Roland Garros 2021: Daniil Medvedev vs Reilly Opelka preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (3) Daniil Medvedev vs (32) Reilly Opelka

Date: 4 June 2021

Tournament: Roland Garros 2021

Round: Third round (Round of 32)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red Clay

Prize Money: €17,171,108

Match timing: Approx. 4 pm local time, 2 pm GMT, 10 am EST, 7.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Daniil Medvedev vs Reilly Opelka preview

Second seed Daniil Medvedev has his eyes set on reaching the second week of Roland Garros for the first time in his career. The Russian will take on the big-serving Reilly Opelka on Friday for a place in the Round of 16.

Medvedev started his 2021 Roland Garros campaign in style. Following four opening-round defeats in his four previous appearances at Paris, he beat Alexander Bublik in straight sets on Monday to finally reach the second round.

Having shaken off the four-year curse, the World No. 2 was in his element against USA's Tommy Paul in the Round of 64. Although it was the American who drew first blood by winning the opening set, Medvedev soon settled into his rhythm to take the next three and book a spot in the third round.

Reilly Opelka

Meanwhile, Reilly Opelka also notched up an impressive victory on the terre battue on Wednesday. The American put up an all-round display to mow down Spain's Jaume Munar in four sets.

Opelka served 18 aces and saved seven break points, and he lost his serve just twice. On the return, he converted five of the seven break points he generated to ensure he got over the finish line without too much trouble.

Daniil Medvedev vs Reilly Opelka head-to-head

Daniil Medvedev smashes his racquet after losing to Reilly Opelka at the 2020 St. Petersburg Open

Daniil Medvedev leads Reilly Opelka 2-1 in their head-to-head.

The American won their most recent encounter, which took place on the indoor harcourts of the 2020 St. Petersburg Open. Prior to that, Medvedev won both their career meetings on outdoor hardcourt - at the 2017 Washington Open and the 2019 Miami Open.

The pair will meet for the first time on clay on Friday.

Daniil Medvedev vs Reilly Opelka prediction

Daniil Medvedev seems to have finally cracked the code on clay. The 25-year-old had an unsurprisingly poor run-up to Roland Garros, and arrived in Paris on the back of a 1-3 claycourt record for the season. But just when everybody seemed to have given up on him, Medvedev has managed to turn things around.

The Russian has been impenetrable from the baseline this week. In both his matches so far, he has maintained the upper hand in the rallies with some typically methodical play from the back of the court.

Daniil Medvedev hiting a forehand

In the second-round match against Paul, Medvedev also played with impressive attacking intent, hitting 30 winners past the American. The second seed has been striking his forehand well this week, and he will need that shot to fire when he takes on Opelka.

Opelka himself has been pretty impressive during his campaign in Paris. While he is more renowned for his serve, the 6'11" giant has managed to secure 12 breaks in his first two matches combined. But Opelka's improved return game is likely to be put to the test by Medvedev's serve during their encounter.

The key for the 23-year-old will be to maintain a high percentage of first serves, and follow them up with deep groundstrokes. He would also look to keep the exchanges short. On the other hand, Medvedev will try to elongate his return points and challenge his opponent's consistency from the baseline.

Opelka can certainly be a tricky opponent for Medvedev on the dirt, but he is relatively inexperienced on the big stage. That would probably give the second seed the edge in this matchup.

Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in four tight sets.

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