TennisSection previews the 2021 French Open as Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) meets Pablo Carreno Busta (12) in the Round of 16 on Sunday June 6th, 2021.
Fifth seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece will face twelfth seed Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain in the Round of 16 here at Roland Garros 2021. Tsitsipas is considered a major contender for the title here at the 2021 French Open but he is in for a tough test here. Can the Spaniard pull off the upset to advance to the Quarter-Finals here for the second consecutive year?
Stefanos Tsitsipas is currently ranked #5 in the ATP world rankings, and is the fifth seed here at the 2021 French Open. The Greek superstar has been having an outstanding year this far, leading the ATP Race to Turin, and is considered a threat to Rafael Nadal’s crown here in Paris. He has built up some serious momentum heading into this event, and has been outstanding so far here at Roland Garros 2021, with the only blip being losing the opening set to John Isner in the Third Round. Tsitsipas recovered well from that, showing how much more mature he has grown as a player, and enters this match against Pablo Carreno Busta as the favorite. The Spaniard is a very tough opponent though, and Tsitsipas will have to be at his very best here to advance to the Quarter-Finals.
Pablo Carreno Busta is currently ranked #12 in the ATP world rankings and is the twelfth seed here at the 2021 French Open. The Spaniard is one of the most consistent players on the Tour and is extremely difficult to beat in these big tournaments. However, he has been in poor form of late and has struggled at the start of the clay court season. Like his opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas he has started strongly here at Roland Garros 2021, only losing one set en route to the Round of 16. He defeated Steve Johnson in the Third Round in straight sets, dominating the American with pinpoint accuracy from the baseline. While he begins this match as the underdog, his steady style of play can be very unsettling for opponents, and this match has upset potential if Tsitsipas is not at his best.
This will be the third meeting between the two players on the ATP Tour, with Tsitsipas leading the head to head 2-0. He won both of their meetings in straight sets, but they have not played on clay since 2018. I am backing the Greek star to win here, as he has taken his game to another level this season and has the extra gear that Pablo Carreno Busta doesn’t. However, PCB is one of the toughest opponents on tour, and rarely has bad matches. If Tsitsipas is not at his best, there is no reason why the Spaniard can’t win a set or two as he is immensely solid from the baseline. That being said, he has matured greatly as a player, and is not as prone to mental lapses as he previously was. I expect Stefanos Tsitsipas to overpower PCB, winning in three or four very grueling sets.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win
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