Roland Garros: Eugenie Bouchard vs Daria Gavrilova preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020
Match details
Fixture: Eugenie Bouchard vs Daria Gavrilova
Date: 30 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. 1 pm CEST, 4.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports/Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports/Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Also check out: The Complete French Open 2020 Schedule
Eugenie Bouchard vs Daria Gavrilova preview
A rejuvenated Eugenie Bouchard faces comeback queen Daria Gavrilova on Wednesday in the second round of the 2020 French Open.
Things seemed to be going south for Eugenie Bouchard in 2020 after she failed to qualify for the Australian Open. But in the past two months, the Canadian has managed to turn a corner.
In Istanbul, Bouchard displayed some of the shot-making and fight that were such a trademark of her 2014 self, reaching the final after beating top seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. Despite coming short at the last hurdle, the 26-year-old looked like the player she once was.
The former French Open semifinalist has carried that form into Roland Garros, registering a solid straight-sets win in her opening match.
Daria Gavrilova is on a comeback trail herself after a year-long injury hiatus. The Australian showed little signs of lack of match practice in the first round though, as she upset Number 24 seed Dayana Yastremska in straight sets.
With that win, Gavrilova ended a five-match losing streak at Grand Slams. She now has a chance to match her best-ever result in the French capital; all she needs is a win over Bouchard.
Eugenie Bouchard vs Daria Gavrilova head-to-head
The head-to-head between Eugenie Bouchard and Daria Gavrilova currently stands at 3-0 in favor of the Canadian.
However, all of Bouchard's wins came very early in their careers, with the last one taking place in 2013. Gavrilova won their most recent meeting, at the 2018 Hopman Cup, although that is not counted in the tour records.
Eugenie Bouchard vs Daria Gavrilova prediction
In both her tournaments since the resumption of tennis, Eugenie Bouchard has shown that she has put in some hard work during the lockdown. The Canadian reached the last eight in Prague and stood on the podium in Istanbul.
Bouchard returned serve exceptionally well in Istanbul, and consistently hit deep and penetrating groundstrokes to overpower her opponents. And she continued in the same vein during her opening match at the French Open.
When on song, the former World No. 5 can produce some scintillating power tennis. She is a real threat to anyone if she hits her zone on clay.
The damp conditions can both reward and punish Bouchard's high-risk, aggressive baseline style. She would have enough time to set up her shots, but would also be tempted to go for too much and spray unforced errors.
The counterpunching Daria Gavrilova is a player who can force errors out of the best strikers of the ball, like she did against Yastremska. The Australian is very consistent from the back of the court and doesn't give away too many free points, which could frustrate Bouchard.
But Gavrilova lacks venom in her own groundstrokes to outhit an opponent that is in the zone. That could land her in trouble if Bouchard starts feeling the ball well.
Prediction: Eugenie Bouchard to win in three sets.
Follow Sportskeeda to get the latest French Open 2020 Results and Schedule