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Match details
Fixture: Milos Raonic vs Aljaz Bedene
Date: 21 October 2020
Tournament: European Open 2020
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Antwerp, Belgium
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: Approx. €394,800
Match timing: 12.30 pm CEST, 4 pm IST
Live Telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel
Milos Raonic vs Aljaz Bedene preview
Fifth seed Milos Raonic will take on the unseeded Aljaz Bedene in the opening round of the 2020 European Open in Antwerp.
Raonic will be keen on getting over his semifinal defeat to Borna Coric at the St. Petersburg Open last week. The big-serving Canadian won the first set 6-1, but capitulated in the next two sets to hand Coric an unexpected win.
Raonic had not been broken throughout the tournament before the semifinal, and was considered one of the favorites to win the title. However, a lapse in concentration provided an opening to the Croat, who needed no second invitation.
The 29-year-old will need to get over his loss quickly if he hopes to make an impression in Antwerp.
Aljaz Bedene will likely not be a very difficult challenge for Raonic, given how the Slovenian has been struggling to maintain his consistency of late. Bedene will be playing in his first tournament this week since getting knocked out in the third round of the French Open.
During the American hardcourt swing, the 31-year-old did well at the Cincinnati Masters, where he made the Round of 16 after getting through two qualifying rounds. However, at the US Open, he got knocked out in the first round by Emil Ruusuvuori.
Milos Raonic vs Aljaz Bedene head-to-head
Milos Raonic leads Aljaz Bedene by a margin of 3-0 in the head-to-head. The Canadian has defeated the Slovenian on all three surfaces and has dropped just the solitary set in the process.
Their most recent encounter was in 2019, where they faced each other at the Queen’s Club Championships. Raonic won that match 6-3, 7-6.
Milos Raonic vs Aljaz Bedene prediction
Barring his capitulation against Coric, Milos Raonic hasn't done much wrong lately. That said, the Canadian could be slightly fatigued given that he will be playing his fifth match in the space of seven days.
It remains to be seen whether Aljaz Bedene can take advantage of this by moving Raonic around with his sharply angled groundstrokes. But if Raonic's serve is firing, Bedene would find it hard to get into the rallies at all.
Prediction: Milos Raonic to win in three sets.
