Match details
Fixture: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Jaume Munar
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. 4 pm CEST, 7.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sport / Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Jaume Munar preview
Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Jaume Munar in the first round of the French Open on Tuesday.
After winning the ATP Finals in London at the end of last year, Tsitsipas was expected to step up and contend for Grand Slam titles this year. However, the Greek tennis star has had an up-and-down 2020 so far.
After an earlier than expected third-round exit at the Australian Open, Tsitsipas rebounded well to win the ATP event in Marseille. He then reached the final in Dubai, where he lost to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
After the resumption of tennis, Tsitsipas reached the semifinal of the Cincinnati Masters in impressive fashion. But he then went down in the third round of the US Open to Borna Coric, after failing to convert six match points.
The Greek's claycourt tune-up has been a similar rollercoaster. He lost his first match at the Italian Open in Rome, but then reached the final of Hamburg on Sunday.
Tsitsipas served for the title at 5-4 in the final set against Andrey Rublev, but once again failed to capitalize on his advantage. The Russian broke Tsitsipas back and then went on to break again in the next game to win the decider 7-5.
Tsitsipas' opponent on Tuesday is the 23-year-old Jaume Munar, who reached the 2014 French Open junior final - where he incidentally also lost to Andrey Rublev.
The Spaniard peaked at No. 52 in the rankings last year but is now ranked just outside the top 100. Clay is his favorite surface though, and he has won seven titles on the red dirt (6 ITF Pro Circuit and 1 ATP Challenger).
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Jaume Munar head-to-head
The two players have met only once in the past with Stefanos Tsitsipas leading the head-to-head 1-0. The Greek player defeated Munar at the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals event in Italy.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Jaume Munar prediction
Stefanos Tsitsipas comes into the French Open on the back of two losses from winning positions - to Coric at the US Open and to Rublev in the Hamburg Open final. How he reacts to those setbacks in Paris, where the heavy and cold conditions are sure to make things difficult for players, will play a key role in his performance during the fortnight.
Jaume Munar on his part has never been past the second round at a Major. But he comes into the tournament on the back of a semifinal finish at an ATP Challenger event last week.
Munar plays steady tennis from the baseline, and he could cause Tsitsipas some problems if the Greek is not focused enough. Eventually though, Tsitsipas might have too much game for the Spaniard.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in four sets.