Roland Garros: Roberto Bautista Agut vs Attila Balazs preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020
Match details
Fixture: (10) Roberto Bautista Agut vs Attila Balazs
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. 4 pm CEST, 7.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sport / Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Attila Balazs preview
There was a time when a player being from Spain was automatically taken to mean they would excel on clay. But over the past few years, there have been some Spanish players who have done better on hardcourt than on dirt.
Roberto Bautista Agut is one of those players. The 32-year-old has won seven of his nine career titles on hardcourts, even reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the semifinals at Wimbledon - both of them last year. But at the French Open Bautista Agut has only ever reached the fourth round, and he has just one claycourt title to his credit.
Bautista Agut has been a mainstay in the top 15 since July 2019, and loves playing for his country - as seen in Spain's victory at the Davis Cup and their final appearance at of the ATP Cup over the past 12 months. On the tour in recent months, the Spaniard has reached the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open and the quarterfinals of the Hamburg Open.
Attila Balazs is another 32-year-old, who is ranked No. 87 in the world. Balazs broke into the top 100 for the first time in his career earlier this year, and his first-round Roland Garros win on Tuesday was his first ever main draw Slam win.
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Attila Balazs head-to-head
This is the first meeting between Roberto Bautista Agut and Attila Balazs, and so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Attila Balazs prediction
Attila Balazs is playing the best tennis of his life. Although he does not have any big weapons, he is a steady player who likes to defend from the back of the court and essay percentage tennis.
Roberto Bautista Agut also prefers playing from the baseline, but can hit the ball with a lot more power than his Hungarian opponent. Moreover, the Spaniard is coming in on the back of a good performance against Richard Gasquet in his first-round match.
All things considered, Bautista Agut should be expected to come away with a win in the match on Thursday.
Prediction: Roberto Bautista Agut to win in four sets.