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World No. 26 Alex de Minaur was forced to miss the 2020 Australian Open due to an abdominal injury. So when De Minaur meets Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff today at the 2020 Western & Southern Open, it will be the Aussie's first big event since the ATP Cup in January.
De Minaur had made a great start to his 2020 campaign, beating the likes of Alexander Zverev and Denis Shapovalov to guide Australia to the semifinals of the ATP Cup. He then gave an almighty scare to then World No. 1 Rafael Nadal before bowing out in a three-setter.
But since then the Aussie's match practice has been severely limited, due to injury niggles as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.
While De Minaur has not played as much, his opponent Jan-Lennard Struff is coming in with loads of match practice. He played a series of exhibition matches throughout the lockdown, and will be raring to make a deep run in his first competitive tournament since February.
Alex de Minaur vs Jan-Lennard Struff head-to-head
The head-to-head between Alex de Minaur and Jan-Lennard Struff currently stands at 2-0 in favor of the Australian.
De Minaur first beat the German back in 2018, when the young Aussie was taking baby steps on the ATP tour. Coming into the Indian Wells Masters as a wildcard entrant, De Minaur beat his seasoned opponent in three close sets before losing to eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro in the next round.
The second time the pair met was in Basel last year, which was another great tournament for De Minaur. He convincingly beat Struff in the quarterfinals, and went on to make the finals of the tournament - where he was swept aside by 10-time Swiss Indoors champion Roger Federer.
Alex de Minaur vs Jan-Lennard Struff prediction
Many experts have touted Alex de Minaur to occupy the top echelons of the sport once the Big 3 call it a day. The wait has been long, but the Aussie has shown plenty of promise along the way with his dogged defense and smart shot selection.
On the other hand, Jan-Lennard Struff has failed to live up to his potential over the years; he has never been a consistent threat despite having an abundance of talent. The German has a middling record on the tour, which is in stark contrast to De Minaur's recent exploits.
At this point Alex de Minaur would certainly be favored to beat Jan-Lennard Struff and make his way deeper into the Western & Southern Open.
Prediction: Alex de Minaur to win in three sets.
Match details
Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2020
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $4,674,780
Live telecast: India - Sony Ten 2 | USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN
Match timing: 11 am EDT, 8:30 pm IST
