Kevin Anderson and Dusan Lajovic are two of the big names in action on day 5 of the 2020 French Open. Our panel of Damian Kust and Andrew Watson offer their predictions.
Lloyd Harris vs Matteo Berrettini
Damian: Lloyd Harris has been doing surprisingly well on the clay in the past two weeks. But he hasn’t faced a rival the class of Berrettini, whose big forehand and serve will be very tough for him to compete with. Berrettini in 3
Andrew: Both men scored straight sets wins, but the Italian’s win was particularly straightforward as Vasek Pospisil (as usual) was out-of-sorts on the clay. Berrettini will find Harris a tougher opponent, but his powerful serve and monster forehand should see him in control of the rallies often enough to win the match. Berrettini in 3
Guido Pella vs Pablo Carreno Busta
Damian: The recent US Open semifinalist played just one match before Paris, getting stomped by Rafael Nadal. But that shouldn’t have damaged the wonders this run had to do to his confidence. Still, this should be expected to require a lot more effort than his comfortable first-round win over John Millman. Carreno Busta in 4
Andrew: Both players fancy their chances on this surface but the Spaniard is the one with the greater level of form recently. His good serve and consistent groundstrokes should put him in the third round. Carreno Busta in 4
Daniel Elahi Galan vs Tennys Sandgren
Damian: Both players prevailed in five-set battles, but Sandgren’s match was a lot more physical. He should manage to recover though, with two days of rest on his side. With Galan playing rather well since his qualifying campaign, this might go the distance again. But Sandgren has better weapons to rely on in moments of pressure. Sandgren in 4
Andrew: The American worked really hard to grind out a win over the Pole Hubert Hurkacz and Galan did the same against Norrie. I expect this to also be a battle but the big serving American could just sneak through in the end. Sandgren in 4
Kevin Anderson vs Dusan Lajovic
Damian: These almost hard court conditions in Paris seem to be really suiting Anderson’s game. Lajovic is an extremely good dirt-baller though and he will make the South African work for every point here. I’m not yet convinced Anderson’s body is ready for this struggle. Lajovic in 4
Andrew: This will be another tough battle with little to separate the players. Clay is probably the Serb’s best surface and with the fitness of Anderson a permanent question at the moment I must side with Lajovic. Lajovic in 5
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