Roland Garros 2021: John Isner vs Sam Querrey preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (31) John Isner vs Sam Querrey

Date: 31 May 2021

Tournament: Roland Garros 2021

Round: First round (Round of 128)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red Clay

Prize money: €17,171,108

Match timing: 11 am local time, 9 am GMT, 5 am EST, 2.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

John Isner vs Sam Querrey preview

John Isner and Sam Querrey will lock horns in an all-American first-round clash at Roland Garros 2021.

Although Isner and Querrey have been mainstays on the tour for over a decade, they have never faced each other at a Grand Slam before.

Clay has been the weakest surface for both players over the years, but John Isner has shown signs of improvement on the red dirt in recent weeks. The 36-year-old made it to the last eight of the Madrid Masters, beating Miomir Kecmanovic, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Andrey Rublev on the way.

Isner even led against Dominic Thiem in the quarterfinals but failed to get across the line. Despite the defeat to the Austrian, Isner, a former Wimbledon semifinalist, will take plenty of positives into the 2021 French Open.

On the other hand, Isner's first-round opponent Sam Querrey has had a dismal season and holds a 2-4 win-loss record. Querrey has failed to get past the second round at any of the events he's participated in, including the Australian Open and Miami Masters.

Querrey opened his clay swing at the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma, where he was bundled out in the first round by Yoshihito Nishioka in three sets.

John Isner vs Sam Querrey head-to-head

Sam Querrey leads John Isner in the head-to-head

Sam Querrey leads John Isner 5-3 in their head-to-head. The pair has played on clay just once, in the final of the 2010 Serbia Open, where Querrey won in three sets.

John Isner vs Sam Querrey prediction

John Isner and Sam Querrey are two of tennis's biggest servers. Together, they have struck 20,970 aces, with Isner occupying second spot and Querrey fifth on the all-time aces leaderboard.

As a result, we can expect serve to dominate in this encounter with very few extended rallies. Given that John Isner has a better forehand than Querrey, he will likely enjoy more success on the few occasions that points are not decided by giant first serves.

Isner struck 106 aces in his four matches at Madrid, which proves that his main weapon is in fine working condition. Since a tiebreak or two is likely, the player who can produce a more clutch serving display and hold their nerve in crunch moments will likely emerge with the win.

Given Querrey's recent struggles, Isner is the favorite to pull through and he should have enough in the tank to send his compatriot packing.

Prediction: John Isner to win in four sets.