Roland Garros: Roberto Bautista Agut vs Pablo Carreno Busta preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020
Match details
Fixture: Roberto Bautista Agut vs Pablo Carreno Busta
Date: 3 October 2020
Tournament: Roland Garros 2020
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
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 Sports / Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports Select / Disney + Hotstar VIP | Europe - Eurosport
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Pablo Carreno Busta preview
There's not going to be too many surprises in this match on Saturday. The two Spaniards Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Carreno Busta are good friends, and have often played on the same team in the Davis Cup.
Both players have been in good form as well. Bautista Agut has reached the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open and the quarterfinals of the Hamburg European Open over the last one month. Meanwhile, Carreno Busta reached the semifinals of the US Open last month for the second time in his career.
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Pablo Carreno Busta head-to-head
The head-to-head between the two players is currently tied at 2-2. Pablo Carreno Busta has won two of their three meetings on hardcourt, including their meeting earlier this year in the Round of 16 at the Rotterdam event.
In their only claycourt encounter, at the Rome Masters in 2017, Roberto Bautista Agut won in three sets.
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Pablo Carreno Busta prediction
Both the Spaniards have also been in good form this week, coming into the third round without dropping a set. The 10th seeded Roberto Bautista Agut has defeated Richard Gasquet and Atilla Balazs in his first two matches while Pablo Carreno Busta has scored wins over John Millman and Guido Pella this week.
Bautista Agut and Carreno Busta are quite comfortable playing from the back of the court and engaging in baseline rallies. They will also be motivated to reach their first ever semifinal at the French Open.
Bautista Agut's favorite surface is hardcourt rather than clay, but his forehand might be able to do more damage than his opponent's given the slow conditions this year. Carreno Busta, on the other hand, is a better mover than his opponent and would look to dominate the crosscourt backhand-to-backhand rallies.
The player who is able to be the more aggressive one on the day and keep their error count on the lower side will likely win this. And given his recent form, Bautista Agut might just be the one to do that.
Prediction: Roberto Bautista Agut to win in four sets.