Winston-Salem Open 2021: Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kwon Soon-woo preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (1/WC) Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kwon Soon-woo

Date: 24 August 2021

Tournament: 2021 Winston-Salem Open

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: Winston-Salem, United States

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $717,955

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kwon Soon-woo preview

Pablo Carreno Busta will kick-start his campaign in Winston-Salem with a second-round match against South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo on Tuesday.

Carreno Busta is coming into the tournament in relatively good form. The Spaniard lifted the Hamburg trophy in July, before going on to defeat both Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic on his way to the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Carreno Busta returned to the tour at Cincinnati and even defeated seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz in the third round. The World No. 12, however, then bowed out to Daniil Medvedev in a rather one-sided quarterfinal.

Carreno Busta will be looking to put together a deep run in Winston-Salem and get some match practice before the start of the US Open, where he has semifinal points to defend.

Kwon Soon-woo at the 2021 French Open

Kwon Soon-woo, on the other hand, has had an underwhelming 2021 season so far. The South Korean has a win-loss record of 11-12, with his only highlights being a quarterfinal finish in Marbella and a semifinal appearance in Eastbourne.

In Cincinnati, his only tournament of the summer American hardcourt series prior to this week, Kwon lost in straight sets to local favorite Tommy Paul. The 23-year-old has set up the second-round match in Winston-Salem by defeating Radu Albot 6-2, 7-5 in his opener.

Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kwon Soon-woo head-to-head

The second-round encounter in Winston-Salem is the second match between the two players, and Pablo Carreno Busta currently leads the head-to-head 1-0 over Kwon Soon-woo.

Carreno Busta defeated the South Korean 6-4, 6-0 in the quarterfinals at Marbella earlier this year, where he went on to win the title.

Pablo Carreno Busta vs Kwon Soon-woo prediction

Pablo Carreno Busta with his bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics

Fresh off his bronze medal win in Tokyo, Pablo Carreno Busta comes into this second-round encounter as the overwhelming favorite.

The Spaniard has always been able to hold his own on hardcourt. His ability to use the opponent's pace is particularly useful on the surface, especially when combined with his court positioning and footwork. Carreno Busta can also finish points efficiently when he gets a short ball on the forehand side.

For Kwon Soon-woo to cause an upset, he would have to take the initiative from the start and look to hit through the Spaniard. The South Korean is a solid all-court player but he lacks a lot of big weapons in his game, so he would have his work cut out against Carreno Busta.

Barring any major lapses on his part, the Spaniard should be able to move into the next round comfortably.

Prediction: Pablo Carreno Busta to win in straight sets.