Match details
Fixture: (1) Diego Schwartzman vs Lukas Klein
Date: 4 March 2021
Tournament: Argentina Open 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Clay court
Prize money: $329,550
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | India - Eurosport
Diego Schwartzman vs Lukas Klein preview
Top seed Diego Schwartzman will take on qualifier Lukas Klein in the second round of the 2021 Argentina Open on Thursday.
Schwartzman, the World No. 9, will be hoping to rediscover the form that took him to the French Open semifinals last year. The Argentine has compiled a 4-3 record in 2021 thus far, after going 1-1 at the ATP Cup and getting knocked out of the Australian Open in the third round.
In his first claycourt event of the season - Cordoba - last week, Schwartzman lost in the quarterfinals to Albert Ramos Vinolas.
Lukas Klein, on the other hand, is ranked No. 291 in the world currently. Klein has been competing mainly on the ITF and Challenger tours; in fact, the Slovak had never played an ATP tour main draw match prior to this week.
Klein had to win three matches in qualifying to enter the Argentina Open main draw.
Diego Schwartzman vs Lukas Klein head-to-head
This will be the first ATP meeting between Diego Schwartzman and Lukas Klein, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Diego Schwartzman vs Lukas Klein prediction
Thursday's match will be Diego Schwartzman's first of the week, after an opening round bye. On the other hand, it will be the fifth match of the tournament for Klein; after coming through qualifying, the Slovak scored a big win over World No. 103 Andrej Martin in the first round.
But given his current ranking and relative inexperience, Klein might take some time to adjust to the cut-throat competitiveness of the ATP Tour on a regular basis.
Schwartzman, a resident of Buenos Aires, is looking to win his first ever title on home soil. Clay is his favorite surface, and the 28-year-old will be aiming to become the first Argentine to win this event since former World No. 3 David Nalbandian in 2008.
All things considered, Schwartzman is the clear favorite to win this match and advance to the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Diego Schwartzman to win in straight sets.