Roland Garros 2021: Aslan Karatsev vs Philipp Kohlschreiber preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (24) Aslan Karatsev vs Philipp Kohlschreiber

Date: 3 June 2021

Tournament: Roland Garros 2021

Round: Second round (Round of 64)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red Clay

Prize money: €17,171,108

Match timing: Approx. 1 pm local time, 11 am GMT, 7 am EST, 4.30 pm IST

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

Aslan Karatsev vs Philipp Kohlschreiber preview

Aslan Karatsev

24th seed Aslan Karatsev will cross swords with German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber on Thursday for a place in the third round of the 2021 French Open.

Karatsev has been the breakout player of the year. Ranked outside the top 100 at the start of 2021, the Russian punched above his weight to reach the semifinals at this year's Australian Open, where he was beaten by the eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Karatsev then went on to have a good spring hardcourt season, winning his first ATP tour title at the 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships. The big-hitting Russian's level dropped off for a brief period but he returned to form in Serbia, where he defeated Novak Djokovic en route to the final.

He has carried that momentum into Paris, dominating his first-round encounter against Jenson Brooksby. Karatsev won 80% of his first serve points en route to a routine straight-sets victory over the American qualifier.

His second-round opponent Philipp Kohlschreiber was once ranked as high as No. 16 in the world, but the German's best days are well and truly behind him. The 37-year-old dropped 10 of his last 15 competitive matches before arriving at Roland Garros, but enjoyed a strong start to his campaign in Paris.

Kohlschreiber, who is now ranked 132, produced a solid performance to down World No. 99 Fernando Verdasco in four sets and advance to the second round.

Aslan Karatsev vs Philipp Kohlschreiber head-to-head

Philipp Kohlschreiber leads Aslan Karatsev 1-0 in their head-to-head. The German was victorious in their only previous encounter, beating the Russian in three sets in the last-16 of the 2015 Moscow Open.

Aslan Karatsev vs Philipp Kohlschreiber prediction

Aslan Karatsev is one of the strongest players on the men's tour from the baseline. The Russian possesses solid groundstrokes and constantly looks to hit through his opponents. Despite his aggressive game, though, Karatsev is extremely consistent and does not cough up too many unforced errors.

Philipp Kohlschreiber

Like Karatsev, Philipp Kohlschreiber is also an extremely attacking player. The veteran can create some incredible angles with his forehand, and has an accurate first serve as well. His single-handed backhand is also a weapon on high-bouncing claycourts.

That said, Kohlschreiber has struggled for form for much of 2021. Although the German won his first match in Paris, it is pertinent to note that his opponent Fernando Verdasco has barely played this year for a variety of reasons.

Against a player like Karatsev, who is in red-hot form, Kohlschriber's lack of match practice could be exposed.

Prediction: Aslan Karatsev to win in four sets.