Australian Open 2021: Milos Raonic vs Marton Fucsovics preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match Details

Fixture: (14) Milos Raonic vs Marton Fucsovics

Date: 12 February 2021

Tournament: Australian Open 2021

Round: Third round (Round of 32)

Venue: Melbourne, Australia

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: AUD $80 million

Match timing: Not before 5 pm local time, 11.30 am IST

Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six

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Milos Raonic vs Marton Fucsovics preview

14th seed Milos Raonic is set to take on Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in a third-round match at the 2021 Australian Open on Friday.

Raonic has notched up a couple of easy wins early in the tournament. But he will be expecting a tougher challenge from Fucsovics, who took out former winner Stan Wawrinka in an exhilarating fifth set tiebreaker in his last match.

Marton Fucsovics

Fucsovics has built a reputation as an upset artist in recent times. Stan Wawrinka is only the latest addition to his list of big scalps, which also includes the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Grigor Dimitrov and Denis Shapovalov.

Moreover, all of these wins have come at Grand Slam tournaments. The Hungarian seems to have the knack of bringing out his best tennis on the big stage, and that definitely bodes well for him going forward.

Fucsovics possesses a solid all-round game. Most of his early big results had come on clay, but he has now begun to do well on all surfaces thanks to his ability to adapt to different conditions and his sublime movement on the court.

Milos Raonic vs Marton Fucsovics head-to-head

Milos Raonic's serve and forehand will be huge weapons in the quick conditions.

Milos Raonic leads Marton Fucsovics in the head-to-head by a 2-0 margin. Both of the duo's meetings have come on the grasscourts of Stuttgart, with the Canadian scoring a straight-sets win on each occasion.

Milos Raonic vs Marton Fucsovics prediction

Milos Raonic entered this year's Australian Open on the back of consecutive quarterfinals in the previous two editions. That, coupled with his level of experience on the big stage, is bound to give him an edge in this match.

The conditions at Melbourne Park are playing faster than usual this year. That's likely to aid the Raonic serve and forehand, both of which are already huge weapons on hardcourts.

This match is going to be a big test of Marton Fucsovics' defensive prowess. The key for the Hungarian will be to try and extend the rallies as much as possible and force a couple of tiebreaker sets, which will come down to mental toughness.

But if the Canadian finds his stride on serve - especially behind that first delivery - things could get very difficult for Fucsovics on these fast Melbourne courts.

Prediction: Milos Raonic to win in four sets.