TennisSection previews the 2021 Madrid Open as Roberto Bautista Agut (9) meets John Isner in the Second Round on Wednesday, May 5th, 2021.
Will John Isner get revenge for the loss a month ago at the Miami Open which saw Isner both lose in his title defence, but also see him drop out of the Top 20 for the first time in many years? Will Roberto Bautista Agut continue to cruise through his matches by outwearing his opponents with long and draining rallies? Both players can win this match if they are on top of their game, but only one will. Who will it be?
John Isner came through a tight 2 set win against the up and coming Miomir Kecmanovic, beating the Serbian 6-4/7-6(6). Clay has never been John Isner’s best surface as the slowness of the court prevents his huge serve to win him points as easily as on hard and clay courts. John Isner will be drawn into uncomfortable territory in these clay tournaments as he will have to face a lot of returned balls and have to move around the court continuously. How will the big swinging American fare on a surface which already does not suit his game, but also against an opponent in Roberto Bautista Agut who will work you until you are near to collapsing?
Roberto Bautista Agut put on a very solid performance in the First Round of the 2021 Madrid Open, beating the Italian Marco Cecchinato in 3 sets 6-2/6-7/7-5. Marco showed some promising signs being able to stay in some of the very long rallies, however, it is near impossible to beat an in form Roberto Bautista Agut if you are a lower ranked opponent. Roberto Bautista Agut knows how to play well in all conditions, and he knows that the secret to his game is ensuring his return is at its best. However, with such a big server like John Isner, RBA will have to ensure he is ready to fight right to the end.
Roberto Bautista Agut and John Isner have met 5 times before, with John Isner leading the head to head 3-2. They last met just over a month ago at the 2021 Miami Open where RBA won in 3 sets 6-3/4-6/7-6(7). It was an extremely tight match all the time, but RBA found another level when he needed it. However, all of their prior encounters have been on hard courts. Here on the clay courts of the 2021 Madrid Open, I don’t see John Isner having the game to keep up with RBA. Isner needs his serve to be firing to win, and on clay this power and speed is reduced drastically. RBA will feel confident in his ability to get the job done here at home.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Roberto Bautista Agut to Win.
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