Roland Garros: Kiki Bertens vs Sara Errani preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020 

 Kiki Bertens during her first round match at the French Open in Paris
 Kiki Bertens during her first round match at the French Open in Paris

Match details

Fixture: (5) Kiki Bertens vs Sara Errani

Date: 30 September 2020

Tournament: Roland Garros 2020

Round: Second Round (Round of 64)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: Approx. €38,000,000

Match timing: 11 am CEST, 2.30 pm IST

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

Also check out: The Complete French Open 2020 Schedule

Kiki Bertens vs Sara Errani preview

Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens is seeded fifth at this year's French Open, and is a former semifinalist at Roland Garros. Bertens loves playing on clay and has had some of her best successes on the surface, as evidenced by her wins in Madrid and Charleston.

Ahead of this year's tournament, Bertens decided to skip the hardcourt events in the United States. She then lost in the opening rounds at both Rome and Strasbourg, before winning her first round at the French Open in three sets.

Bertens' next opponent in Paris, Sara Errani, is a former World No. 5. The Italian's favorite surface is also clay, and she reached the final at Roland Garros back in 2012.

 Sara Errani at the Palermo Ladies Open last month
Sara Errani at the Palermo Ladies Open last month

While her troubles with her serve have been well documented, Errani is not one to give up easily. The 33-year-old, who had dropped outside the top 350 last year, reached the quarterfinals in Palermo recently and has climbed back to World No. 150.

She is set to ascend further after coming through qualifying and winning her first main draw match in a Grand Slam since the 2017 French Open.

Kiki Bertens vs Sara Errani head-to-head

Surprisingly, Sara Errani holds a 5-0 lead over Kiki Bertens in their head-to-head.

The Italian's five wins have come across all surfaces - hard, clay, carpet and grass. That said, this will be their first meeting since the 2016 Olympics, when Errani was still ranked inside the top 20.

Kiki Bertens vs Sara Errani prediction

Serena Williams shakes hands with Kiki Bertens after their semi-final at the 2016 French Open
Serena Williams shakes hands with Kiki Bertens after their semi-final at the 2016 French Open

Kiki Bertens has a stronger serve and a more powerful baseline game than her opponent. She is also currently ranked much higher than Errani.

But the Italian's game is not a good match-up for Bertens. Errani is one of the grittiest players on tour, having shown her ability to win matches even when she struggles with her serve.

Errani has won six out of eight matches since the resumption of tennis, compared to Bertens' 1-2 win-loss ratio in the same period. That, coupled with her unbeaten head-to-head record against the Dutchwoman, puts Errani on the front foot; the Italian could very well pull off an upset this time.

Prediction: Sara Errani to win in three sets.


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