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Match details
Fixture: (1) Diego Schwartzman vs Jaume Munar
Date: 5 March 2021
Tournament: Argentina Open 2021
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Clay court
Prize money: $329,550
Match timing: Approx. 8 pm local time, 4.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | India - Eurosport
Diego Schwartzman vs Jaume Munar preview
Top seed Diego Schwartzman will take on 23-year-old Jaume Munar in the quarterfinals of the Argentina Open on Friday.
Schwartzman, the current World No. 9, is a three-time titlist on the ATP tour. But a fourth title in Buenos Aires would have special significance for the 28-year-old.
Schwartzman resides in Buenos Aires, and is yet to win a title on home soil. It's also been 13 years since a local player won this event (David Nalbandian in 2008).
After a mediocre start to the 2021 season, Schwartzman will be hoping that Latin American claycourt swing helps jumpstart his year.
On the other hand, Munar is ranked No. 106 in the world, having dropped off from his peak of No. 52 in May 2019.
The Spaniard loves playing on clay. As a matter of fact, all of his six ATP Challenger Tour and seven ITF titles have come on this surface.
Munar has yet to achieve a breakthrough at the big events though. The Spaniard’s best performance at a Major or a Masters has been reaching the second round.
That said, Munar has enjoyed a solid start to the 2021 season. He has already reached two ATP Challenger finals in Antalya, winning one of them. The Spaniard also won three matches in the qualifying draw this week.
Diego Schwartzman vs Jaume Munar head-to-head
Diego Schwartzman and Jaume Munar have met twice on the ATP tour, with the Argentine leading the head-to-head 2-0.
Schwartzman needed four sets to defeat Munar in the first round of the 2018 US Open. He also defeated the Spaniard in the Cordoba quarterfinals, in straight sets, last year.
Diego Schwartzman vs Jaume Munar prediction
Jaume Munar has played and won a lot of matches this year. After wining three in qualifying this week, the Spaniard scored two wins in the main draw to improve to 14-2 for the season.
His 7-6, 6-4 win over No. 8 seed Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals was particularly impressive. Munar was able to withstand the American's firepower in a close first set, before asserting his claycourt superiority in the second.
Diego Schwartzman, meanwhile, scored a straight-sets win over Lukas Klein in his first match of the week on Thursday. That improves his record to 5-3 for the year.
Although Munar is riding high on confidence, Schwartzman is considerably more experienced on the big stage. That, coupled with the home support, is likely to help him come through on Friday.
Prediction: Diego Schwartzman to win in straight sets.
