Roland Garros: Cristian Garin vs Marc Polmans preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020
Match details
Fixture: Cristian Garin vs Marc Polmans
Date: 1 October 2020
Tournament: Roland Garros 2020
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: Approx. €38,000,000
Match timing: 11 am CEST, 2.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC / Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Also check out: The Complete French Open 2020 Schedule
Cristian Garin vs Marc Polmans preview
Cristian Garin, the No. 20 seed at Roland Garros 2020, has had a solid start to his campaign. He beat the experienced Philipp Kohlschreiber in four sets, progressing to the second round with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 scoreline.
Garin is a highly skilled player on clay. The Chilean shifted to Spain as a teenager, and that move helped him develop into a solid claycourter.
He won two titles in February this year, both on red dirt, before making it to the semifinal at Hamburg recently. Garin has featured in five ATP finals so far, all of which have been on clay, and he's won four of them.
Qualifier Marc Polmans has also made heads turn with his superb performance in Paris so far this year. He lost just one set through three qualifying rounds, before coming up against World No. 38 Ugo Humbert in the first round.
Almost everyone expected Polmans to lose to the Frenchman, but he produced an excellent showing to win 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
This is the Australian's maiden appearance in the Roland Garros main draw.
Cristian Garin vs Marc Polmans head-to-head
Cristian Garin and Marc Polmans have not faced off on tour so far. Their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Cristian Garin vs Marc Polmans prediction
This promises to be an high-octane encounter between two young and hungry players. Both Cristian Garin and Marc Polmans will be keen to make a statement to the rest of the tour with a solid run here.
Garin, however, is slightly more experienced than Polmans at the French Open, having reached the second round last year. He also won the junior singles title at the 2013 French Open.
The 24-year-old is known for his never-say-die attitude on court, and he fights for every point. Garin is also among the best clutch players on tour currently.
Polmans, on the other hand, has thrown away significant leads in his Grand Slam fixtures over the last two years. He was two sets up against Denis Kudla in the first round of Australian Open 2019, before losing in five sets. He also had a two sets to one lead against Marcos Giron at US Open 2020, but lost 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
He will need to be at the top of his game against a solid player like Garin. If he fails to take advantage of his good positions on Thursday, the Chilean will make him pay.
Prediction: Cristian Garin to win in five sets.