Second seeded Cristian Garin of Chile faces Sumit Nagal of India in the Round of 16 at the 2021 Buenos Aires Open ATP Event in Argentina. The match is scheduled to be played on Wednesday March 3rd, 2021 at a time yet to be determined. This will be the first meeting between the two players.
Cristian Garin is currently ranked #22 in the world and has established himself as one of the top clay court players in the world. He had a breakout year in 2020, winning two ATP-250 Events in Cordoba and Rio de Janeiro, catapulting him into the top 30 for the first time. He is a very powerful baseline player with huge groundstrokes, and is capable of overpowering players with his heavy topspin strokes. He is a very effective mover on this surface as well and will certainly be one to watch this week here in Argentina. While he is yet to truly get his 2021 season off and running he is the overwhelming favorite here against a relatively unknown opponent. It will be interesting to see if he is fully recovered from the wrist injury that forced him to skip the Australian Open.
Sumit Nagal is currently ranked #150 in the world and has a career high of #122. He is a solid yet unspectacular baseline player with a huge forehand. He has played the vast majority of his tennis on the Challenger Tour and will be hoping for a strong showing here to try to get close to the top 100. However, the draw was not kind to him and he will face one of the favorites to win this event. He was impressive in the Qualifying Rounds here and stunned world number 100 Joao Sousa 6-0, 6-2 in the First Round here, showing that he is not one to be taken lightly.
Despite Garin’s injury struggles and Nagal’s impressive form, I only see a Cristian Garin victory here. Even if not at his best, he is one of the premier clay court players in the world and should win here relatively comfortably. A slow start is possible, but expect him to come through in straight sets.