Rotterdam 2021: David Goffin vs Jeremy Chardy preview, head-to-head & prediction | ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
Match details
Fixture: David Goffin vs Jeremy Chardy
Date: 4 March 2021
Tournament: ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: €980,580
Match timing: 11 am local time, 3.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel
David Goffin vs Jeremy Chardy preview
David Goffin's has extended his winning streak to five matches by defeating Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round of the 2021 Rotterdam Open on Wednesday. Goffin will next face France's Jeremy Chardy in the second round on Thursday.
Chardy outlasted talented youngster Ugo Humbert in the first round, prevailing 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4).
Fresh off a title win at Montpellier, Goffin was expected to be a little fatigued at Rotterdam. But that was not the case as the Belgian swept past Struff in just about an hour, winning 6-4, 6-0.
Goffin’s new coach Germain Gigounon seems to have given the 30-year-old a new lease of life after his disastrous dip in form last year. While Goffin's game itself wasn't under the scanner, it was his supposed lack of motivation that saw him finish his 2020 season with 11 defeats from 23 matches.
In contrast, the Belgian has won eight of the 11 matches that he has played so far in 2021.
Against Struff, Goffin won 81% of his first-serve points and lost only 17 points on serve overall. These are pretty impressive figures given how big the German returns.
Jeremy Chardy, meanwhile, needed almost three hours to oust rising star and countryman Ugo Humbert on Tuesday.
Interestingly, Chardy won seven points fewer than his counterpart in the match. Humbert also managed to win as many as 50 points on Chardy's serve, while the latter could only muster 38 points on Humbert’s. That shows how close the match was, and speaks volumes of Chardy's clutch play.
David Goffin vs Jeremy Chardy head-to-head
David Goffin leads Jeremy Chardy 2-1 in the head-to-head. The two last faced each other at the 2020 Australian Open, where Goffin triumphed in straight sets.
Chardy’s only win against the Belgian came way back at the 2015 French Open.
David Goffin vs Jeremy Chardy prediction
On current form, it would be unwise to look beyond David Goffin in this fixture. But Jeremy Chardy, with three wins under his belt already at Rotterdam (including qualifiers), could prove to be a tricky customer for the Belgian.
Goffin will look to dictate play from the baseline on Thursday, as indulging in forecourt duels with an experienced volleyer like Chardy could spell trouble for him.
That said, Chardy has played on five straight days at the Rotterdam Open, if you count his doubles matches too. Fatigue is likely to become a factor for the Frenchman, which could make things very difficult for him against a player of Goffin's ilk.
Prediction: David Goffin to win in straight sets.