Roland Garros: Petra Kvitova vs Jasmine Paolini preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020

Match details

Fixture: Petra Kvitova vs Jasmine Paolini

Date: 1 October 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 / Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Petra Kvitova vs Jasmine Paolini preview

Petra Kvitova overcame a late surge from Oceane Dodin to come through her first round match at the 2020 French Open on Monday.

The Czech star, who is playing her first claycourt tournament of the year, managed to win in straight sets. She struck a total of 29 winners in the match, while conceding only 14 unforced errors.

Kvitova will need to continue playing in the same vein as the 30-year-old faces another tough opponent on Thursday, in the form of the talented Jasmine Paolini.

Jasmine Paolini has scored a couple of good wins on clay this year

Paolini has posted a few solid results on European clay since the resumption of the WTA Tour back in August. Not only has the 24-year-old scored wins over seasoned claycourters Anastasja Sevastova and Daria Kasatkina, but she has also given tough fights to top names like Elise Mertens and Simona Halep.

Paolini's game itself is built to succeed on clay. The youngster moves very well on the surface and works hard from the baseline, looking to extract errors from her opponents. That's also the sort of game that could work against someone like Kvitova, who is prone to losing her patience during the longer rallies.

Even so, Paolini cannot play a completely passive game on Thursday. She will need to take her chances - especially on the forehand side - if she hopes to pull off the upset.

Petra Kvitova vs Jasmine Paolini head-to-head

Petra Kvitova will look to be the aggressor in this match

The two women have never crossed paths on the tour before, with their head-to-head currently standing at 0-0.

Petra Kvitova, however, enters the match as the favorite given the vast gap in experience between her and Jasmine Paolini.

Petra Kvitova vs Jasmine Paolini prediction

This match could serve as a great learning curve for Petra Kvitova at this year's tournament. Having already played a big-hitting opponent, Kvitova would look at this encounter as an opportunity to test her skills against a counter-puncher like Jasmine Paolini.

The Czech could try to test the range of her groundstrokes and slice serve against someone who is clearly comfortable on the surface.

Kvitova has often struggled with players who give her a different look at the ball on every shot, and that's what she should be expecting from Paolini. Luckily for Kvitova though, this is completely uncharted territory for the Italian.

The opening win at the French Open was Paolini's first at a Major event. She has also never won against a big name such as Kvitova, and is bound to be nervous.

Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in two tight sets.