Hamburg Open 2020: Cristian Garin vs Yannick Hanfmann preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Cristian Garin vs Yannick Hanfmann

Date: 23 September 2020

Tournament: Hamburg European Open 2020

Round: Second round (Round of 16)

Venue: Hamburg, Germany

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: €1,062,520

Match timing: Approx. 12 pm CEST, 3.30 pm IST

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

Cristian Garin vs Yannick Hanfmann preview

After chalking up impressive wins in their respective first-round matches, Cristian Garin and Yannick Hanfmann will face each other in the second round of the 2020 Hamburg Open on Wednesday.

The Chilean, ranked World No. 22, knocked out Kei Nishikori in straight sets, while Hanfmann overcame Gael Monfils in similar fashion.

Yannick Hanfmann

Garin is highly regarded as a clay-court player and did justice to those claims by dominating Nishikori throughout their match.

The Chilean hasn’t had too many great results to boast of since the resumption of the tour, as he failed to go past the second round at Cincinnati, the US Open and Rome. However, his win against the Japanese is sure to instill him with newfound belief in the lead-up to the French Open.

Garin executed the basics well and also displayed terrific resilience when he was broken in the second set. His next opponent, Yannick Hanfmann, is a 28-year-old German who only made his ATP Tour debut in 2015.

Hanfmann has been in good form lately though, as evidenced by his impressive run to the final at the recently concluded Generali Open in Kitzbuhel. His victory over Gael Monfils in the first round on Tuesday should only boost his confidence further, as defeating a top 10 player is never an easy task.

Cristian Garin vs Yannick Hanfmann head-to-head

The head-to-head between Cristian Garin and Yannick Hanfmann currently stands at 0-0 as the two have never faced each other on the ATP tour.

Cristian Garin vs Yannick Hanfmann prediction

Cristian Garin

Yannick Hanfmann makes good use of his height to land tricky kick serves, which makes him particularly difficult to deal with on clay. Cristian Garin will thus have to get in position early to have a chance of breaking the German's serve.

Another aspect that Garin will have to contend with is the German’s ability to hit flat and deep shots even from behind the baseline. And while Garin is an able returner, he would need to pay special attention to his opponent's forehand which is often difficult to return due to its pace and depth.

While the match-up might look like an easy one for Garin on paper, it is unlikely to be a straightforward affair on the court.

Hanfmann is a very good claycourt player himself, and is also competing in his home country. That could act as added motivation for the German, and Garin would have to be on his toes to get the W.

Prediction: Cristian Garin to win in three sets.