Unseeded Frenchman Gilles Simon will play Egypt’s Mohamed Safwat in the first round of the 2020 US Open. The match will be played on Monday, August 31 not before 1.30 pm local time (6.30 pm BST). Get the live streaming options of this Gilles Simon v Mohamed Safwat match along with its preview, head to head and tips here.
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Gilles Simon v Mohamed Safwat Head to Head
Simon and Safwat have never played each other on tour before this.
Also Read:
Simon Was An Ever-present On Court During Lockdown
As a seasoned veteran, Gilles Simon remains a consistent presence on tour even though his results are nowhere near as good as they once used to be. Still, he is capable of producing the odd deep run like he did at Queen’s last season when he beat Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals to reach his only final of last year (lost to Spain’s Feliciano Lopez).
And he has been at it again this year. After a slow start, he played some fine tennis in Marseille just before the tour was suspended, beating the top seed Medvedev again in resounding fashion 6-4 6-0 to make the semifinals where he fell to Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets.
Simon did not play a competitive match in five months after that, but returned to play a series of exhibition tournaments in his home country. He was victorious in the first and third leg of the Challenge Elite FFT in Nice and Villeneuve-Loubet, winning five straight matches in each leg.
Despite winning over 250 matches on hard courts and being ranked as high as World No.6 in his career, Simon has reached the Round of 16 only twice at the US Open, with a handful of 2nd and 3rd round exits on his resume.
A New Beginning For Safwat And Egyptian Tennis
After two full decades of lull, Mohamed Safwat has put Egypt back on the map as its standard-bearer in men’s tennis. He became his country’s first champion in 24 years when he won an energy-sapping Launceston Challenger earlier this year after coming through five grueling rounds.
Having made his Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2018 French Open as a lucky loser, Safwat had to work hard to earn his way into another Major. He qualified for the very first time proper at the 2020 Australian Open, and following a list of absentees at the US Open this year, he will make his third appearance in a main draw of a Grand Slam.
The 29-year-old, very much a late bloomer, was expected to become the first Egpytian tennis player to compete at the Olympics until it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. But Safwat still retains hope that his success will inspire more kids in his country to take up the sport and be a significant boon.
This will be Safwat’s US Open debut in the main draw.
Simon v Safwat Prediction & Tip
Simon brings experience and a huge amount of playing time to the table. He was a busy fixture during the tour’s suspension and should be able to handle a rusty Safwat. Still, expect the Egyptian to compete. He is blessed with enormous power on the forehand and will likely put the Frenchman on the back foot at times. However, with very little tennis played during lockdown, Safwat might find it very difficult to impose himself in this one.
Tip: Simon to win in four sets: 13/5 (bet365)
The US Open 2020 will be played from August 31 to September 13. You can watch & bet on the US Open here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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