Kevin Anderson of South Africa, currently ranked 117 in the world, will take on Frenchman Ugo Humbert, the world number 42, in the first round of the 2020 ATP Italian Open on Monday, September 14. The match timing will be decided soon. Get the live streaming options of this Kevin Anderson v Ugo Humbert match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
Looking to watch the Italian Open live streaming online?
- For tennis fans in the UK, Europe, Australia & elsewhere go to bet365 > Tennis > Live Streaming here* to watch & bet on the ATP & WTA tennis live.
[the_ad id=”14063″]
*Geo-restrictions apply & pre-funded account needed
Kevin Anderson v Ugo Humbert Head to Head
The pair have never played each other before. This will be the first meeting between the 34-year-old South African, and the Frenchman, who is 12 years his junior.
Also Read:
Anderson’s on a Comeback Trail
Anderson was ranked as high as five in the world only two years ago, but, since then, his career has been blighted by injury.
Twice a Grand Slam finalist – in New York in 2017, and again at Wimbledon the following year, he has not played a great deal of tennis since winning the last of his 6 ATP career titles in Pune last January.
His game is based around his service and ground strokes, and is more suited to a faster court than the clay surfaces of Rome, so he will not have high expectations of himself in this event.
This will only be his fifth event of 2020. Prior to lockdown, he was beaten in the second round of the Australian Open by Taylor Fritz, and then lost in the first round in New York.
Since then, he was beaten in the second round of the Cincinnati Open by Stefanos Tsitsipas, and in the first round of the US Open by the eventual finalist Alexander Zverev.
[the_ad id=”30344″]
Humbert Looking to Break into Top 40
22-year old Humbert is now an all-time high career ranking of 42, but now wants to take the next step, having won his first senior title in Auckland earlier this year. That run included wins over two top twenty players, Denis Shapovalov and John Isner, before he beat compatriot Benoit Paire in the final.
Humbert has a fine record on the junior circuits as well, having won 10 singles titles, including three last year alone. However, he is not a clay court specialist, as it does not suit his volleying style.
Apart from that performance in Auckland, his best performance came in Delray Beach when he reached the semi-finals.
Since the resumption of the sport, he was beaten by Grigor Dimitrov in the first round in Cincinnati, and then lost to Matteo Berrettini of Italy in the second round of the US Open.
Anderson is still working his way back to full fitness after his latest injury lay-off, whereas his opponent is young and ambitious, and wants to rise up the world rankings. That extra energy and enthusiasm should give Humbert the advantage in this match.
Anderson v Humbert Prediction and Tip
Neither man is a clay court player, but, whereas Anderson is still working his way back to fitness after his long injury lay-off, Humbert is eager to continue his rise up the world rankings, and should have the edge in this match.
Tip: Humbert to win: 11/8 (bet365)
[the_ad id=”30513″]
The Italian Open 2020 will be played from September 14 to September 20. You can watch & bet on the Italian Open here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
Be the first to comment