Vienna 2020: Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kevin Anderson preview, head-to-head & prediction | ATP Erste Bank Open

Match details

Fixture: Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kevin Anderson

Date: 28 October 2020

Tournament: Erste Bank Open 2020

Round: Second round (Round of 16)

Venue: Vienna, Austria

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: €1,409,510

Match timing: Approx. 7.20 pm local time, 11.50 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony ESPN

Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kevin Anderson preview

Just last September, Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta was ranked No. 63 in the world. But the Spaniard has posted some big results since then to climb all the way back to his current ranking of No. 15.

Carreno Busta won the ATP 250 event in Chengdu last September, followed by a semifinal appearance in Stockholm in October. He then made the last four in Rotterdam this February, and after the tour restart he reached the semifinals of the US Open and the quarterfinals of the French Open.

His opponent Kevin Anderson, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, has not played much tennis recently due to injuries. Anderson didn't enter any event in the second half of 2019, and coming into Vienna had won only 6 out of his 14 matches in 2020.

Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kevin Anderson head-to-head

Kevin Anderson in action during his first round match in Vienna

Kevin Anderson leads the head-to-head against Pablo Carreno Busta 4-1.

The South African won their first four meetings - one on clay and three on hardcourts - including the 2017 US Open semifinals. Carreno Busta won their most recent encounter, which came at the Miami Masters in 2018.

This will be the first meeting on an indoor hardcourt.

Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kevin Anderson prediction

Pablo Carreno Busta is one of the most solid baseliners on the tour, and he has already shown glimpses of that in Vienna. In his first round match on Monday, Carreno Busta advanced after the No. 7 seed Gael Monfils retired due to injury while trailing 1-6, 0-2.

Pablo Carreno Busta advances as Gael Monfils is forced to retire due to injury, 6-1 2-0 RET. Get well soon, @Gael_Monfils 💪#erstebankopen pic.twitter.com/rLxTQtNFOP

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 26, 2020

On the other hand, while Kevin Anderson may be short on match practice, he did eke out a hard-fought 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 win over local favorite Dennis Novak on Monday. The South African came from 3-6 down in the third set tie-breaker to eventually come out on top, which will surely give him some confidence heading into the match against Carreno Busta.

Kevin Anderson beats Dennis Novak 6-7 6-4 7-6 in the 1st round of the erste bank open #anderson #victory #round1 #erstebankopen #vienna ( Getty 📸 ) pic.twitter.com/QDL8YySGLl

— Phil (@tennis_phil) October 26, 2020

The second round encounter will be a classic contrast of styles. Anderson will try to follow his big serve into the net, while Carreno Busta will try to pass him from the baseline with his accurate groundstrokes.

The South African's big match experience and good head-to-head record against the Spaniard are factors in his favor, but Carreno Busta has clearly been the more confident player over the past 12 months.

Prediction: Pablo Carreno Busta to win in three sets.