Sardinia 2020: Frances Tiafoe vs Corentin Moutet preview, head-to-head & prediction | Forte Village Sardegna Open
Match details
Fixture: Frances Tiafoe vs Corentin Moutet
Date: 14 October 2020
Tournament: Forte Village Sardegna Open
Round: First round
Venue: Sardinia, Italy
Category: ATP 250 Series.
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Prize money: €271,345
Match timing: 10 am CEST, 1.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel
Frances Tiafoe vs Corentin Moutet preview
After reaching the fourth round of the 2020 US Open, Frances Tiafoe failed to continue his form on European clay. Jan-Lennard Struff ousted the American from the French Open in the first round itself.
Before Roland Garros, Tiafoe had competed in the Internazionali di Tennis Citta di Forli challenger event, where he crashed out in the second round - losing to Lorenzo Musetti.
But the World No. 61 seems to have regained a bit of his touch, having captured the Parma Challenger trophy this week. Tiafoe avenged his Forli defeat to Musetti by beating him 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the second round at Parma.
The American will kick off his Forte Village Sardegna Open campaign against the 21-year-old Frenchman Corentin Moutet.
Moutet played an epic five-set match against Lorenzo Giustino at Roland Garros last week. The Paris-based player bagelled his opponent in the opening set but ended up losing the first-round clash 6-0, 6-7, 6-7, 6-2, 16-18, after more than six hours of grueling tennis.
Moutet has a win-loss record of 8-7 in 2020 so far. He had recorded a win over Dan Evans at the US Open, while he had defeated Stan Wawrinka in Doha earlier in the year.
Frances Tiafoe vs Corentin Moutet head-to-head
Frances Tiafoe and Corentin Moutet have never played each other on the tour, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Frances Tiafoe vs Corentin Moutet prediction
The Sardinia 2020 first-round battle between Frances Tiafoe and Corentin Moutet promises to be an intriguing one. Recent form is in Tiafoe's favor, as he is coming off a championship win in Parma. On the other hand, Moutet might still be struggling from the effects of his heartbreaking loss in Paris.
Tiafoe has an aggressive playing style as he tries to make the most out of his big serve and strong forehand. The American's left-handed opponent will look to target his backhand, and also draw him towards the net whenever possible.
Moutet has the talent to stay with anyone from the baseline, and his French Open match against Giustino just showed that. The Frenchman's forehand and court coverage are pretty good, but he might find it too tough to overcome the in-form Tiafoe right now.
Prediction: Frances Tiafoe to win in three sets.