US Open 2020: Guido Pella vs Jeffrey Wolf preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Guido Pella vs Jeffrey Wolf
Date: 1 September 2020
Tournament: US Open 2020
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $39,024,000
Match timing: 3 PM EDT, 12:30 AM IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN | India - Star Sports / Hotstar
Guido Pella vs Jeffrey Wolf preview
Guido Pella opens his campaign at the 2020 US Open against Grand Slam debutant Jeffrey Wolf of USA.
The 30-year-old Argentine started his season with two wins in four matches at the inaugural ATP Cup. He then made the third round at the Australian Open, where he lost to Fabio Fognini in straight sets.
During the Latin American Golden Swing, Guido Pella made opening-round exits in Cordoba and Rio de Janeiro either side of a Round of 16 appearance in Buenos Aires.
After a six-month break owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Guido Pella was supposed to make his return at last week's Cincinnati Masters. But that didn't happen as the Argentine was controversially ousted from the tournament and asked to go into self-quarantine after a member of his coaching team tested positive for COVID-19.
Although the player himself did not test positive for the dreaded virus, he was not allowed to compete in the tournament - a decision that was widely condemned by fellow players Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Pella is now all set to play at the US Open against Jeffrey Wolf. The American made his Grand Slam main draw debut, albeit in doubles, at the 2016 US Open, but lost in singles qualifying the next year.
The 21-year-old has not played a match on the ATP tour but has won four titles on the Challenger Tour - 2019-20 Columbus, 2020 Noumea and 2019 Champaign.
Guido Pella vs Jeffrey Wolf head-to-head
Guido Pella's first-round opponent, Jeffrey Wolf, is making his ATP Tour and Grand Slam debut at the 2020 US Open. It goes without saying that the pair's head-to-head rivalry stands at 0-0.
Also check out: The complete 2020 US Open Schedule
Guido Pella vs Jeffrey Wolf prediction
The 35th-ranked Guido Pella has won 17 matches at Grand Slam tournaments, with four of them coming at the US Open. However, in his most recent appearance at Flushing Meadows (2019), the left-hander lost his first-round match to Pablo Carreno Busta.
Guido Pella's best performance at the US Open is a third-round appearance in 2018, where he lost to Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili.
On the other hand, Pella's first-round opponent, Jeffrey Wolf, has never played a competitive match on the ATP tour or Grand Slam before. Considering the gulf in pedigree and experience between the two players, anything but a victory for Pella looks unlikely.
Prediction: Guido Pella to win in four sets.