US Open 2020: Matteo Berrettini vs Ugo Humbert preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Matteo Berrettini vs Ugo Humbert
Date: 3 September 2020
Tournament: US Open 2020
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
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
Matteo Berrettini vs Ugo Humbert preview
Last year's semifinalist Matteo Berrettini looks to continue his campaign at the 2020 US Open when he takes on Frenchman Ugo Humbert for a place in the third round.
The 24-year-old Italian won his lone match of the year in the first round of the Australian Open. However, a subsequent injury put him out of action for a month, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a near six-month suspension of the tour.
Matteo Berrettini played his first competitive match in nearly nine months at the Cincinnati Masters last week, where he beat World No. 100 Emil Ruusuvuori. In the next round, however, Berrettini went down to to eventual quarterfinalist Reilly Opelka.
The sixth seed is back to winning ways at the US Open, having taken out Go Soeda in straight sets on Tuesday to move to the second round.
"I was able to win the most important points in the tie-break. I got a lot of confidence after winning the first set and felt I could change gears. I got a little bit tight in the third set. I haven’t played a lot of matches this year. It wasn’t easy at the end, but mentally I was there and I’m happy with my performance,” Matteo Berrettini said after that match.
Ugo Humbert, meanwhile, made a fabulous start to the season by winning his first career singles title in Auckland. But in his first competitive match after the COVID-19 lockdown, Humbert lost to Grigor Dimitrov.
Back at the tournament where he notched up his first Grand Slam match win two years ago, Humbert beat Yuichi Sugita on Tuesday to book his place in the second round.
Matteo Berrettini vs Ugo Humbert head-to-head
Matteo Berrettini is yet to meet his second-round opponent Ugo Humbert on the tour, so the pair's head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Matteo Berrettini vs Ugo Humbert prediction
The big-serving Matteo Berrettini made his best Slam run at the US Open last year, where he downed Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the last four.
Humbert on the other hand recorded only his second win at the tournament when he won his first-round match against Sugita. The Frenchman, who made the Round of 16 at Wimbledon last year, hits a really flat ball and uses his lefty angles well to move his opponents around. That could come in handy against the Italian, who is not particularly known for his foot speed.
But Berrettini, with his aggressive all-court game, might have a little too much firepower for the southpaw. The 24-year-old can be expected to squeak past his younger opponent in a match that could go the distance.
Prediction: Matteo Berrettini to win in five sets.