ATP Qatar Open 2021: Roberto Bautista Agut vs Reilly Opelka Preview, Head-to-Head and Match Prediction

ATP Qatar Open 2021: Roberto Bautista Agut vs Reilly Opelka Preview, Head-to-Head and Match Prediction
Roberto Bautista-Agut(left) and Reilly Opelka(right)

Roberto Bautista Agut, currently ranked no.13 and Reilly Opelka, currently ranked no.38, will be clashing in the first round of the Qatar Open 2021.

Match Details

  • Tournament: Qatar Open 2021
  • Date: March 8, 2021
  • Fixture: Roberto Bautista Agut vs Reilly Opelka
  • Round: Round of 28
  • Venue: Doha, Qatar
  • Surface: Outdoor Hard Court
  • Prize Money: $11,270
  • ATP Points: 0

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Reilly Opelka Preview

Reilly Opelka

Roberto Bautista Agut is coming off a first-round defeat at the Rotterdam Open, where he was defeated in straight sets by compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. But in the week before that Bautista Agut finished as the runner-up in Montpellier, losing to David Goffin in the final.

Many had expected Bautista Agut to carry his form into Rotterdam, but He failed to adjust to the relatively slower conditions in the Rotterdam. Bautista Agut struggled on his serve, losing four points as Davidovich Fokina outplayed the senior Spaniard from start to finish.

FS Video

In Doha, Bautista Agut is in the top half of the draw, along with Dominic Thiem, Andrey Rublev, and Stan Wawrinka. If World No. 13 is able to negotiate his first couple of rounds, he will likely take on Thiem in the quarterfinals.

Riley Opelka also participated in the Rotterdam Open and got knocked out in the first round. However, Opelka gave an extremely tough fight to Marton Fucsovics, who is into the Rotterdam semifinals at the time of writing.

Fucsovics needed three close tiebreakers to put down Opelka. Despite his defeat, He can take confidence from the fact that he served well and got broken just once throughout the match.

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Reilly Opelka Head-to-Head

Roberto Bautista Agut

This will be the third meeting between the players. The head-to-head between Roberto Bautista Agut and Reilly Opelka is tied at 1-1 as of now.

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Reilly Opelka Match Prediction

Roberto Bautista Agut

Reilly Opelka is arguably the biggest server around and RBA does struggle against big serves. But the Spaniard is also a solid returner off both wings and can also mix things up well, which could keep Opelka guessing.

Bautista Agut’s serve is not as solid as the rest of his game, and the American would look to exploit that.

Opelka’s groundstrokes, particularly his backhand, have improved over the past year, but they still lack the consistency to keep good defenders at bay. As such, the key for Opelka would be to go big at the smallest opportunity – something that he has the power and height to pull off.

Match Prediction: Roberto Bautista Agut wins in straight sets.

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