Roland Garros: Simona Halep vs Iga Swiatek preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020

​

Simona Halep of Romania during her third round win at the French Open.

Match details

Fixture: (1) Simona Halep vs Iga Swiatek

Date: 4 October 2020

Tournament: Roland Garros 2020

Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: Approx. €38,000,000

Match timing: 11 am CEST, 7.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports Select / Disney+ Hotstar VIP | Europe - Eurosport

Simona Halep vs Iga Swiatek preview

Simona Halep entered this year's French Open as the overwhelming favorite. And with the exit of Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka, the expectations on Halep to win the title have only increased further.

The Romanian has now won 17 matches in a row, including 13 consecutive matches on clay. Her last loss came at the Australian Open back in January.

Halep's next opponent, Iga Swiatek, is a rising Polish player who is widely touted as a star in the making. The 19-year-old is a former Wimbledon junior champion, and has been moving swiftly up the pro ranks.

First there was Aga, and now there's Iga!

This jaw dropping dropshot from @iga_swiatek during her impressive run in Lugano earned your votes for the 2019 Shot of the Year presented by @Cambridge_FX --> https://t.co/gmWTj69OlF pic.twitter.com/5Bc0k0Ag1s

— wta (@WTA) December 20, 2019

Swiatek reached her first WTA final in Lugano last year, as well as her first Slam Round of 16 - right here at Roland Garros.

In 2020, she has reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and the third round at the US Open. It goes without saying that the Pole would be keen to build on those results and go a step or two further in Paris.

Simona Halep vs Iga Swiatek head-to-head

Simona Halep of Romania shakes hands with Iga Swiatek of Poland .

Simona Halep leads the head-to-head against Iga Swiatek 1-0. The two players had met at the same stage at last year's French Open, where Halep won comprehensively.

Simona Halep vs Iga Swiatek prediction

Simona Halep is undoubtedly the best clay-court player in women's tennis right now, and she firmly believes she belongs at the top of the women's game.

The Romanian is an intelligent player who uses her craft and variety very well. She has the ability to play offensively, but can also counterpunch effectively against the biggest of hitters. Her movement on the court is among the best in the game.

Halep has been especially dominant this week, losing only 12 games in three matches. That included a comprehensive 6-1, 6-0 revenge win over Amanda Anisimova in the third round on Friday.

Iga Swiatek is through to the fourth round of the French Open for the second year in a row.

Iga Swiatek, on the other hand, is considerably less established but probably just as talented. The daughter of former Olympic rower Tomasz Swiatek, the Pole has great groundstrokes and is not afraid to come to the net and finish points.

Her second serve is an area of weakness that Halep can attack, so Swiatek will need a high percentage of first serves on Sunday.

The teenager has been in great form this week. She has registered straight sets win over three tough opponents - 2019 finalist Marketa Vondrousova in the first round, tough veteran Su Wei-Hsieh in the second and former World No. 5 Eugenie Bouchard in the third.

Iga Swiatek on Halep: “Tennis-wise [last year] I wasn't able to play all the things that we were talking with my team, like about tactics. I wasn’t able to do that. I think this year is going to be different because I'm more experienced. I’m not going to be that stressed.” #RG20

— Max Gao (@MaxJGao) October 2, 2020

Having been at this stage before, Swiatek will probably play more freely this time against Halep. And if she can do that, she will be able to give the 2018 champion a good match.

Prediction: Simona Halep to win in three sets.

​