Paris Masters 2020: Borna Coric vs Marton Fucsovics preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Borna Coric vs Marton Fucsovics

Date: 2 November 2020

Tournament: Rolex Paris Masters 2020

Round: Round of 64 (First round)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: €3,901,015

Timing: 11 am local, 3:30 pm IST

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

Borna Coric vs Marton Fucsovics preview

Marton Fucsovics

World No. 24 Borna Coric will be looking to end his 2020 season on a strong note, as he takes on Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in the first round of the Paris Masters on Monday.

Coric fell out of the top 30 earlier this year after having ended 2018 ranked 12th in the world. However, the 23-year-old gave a good account of himself at the US Open, where he saved six match points in a comeback victory against World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas before falling to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.

The Croat then had a disappointing European clay swing, suffering a pair of surprise defeats: to Italy's Stefano Travaglia in Rome and to Slovakia's Norbert Gombos in Paris.

Arriving for the indoor hardcourt season in St. Petersburg, Coric was quick to put his poor run behind as he reached the final of the ATP 500 event. And while Coric lost to an in-form Andrey Rublev in the championship match, it is safe to say that he has made several improvements to his game in the second half of the year.

World No. 52 Marton Fucsovics meanwhile has enjoyed good results at the big events in 2020, having reached the fourth round at the Australian Open as well as the French Open. The Hungarian's skills were especially evident in his first-round win over fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev in Paris, as he wore his younger opponent out with consistently deep hitting.

Fucsovics would then go on to battle Andrey Rublev for nearly four hours in the fourth round, before ultimately going down in four sets.

Borna Coric vs Marton Fucsovics head-to-head

Borna Coric leads Marton Fucsovics by a margin of 2-0 in the head-to-head. Their last encounter came at the 2019 St. Petersburg Open, where Fucsovics was forced to retire in the deciding set.

The pair had also met at the 2019 Australian Open in the second round, where Coric won in straight sets.

Borna Coric vs Marton Fucsovics prediction

Borna Coric retrieves a ball

Borna Coric seems to be on his way back, especially with his return of serve, which is something that had helped him have a career-best season two years ago. The Croat has also been using his inside-out forehand well, to go with his typically solid backhand and footwork.

While Coric focusses on moving his opponents around with consistency and patience, Fucsovics is more of a no-nonsense player. The Hungarian has some of the fastest groundstrokes on the tour, but he will need to be at his absolute best to give the Croat a run for his money.

Prediction: Borna Coric to win in straight sets.