Roland Garros: Matteo Berrettini vs Lloyd Harris preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020

Match details

Fixture: Matteo Berrettini vs Lloyd Harris

Date: 1 October 2020

Tournament: Roland Garros 2020

Round: Second round (Round of 64)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: Approx. €38,000,000

Match timing: Approx. 4 pm CEST, 7.30 pm IST

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

Matteo Berrettini vs Lloyd Harris preview

Lloyd Harris at the 2020 French Open

Seventh seed Matteo Berrettini faces Lloyd Harris in the second round of the French Open on Thursday.

Berrettini will look to continue his solid form from the last few weeks. He reached the fourth round of the US Open and then made a run to the quarterfinals at his home tournament - the Italian Open - in Rome.

Berrettini was handed a stern test in the form of Vasek Pospisil in the Roland Garros first round on Tuesday. But he came out of it with a relatively comfortable win, and would now be fancying his chances of going deep into the tournament.

The Italian next faces South Africa's Lloyd Harris, a player who is yet to make much of a mark on the ATP tour.

The 23-year-old comes into the match following a loss in the first qualifying round at Rome and a semifinal run at a Challenger level event in Forli. Those appearances would have given him plenty of match practice on clay.

Matteo Berrettini vs Lloyd Harris head-to-head

The second-round encounter at Roland Garros is the first ever contest between Matteo Berrettini and Lloyd Harris. Their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

There is a wide gulf between their rankings though, with Berrettini ranked 8th in the world and Harris ranked No. 90.

Matteo Berrettini vs Lloyd Harris prediction

Matteo Berrettini at the Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2020

Matteo Berrettini is the overwhelming favorite in this match, not only due to his superior ranking but also because of his form on European clay this year.

While Berrettini's topspin-laden forehand can push opponents deep behind the baseline, the 24-year-old is also capable of smashing flat forehands down the line for clean winners.

Berrettini also has a lot of variety up his sleeve, frequently throwing in backhand slices and net approaches to test his opponent's movement on the red dirt.

Lloyd Harris on his part will look to cause an upset by attacking Berrettini's serve and remaining steady from the baseline. He would also try to test the Italian's backhand, but if Berrettini starts connecting on his shots then Harris would be in big trouble.

Prediction: Matteo Berrettini to win in straight sets.