Roland Garros: Roberto Bautista Agut vs Attila Balazs preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020

Match details

Fixture: (10) Roberto Bautista Agut vs Attila Balazs

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: Approx. 4 pm CEST, 7.30 pm IST

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

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Attila Balazs preview

There was a time when a player being from Spain was automatically taken to mean they would excel on clay. But over the past few years, there have been some Spanish players who have done better on hardcourt than on dirt.

Roberto Bautista Agut is one of those players. The 32-year-old has won seven of his nine career titles on hardcourts, even reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the semifinals at Wimbledon - both of them last year. But at the French Open Bautista Agut has only ever reached the fourth round, and he has just one claycourt title to his credit.

Bautista Agut has been a mainstay in the top 15 since July 2019, and loves playing for his country - as seen in Spain's victory at the Davis Cup and their final appearance at of the ATP Cup over the past 12 months. On the tour in recent months, the Spaniard has reached the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open and the quarterfinals of the Hamburg Open.

Attila Balazs is another 32-year-old, who is ranked No. 87 in the world. Balazs broke into the top 100 for the first time in his career earlier this year, and his first-round Roland Garros win on Tuesday was his first ever main draw Slam win.

Winning your first Grand Slam match at 32 years old.Attila Balazs #RG20 (🎥@Eurosport_RU) pic.twitter.com/rZldu3GRwa

— Oleg S. (@AnnaK_4ever) September 29, 2020

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Attila Balazs head-to-head

This is the first meeting between Roberto Bautista Agut and Attila Balazs, and so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Attila Balazs prediction

Attila Balazs is playing the best tennis of his life. Although he does not have any big weapons, he is a steady player who likes to defend from the back of the court and essay percentage tennis.

Roberto Bautista Agut defeated Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the first round of the French Open

Roberto Bautista Agut also prefers playing from the baseline, but can hit the ball with a lot more power than his Hungarian opponent. Moreover, the Spaniard is coming in on the back of a good performance against Richard Gasquet in his first-round match.

[10] @BautistaAgut improved to 8-0 in #RolandGarros 1R with a 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-1 victory over Gasquet. #BautistaAgut, who hit 32 winners and broke 8 times, is 27-4 lifetime in #GrandSlam 1R matches.Next: 1st meeting vs Attila Balazs (d. Uchiyama 6-2, 6-3, 7-5).

— ATP Media Info (@ATPMediaInfo) September 29, 2020

All things considered, Bautista Agut should be expected to come away with a win in the match on Thursday.

Prediction: Roberto Bautista Agut to win in four sets.