TennisSection previews the 2021 Madrid Open as Diego Schwartzman (7) meets Aslan Karatsev in the Second Round on Wednesday May 5th, 2021.
This is sure to be a tantalizing battle between two of the best players in the world, as Diego Schwartzman faces Aslan Karatsev in the Second Round of the 2021 Madrid Open. This match does not have the feel of an early-round encounter, and it is unfortunate that two players of this stature have to face each other so soon. Will the seventh seeded Argentine Diego Schwartzman get the win here? Or can the Russian continue his dream run this season with yet another big win? A spot in the Round of 16 is up for grabs here in Madrid, who will get the win and advance?
Diego Schwartzman is the Argentine #1 and is currently ranked #9 in the ATP world rankings. Schwartzman has been in mixed form so far this year, winning the title in Buenos Aires but otherwise struggling to put consistent results together. He had a fantastic season in 2020, and established himself as a staple in the top 10 of the world rankings. With his gritty style of play and aggressive groundstrokes, he is a very dangerous player on this surface, especially since his opponents cannot overpower him like they might on a faster surface. While he will be hoping to go on a deep run here at the 2021 Madrid Open he is facing an extremely tough opponent in Aslan Karatsev who is truly one of the in-form players so far this year.
Aslan Karatsev has taken the tennis world by storm so far in 2021, jumping over 100 ranking spots in the past year and currently sitting at a career-high #27 in the ATP world rankings. He enters the 2021 Madrid Open in good form, reaching the Final in Belgrade recently, defeating world number one Novak Djokovic in the process. His opponents are still trying to figure him out, as he was a relative unknown until a few months ago, but his startling performances in 2021 have made everyone sit up and take note. Diego Schwartzman is a very formidable opponent especially so early in the tournament but the Russian has shown that he is capable of beating the very best regardless of the surface and will be backing himself to get the win here.
This will be the second time that the two players have faced each other on the ATP Tour, with Aslan Karatsev leading the head to head series 1-0. They played each other at the 2021 Australian Open, where the Russian dominated the match in a straight-sets win. This is perhaps the pick of the Second Round matches and a very tight and entertaining battle is expected. Either player is capable of winning here and it is a very tough one to call but we are going to go with the Russian here. While he has very little ATP level clay court experience, his recent performances have been very impressive and he has just a little more firepower than the Argentine Diego Schwartzman. It will almost certainly be a three set match, going right down to the wire, but expect Aslan Karatsev to get the win and advance to the Round of 16 here at the 2021 Madrid Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Aslan Karatsev to win in three sets.
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