Roland Garros: Daria Kasatkina vs Harmony Tan preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020
Match details
Fixture: Daria Kasatkina vs (W) Harmony Tan
Date: 29 September 2020
Tournament: Roland Garros 2020
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: Approx. €38,000,000
Match timing: Approx. 6 pm CEST, 9.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC / Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Daria Kasatkina vs Harmony Tan preview
2018 French Open quarterfinalist Daria Kasatkina will aim for a place in the second round of Roland Garros 2020 when she takes on French wildcard Harmony Tan on Tuesday.
The images of Kasatkina's ankle injury and the touching sportsmanship shown by Victoria Azarenka during their Italian Open third-round clash are still fresh in every tennis aficionado's memory. Until that injury happened, the Russian youngster was striking the ball with confidence; she repeatedly put the in-form Azarenka in a spot of bother with her variety and spin.
Kasatkina's overall performances and ranking, however, have taken a nosedive after her career-best 2018 season. This year, her only other notable display has been on the hardcourts of Lyon, where she made it to the semifinals.
At Rome, the former French Open junior champion finally seemed to be finding her feet on the red dirt. After getting four wins under her belt, the former top 10 player was looking like a real threat to Azarenka until the injury struck.
Kasatkina would now hope to put that setback behind her as she concentrates on getting her first win of the 2020 French Open. The World No. 71 has announced that she has recovered well from her injury, and is ready for the challenges ahead.
Daria Kasatkina seems to have drawn an opponent who can give her a breezy start to her campaign. Harmony Tan is ranked No. 238 in the world and has never been past the first round of any Grand Slam.
The 23-year-old mainly plies her trade on the ITF circuit. Her best showing this year has been a runner-up finish at an ITF 25K event in Petit Bourg, France, all the way back in January.
Tan clearly isn't arriving with the best preparation needed to tackle a top-100 player who has an effective game on clay.
Daria Kasatkina vs Harmony Tan head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between Daria Kasatkina and Harmony Tan, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0. That said, there is a huge gulf between the two in terms of playing experience and accomplishments.
Tan reached a career-high No. 217 in the world rankings last year, and has zero career titles. The 23-year-old Kasatkina, on the other hand, has a couple of titles to her name and had made it to as high as No. 10 in 2018.
Daria Kasatkina vs Harmony Tan prediction
The first round will be a good indication of how good Daria Kasatkina's fitness levels are after that ankle injury. Kasatkina would prefer to take it slow to begin with, and it doesn't look like she will need to exert herself much against a player who lacks the experience of playing on the big stage.
Kasatkina's heavy topspin forehand and her occasional slices will likely do most of the talking in this match. The Russian should be expected to make it through to Round 2 without much hassle.
Prediction: Daria Kasatkina to win in straight sets.