Winston-Salem Open: Dan Evans vs. Richard Gasquet 8/25/21 Tennis Prediction

Third seeded Dan Evans of Great Britain will face Frenchman Richard Gasquet (14) in the Round of 16 of the 2021 Winston-Salem Open. The match is scheduled to be played on Wednesday August 25th, 2021 at approximately 4:20pm EST.

A very exciting match is expected as Dan Evans and Richard Gasquet do battle for a spot in the Quarter-Finals of the 2021 Winston-Salem Open. Both men are ATP Tour veterans and are capable of some very good tennis, so tennis fans are in for a treat. Evans has been the better player this year, but it is hard to count out the talented Gasquet, who has so many ATP Tour titles to his name. Who will get the win and advance to the Quarters here in North Carolina?

Dan Evans is the third seed here at the 2021 Winston-Salem Open and is currently ranked #27 in the ATP world rankings. After a very strong start to the year he has been in poor form lately, losing in the First Round in each of the last three tournaments that he has played, and will be hoping to get back to winning ways here in North Carolina, as he prepares for the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open. His all-court game is very tricky for opponents to face, and if he is at his best he is difficult to beat on this surface. He was surprisingly pushed to three sets in the previous round by Frenchman Lucas Pouille, who was playing some inspired tennis. After dropping the first set, the Brit recovered nicely to win the next two sets comfortably but knows that he will have to be much improved if he is to overcome his next opponent Richard Gasquet.

Richard Gasquet is one of the most successful and experienced players on the ATP Tour, and at 34 years of age is approaching the end of his illustrious career. However, he is still capable of some very good tennis and should not be underestimated. He has been in mixed form lately, reaching the Final in Umag before falling in the First Round in Cincinnati, and that is the type of inconsistency that has seen his ranking slide to where it currently stands at #82. An impressive win over Egor Gerasimov in the First Round here will have given him some confidence, and while he is the underdog here against Dan Evans he should not be discounted. He has a very versatile game and is one of the smartest players on the Tour, so if the Brit has an off day, Gasquet is fully capable of causing the upset here.

While this almost looks like a mismatch on paper due to their rankings and 2021 form, I am expecting this to be much closer than anticipated. Richard Gasquet is a better player than his low ranking suggests, and he has a wealth of experience to draw from. Dan Evans has had a strong but inconsistent year, and if he is not at his best then the Frenchman may be able to make things interesting. However, Evans is still the fitter player, and I think that will be the difference here. Gasquet has the game to pose a threat, but it is unlikely that he will be able to sustain it for long enough to get the victory. I think that the Frenchman will win a set, but ultimately will fall short here as Dan Evans gets a close victory, advancing to the Quarter-Finals here at the 2021 Winston-Salem Open.