic on Monday. The Italian overcame a mid-match wobble to close out a marathon three-set victory. She will now face 20-year-old Russian Varvara Gracheva in the second round on Thursday.
Giorgi suffered early exits in Rome and Parma so her win over Martic would have served as a massive confidence-booster for the Italian.
Gracheva, meanwhile, had a much more straightforward opener as she eased past Lara Arruabarrena in straight sets.
Gracheva made her WTA debut in 2019 and has quickly risen up the rankings.
The Russian made it to the third round of last year's US Open with wins over Kristina Mladenovic and Paula Badosa. She has backed that up with a few encouraging results in 2021, including a semifinal showing at the L'Open 35 de Saint-Malo.
Camila Giorgi vs Varvara Gracheva head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between Camila Giorgi and Varvara Gracheva, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Camila Giorgi vs Varvara Gracheva prediction
Neither of these two players has posted great results in the lead-up to the tournament and will be keen to make the most of a relatively open section of the draw.
Giorgi has played some solid tennis throughout the year, but lacked the composure to close out some tight matches. She did lose focus against Martic as well, squandering a 5-2 advantage in the second set that she eventually lost in a tiebreaker.
Giorgi has always had a high-risk game and when she is playing at her best, she can prove too strong for most opponents. The Italian will look to take control of Thursday's match using her powerful groundstrokes.
Gracheva, meanwhile, is a solid claycourter who possesses a strong baseline game and sublime movement. But she will need to be aggressive against Giorgi and prevent the Italian from dictating proceedings too much.
This match could well go down to the wire, but Giorgi's power-packed game and years of experience should give her the edge.
Prediction: Camila Giorgi to win in three sets.
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