Roland Garros: Ons Jabeur vs Zarina Diyas preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020

Match details

Fixture: Ons Jabeur vs Zarina Diyas

Date: 29 September 2020

Tournament: Roland Garros 2020

Round: First round (Round of 128)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: Approx. €38,000,000

Match timing: Approx. 2 pm CEST, 5.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP | North Africa & Middle East - beIN

Ons Jabeur vs Zarina Diyas preview

Ons Jabeur will begin her 2020 French Open campaign against Zarina Diyas on Tuesday.

The Tunisian is seeded 30th at this year’s event, whereas her Kazakh opponent comes in unseeded due to her world ranking of 77. However, this will likely be a closer match-up than what the rankings suggest, given that both players have the ability to upset the other’s rhythm.

Ons Jabeur comes into this Grand Slam on the back of a mixed bag of results. While the Tunisian made the quarters at the Western & Southern Open and the third round at the US Open, she lost in the opening round at Rome.

On the other hand, Zarina Diyas’ form has been nothing short of woeful. The Kazakh lost in the opening rounds at both the US Open and the Istanbul Open. At the Western & Southern Open and Rome, Diyas fared even worse as she failed to get past the first round of qualifying.

Zarina Diyas

Ons Jabeur boasts a slightly greater pedigree on clay than her opponent, but neither player is exceptional on the surface. That said, this year’s cold and damp conditions might favor Jabeur a little more, since she can hit big when needed.

The Tunisian is a very crafty player and can cause immense damage with her backhand. The 26-year-old deploys a great deal of topspin loops and slices to make things difficult for her opponent.

Diyas will also have to be wary of Jabeur’s stinging crosscourt returns during her service games. The Kazakh doesn't have biggest of serves, and Jabeur has the power to dispatch them with ease.

Ons Jabeur vs Zarina Diyas head-to-head

Ons Jabeur leads Zarina Diyas by a margin of 2-1 in the head-to-head. The last meeting between the two players was at the 60k event in Shenzhen (2017), which Jabeur won in straight sets.

Ons Jabeur vs Zarina Diyas prediction

Ons Jabeur

Ons Jabeur is quite adept at making her opponents move around the court with her array of shots. That could serve her particularly well against Zarina Diyas, who is often slow off the blocks.

One can expect a lot of drop shots from Jabeur in this match, and it would be interesting to see how Diyas deals with them.

For the Kazakh, the key would be to not let Jabeur settle into the rallies. Diyas should look to switch the play as much as possible and make use of her inside-out backhand - a shot that is often tough to read.

Nevertheless, Jabeur is the more complete player of the two and has enough variety to deal with Diyas on clay.

Prediction: Ons Jabeur to win in three sets.