Roland Garros 2021: Paula Badosa vs Lauren Davis preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Paula Badosa vs Lauren Davis
Date: 30 May 2021
Tournament: Roland Garros 2021
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Red Clay
Prize money: €17,171,108
Match timing: 11 am local time, 9 am GMT, 5 am EST, 2.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Paula Badosa vs Lauren Davis preview
World No. 34 Paula Badosa will begin her Roland Garros 2021 campaign on Sunday against diminutive American Lauren Davis.
Following Alison Riske's late withdrawal, Badosa moved into a seeded position and landed in the fourth quarter of the draw, where she is now projected to face Naomi Osaka in the third round.
More importantly, the Manhattan-born Spaniard avoided talented Danish teenager Clara Tauson, who was her initial first-round opponent.
Paula Badosa arrives at Roland Garros playing the best tennis of her career. She has won 19 matches so far - her personal best at tour level - and picked up her maiden WTA title in Belgrade just a week ago.
Her first-round opponent, Lauren Davis, has had a disappointing run of results of late. A former World No. 26, Davis holds a miserable 8-9 win-loss record for the season. Her major highlight remains the quarterfinal showing in Guadalajara over two months ago.
Paula Badosa vs Lauren Davis head-to-head
Paula Badosa leads Lauren Davis 1-0 in their head-to-head, having won the pair's only meeting in the final qualifying round of the Madrid Open in 2015. Sunday's match will be their first in the main draw.
Paula Badosa vs Lauren Davis prediction
Paula Badosa is not only the overwhelming favorite to win this match, but she is also considered one of the dark horses at this year's Roland Garros. That is largely due to her growing confidence on the surface, highlighted by her recent success in Belgrade, where she won the title without dropping a set.
The Spaniard is one of the cleanest hitters on tour. The pace and precision of her groundstrokes force opponents onto the back foot. Badosa has already garnered two outstanding wins on clay, beating World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and Belinda Bencic in Charleston.
Lauren Davis, meanwhile, is one of the shortest players on the WTA tour at 5' 2". Davis' serve is a glaring weakness and her second serve in particular makes her easy prey for top-tier opponents.
If Paula Badosa's rapidly improving game is firing on all cylinders, it would take a monumental effort from the American to pull off the upset.
Prediction: Paula Badosa to win in straight sets.
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