Roland Garros: Roberto Bautista Agut vs Pablo Carreno Busta preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020

Match details

Fixture: Roberto Bautista Agut vs Pablo Carreno Busta

Date: 3 October 2020

Tournament: Roland Garros 2020

Round: Third round (Round of 32)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: Approx. €38,000,000

Match timing: 11 am CEST, 2.30 pm IST

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

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Pablo Carreno Busta preview

There's not going to be too many surprises in this match on Saturday. The two Spaniards Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Carreno Busta are good friends, and have often played on the same team in the Davis Cup.

Both players have been in good form as well. Bautista Agut has reached the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open and the quarterfinals of the Hamburg European Open over the last one month. Meanwhile, Carreno Busta reached the semifinals of the US Open last month for the second time in his career.

Pablo Carreno Busta during his first round match against John Millman at the 2020 French Open

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Pablo Carreno Busta head-to-head

The head-to-head between the two players is currently tied at 2-2. Pablo Carreno Busta has won two of their three meetings on hardcourt, including their meeting earlier this year in the Round of 16 at the Rotterdam event.

In their only claycourt encounter, at the Rome Masters in 2017, Roberto Bautista Agut won in three sets.

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Pablo Carreno Busta prediction

Roberto Bautista Agut has a 2-2 record against his countryman Pablo Carreno Busta

Both the Spaniards have also been in good form this week, coming into the third round without dropping a set. The 10th seeded Roberto Bautista Agut has defeated Richard Gasquet and Atilla Balazs in his first two matches while Pablo Carreno Busta has scored wins over John Millman and Guido Pella this week.

Gasquet with glowing praise for Bautista Agut, who beat him Tuesday at Roland Garros. 'He can outplay Djokovic with consistency.' pic.twitter.com/L9J6v89lgd

— Ravi Ubha (@raviubha) September 30, 2020

Bautista Agut and Carreno Busta are quite comfortable playing from the back of the court and engaging in baseline rallies. They will also be motivated to reach their first ever semifinal at the French Open.

“If I am one hundred percent and I am brave and aggressive I am dangerous and it is not easy for them (other players) to beat me.” - PCB‘On This Surface I’m Only Inferior To Nadal’ - Pablo Carreno Busta Fires Warning at French Open - UBITENNIS https://t.co/vdSw18c5kG

— Adam_Addicott (@AdamAddicott) September 29, 2020

Bautista Agut's favorite surface is hardcourt rather than clay, but his forehand might be able to do more damage than his opponent's given the slow conditions this year. Carreno Busta, on the other hand, is a better mover than his opponent and would look to dominate the crosscourt backhand-to-backhand rallies.

The player who is able to be the more aggressive one on the day and keep their error count on the lower side will likely win this. And given his recent form, Bautista Agut might just be the one to do that.

Prediction: Roberto Bautista Agut to win in four sets.