Roland Garros 2021: Reilly Opelka vs Andrej Martin preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (32) Reilly Opelka vs Andrej Martin
Date: 31 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: 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
Reilly Opelka vs Andrej Martin preview
Big-serving American Reilly Opelka will launch his 2021 Roland Garros campaign against Slovakia's Andrej Martin.
Martin is coming off a spectacular run at the Belgrade Open, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals after taking a set off the World No. 1.
Martin, 31, had lost eight of his 10 main draw matches on the ATP tour heading into the Serbian capital but found his best tennis to defeat Dusan Lajovic and Nikoloz Basilashvili en route to the last four. That will fill him with confidence ahead of the claycourt Major.
Reilly Opelka, meanwhile, surpassed expectations during the claycourt swing. The American, who thrives in quicker conditions, made excellent use of his serve to reach the semifinals of the Italian Open, defeating Federico Delbonis, Aslan Karatsev, Lorenzo Musetti and Richard Gasquet on the way.
The American could not sustain his form in Geneva, however, as he lost in the first round to Pablo Cuevas.
Reilly Opelka vs Andrej Martin head-to-head
Reilly Opelka and Andrej Martin have never faced each other before, so their head-to-head is currently locked at 0-0.
Reilly Opelka vs Andrej Martin prediction
Reilly Opelka will look to put his long levers to good use and rack up free points on his serve. But the American must be wary of the fact that Martin imparts minimal pace on the ball and hits with a lot of top spin.
Opelka has the raw power to hit through the Slovak, but he must keep the unforced errors to a minimum against Martin, who is no slouch on clay.
The Slovak is not the biggest server on tour, but he does land a high percentage of first serves. He is also not afraid to come to the net as a change-up.
A lot will depend on how well Opelka serves. If the American can bring his Italian Open form into Paris, he should be able to see off Martin's challenge.
Prediction: Reilly Opelka to win in four sets.
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