Roland Garros: Pablo Carreno Busta vs Guido Pella preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020
Match details
Fixture: Pablo Carreno Busta vs Guido Pella
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: Approx. 3 pm CEST, 6.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports Select / Disney + Hotstar VIP | Europe - Eurosport
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Guido Pella preview
Pablo Carreno Busta began his 2020 French Open campaign with a straight-sets win over John Millman. The Spaniard will now face Argentina’s Guido Pella in the second round on Thursday.
Carreno Busta was one of the most in-form players during the recently concluded hardcourt swing. He managed to reach the semis of the US Open and at one point was a set away from making his maiden Grand Slam final, but ultimately fell just short.
Carreno Busta then got knocked out in the first round at Rome by Rafael Nadal. The defeat was understandable though, given that he was facing the King of Clay - and that too after a very short turnaround time from the US Open.
After getting some much-deserved rest, Pablo Carreno Busta arrived in Paris with a much fresher body and mind. The effect of that was clearly visible as he knocked out tricky customer John Millman in straight sets.
The Spaniard was dominant in the return games, as expected. Carreno Busta is an exceptional operator from the baseline and Millman got a full exhibition of that during their match.
Carreno Busta's next opponent, Guido Pella, overcame Italy's Salvatore Caruso in his opening round match.
The Argentine needed four tight sets to overcome Caruso and was quite error-prone throughout, leaking as many as 67 unforced errors. Needless to say, if he produces a similar performance on Thursday it will make life very easy for Pablo Carreno Busta.
Pella's form coming into the French Open was quite underwhelming already. He had lost in the first round at the Cincinnati Masters, Kitzbuhel as well as the Italian Open. At the US Open he managed to win one match, before being eliminated in the second round.
That said, some of the best results of Pella’s career have come on clay. With five finals on this surface, the Argentine certainly has the skill-set to give Pablo Carreno Busta a good fight at the very least.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Guido Pella head-to-head
Pablo Carreno Busta leads Guido Pella 2-1 in the head-to-head. All of their previous encounters were played on hardcourts.
Their most recent meeting, at the 2019 Davis Cup, was won by Guido Pella.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Guido Pella prediction
Pablo Carreno Busta has elevated his game by a few notches in recent years, and he is also carrying a fair amount of confidence after his exploits at the US Open. While he lacks the extra bit of power needed to dominate on this surface, he makes up for it with his exceptional movement and accuracy.
It might be difficult for Guido Pella to construct points against Carreno Busta or even hit through him. But the Spaniard’s serve is something he can look to attack, given its relative weakness.
Pella can trouble Carreno Busta in a set or two, but it is unlikely that he will be able to do enough to register a victory.
Prediction: Pablo Carreno Busta to win in four sets.