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Match details
Fixture: (1) Daniil Medvedev vs (4) Pablo Carreno Busta
Date: 25 June 2021
Tournament: Mallorca Championships 2021
Round: Semifinals
Venue: Mallorca, Spain
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Grass
Prize money: €720,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Daniil Medvedev vs Pablo Carreno Busta preview
Daniil Medvedev arrived at Mallorca in desperate need of grasscourt match practice. He suffered a first-round loss at the hands of Jan-Lennard Struff in Halle, looking a little out of sorts on the quick surface.
Medvedev has been one of the most in-form players on tour over the past eight months, and would be hoping to do well at Wimbledon too. But right now he is on the hunt for the first grasscourt title of his career at Mallorca.
The 25-year-old has looked solid this week, defeating Corentin Moutet and Casper Ruud in straight sets to set up a semifinal encounter against Pablo Carreno Busta.
Carreno Busta has had a decent year himself, boasting a win-loss record of 17-7 so far. The Spaniard won the fifth title of his career in Marbella and reached the fourth round at Roland Garros, where he lost to eventual finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Carreno Busta's struggles on grass are well-documented; he has never won a match at Wimbledon. That said, the 29-year-old has beaten Jiri Vesely and Jordan Thompson in straight sets this week, and looks more comfortable on the slick surface than he has been in the past.
Daniil Medvedev vs Pablo Carreno Busta head-to-head
The semifinal encounter in Mallorca is the fourth match between the two players, and Daniil Medvedev currently leads the head-to-head 2-1 over Pablo Carreno Busta.
All three of their previous meetings have been on hardcourt. Medvedev got the better of Carreno Busta at the 2018 Paris Masters and also at Moscow in 2017. The Spaniard, meanwhile, triumphed in their second-round match at Indian Wells 2018.
Daniil Medvedev vs Pablo Carreno Busta prediction
Grass is not the best surface for either player, but Daniil Medvedev comes into the encounter as the clear favourite.
Medvedev would be keen to win the title in the Balearic Islands before heading to Wimbledon, where he will be seeded second. The Russian's flat groundstrokes are effective on grass; he can consistently keep the ball low and dictate the exchanges from the baseline.
Medvedev can also make good use of his serve on grass. He has been broken just once this week, and would be hoping to put up good numbers in that area on Friday.
Pablo Carreno Busta, meanwhile, has a patient and dogged style of play which has helped him achieve plenty of success on clay and hardcourt. His serve is also fairly solid, but over the years he has struggled to find his footing on grass, which explains his poor record on the surface.
If Medvedev can put Carreno Busta on the backfoot early, he should be able to dictate the pace of play and eventually come out victorious.
Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in straight sets.
