US Open 2020: Pablo Carreno Busta vs Ricardas Berankis preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Pablo Carreno-Busta vs Ricardas Berankis

Date: 4 September 2020

Tournament: US Open 2020

Round: Third round (Round of 32)

Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $39,024,000

Match timing: 2 pm EDT, 11.30 pm IST

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

Pablo Carreno Busta vs Ricardas Berankis preview

Ricardas Berankis

Former US Open semifinalist Pablo Carreno Busta has been trying hard over the last one year to climb back into the top 20 of the rankings. And his determination towards that goal will be tested again when he faces Ricardas Berankis in the US Open third round on Friday.

The World No. 25 had a shaky start to his 2020 US Open campaign, which saw him go to five sets in his opener. But he steadied the ship in his relatively straightforward second round win over Mitchell Krueger.

The Spaniard's journey back to the top echelons of the sport has been steady. After claiming the 2019 Chengdu Open, his first title in more than a year then, Carreno Busta has played with ever-increasing confidence. He beat the higher-ranked Dusan Lajovic in the first round of 2020 Western & Southern Open, before losing his next match to World No. 16 Karen Khachanov.

But while Pablo Carreno Busta's game has been there, he hasn't quite got the results. The Spaniard will try to correct that at Flushing Meadows, but he won't have it easy against Ricardas Berankis.

The Lithuanian is making his first Slam third-round appearance here since the 2013 Australian Open. While Berankis did not have a spectacular start to his 2020 season by any means, he put in plenty of hard work during the COVID-19 break.

Upon the resumption of the tour, Berankis had World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on the ropes at various points of their Cincinnati Masters encounter. But the Serb would eventually bring out the extra gear to win the match in two close sets.

Berankis has learned a lot from that performance though, as suggested by his performance against Steve Johnson on Wednesday. The Lithuanian gave no freebies from the ground, and exploited Johnson's weak second serve to take the match in four sets.

Pablo Carreno Busta vs Ricardas Berankis head-to-head

Pablo Carreno Busta beat Ricardas Berankis at 2019 US Open

Pablo Carreno Busta leads the head-to-head against Ricardas Berankis by a margin of 1-0. The Spaniard won his only meeting against the Lithuanian at last year's US Open.

Pablo Carreno Busta vs Ricardas Berankis prediction

Ricardas Berankis hits a backhand

Ricardas Berankis will have vengeance on his mind when he takes on his Spanish rival in a rematch of their 2019 US Open second round match. The Lithuanian has shown some clean ball-striking this week, and is capable of hitting some powerful groundstrokes off both wings.

Pablo Carreno Busta relies more on consistently knocking balls back into the court, and outlasting his opponents with his foot speed and stamina. The key to the match for the Spaniard will be maintaining the depth on his shots and not allowing Berankis to open up the court off a short ball.

Prediction: Pablo Carreno Busta to win in four sets.