Montpellier 2021: Roberto Bautista Agut vs Gregoire Barrere preview, head-to-head & prediction | Open Sud de France

Match details

Fixture: Roberto Bautista Agut vs Gregoire Barrere

Date: 25 February 2021

Tournament: Open Sud de France 2021

Round: Second round (Round of 16)

Venue: Montpellier, France

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: €262,170

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Gregoire Barrere preview

Roberto Bautista Agut will take on Gregoire Barrere in the second round of the Open Sud de France on Thursday. This will be Bautista Agut's first appearance on the court since his opening-round defeat at the Australian Open.

The Spaniard received a first-round bye in Montpellier this week, while Barrere beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 6-4 in his opening round fixture.

Bautista Agut hasn't been in the best form this year, having struggled throughout the ATP Cup and the Australian Open. The 32-year-old managed to win just one of his three matches at the ATP Cup, while losing in straight sets to Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini.

At the year’s first Grand Slam, Bautista Agut was handed a crushing blow in the opening round as he lost in four sets to Radu Albot. The Spaniard looked scratchy at best against his Moldovan counterpart, dropping his serve a whopping eight times.

It is unclear if Bautista Agut is in better shape now, but he did recently express his desire to do well on the mini-European tour that lies ahead. And theoretically, Montpellier is the ideal venue for the Spaniard to find his footing given that he usually thrives in quick conditions.

On the other hand, home hope Gregoire Barrere seems to have peaked at the right time. The Frenchman came through two rounds of qualifying before defeating Basilashvili in the opening round.

Barrere has now played three days in a row, which might make fatigue a factor in his match against Bautista Agut.

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Gregoire Barrere head-to-head

Roberto Bautista Agut and Gregoire Barrere have never faced each other on tour before, and so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Gregoire Barrere prediction

Gregoire Barrere

On paper, Roberto Bautista Agut is the overwhelming favorite given his superior ranking and experience. A fully fit Bautista Agut can run rings around the best in the business, and Gregoire Barrere might struggle to pierce through the Spaniard's famed defense.

Barrere comes into this fixture with more match practice under his belt, but that might not help him too much. Bautista Agut can be expected to make Barrere work hard for every point, putting the onus on the Frenchman to close out rallies early.

If Barrere hopes to score one of the biggest upset wins of his career, he will have to find that extra bit of power to hit through Bautista Agut. But it is unlikely for the Frenchman to be able to sustain such a high level over three sets.

Prediction: Roberto Bautista Agut to win in three sets.