The French Open is nearing its final stages this week. On Wednesday, Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur will square off for a place in the Roland-Garros semi-finals. Who prevails in this fascinating encounter? Read on for our Zverev vs De Minaur prediction and betting tips.
Zverev and De Minaur have led contrasting paths heading into this match, both in Paris and across their clay career.
For Zverev, he came to the French Open in blazing form. The German won the Rome Masters a week before the year’s second Grand Slam. There’s a strong correlation between Rome performance and Roland-Garros performance, given their proximity and similarity in conditions.
However, Zverev has had a tough time of it so far in Paris. Drawn against Rafael Nadal in the first round, he managed to see off the veteran in three challenging sets. While he won his next match in three as well, his most recent two matches have both gone the distance.
Having spent eight and a half hours on court in the last few days, Zverev now has to go up against one of the fittest, fastest players on Tour in De Minaur.
De Minaur wouldn’t call himself a clay court player, and has even confessed that he’s surprised to have made it this far. The Aussie is playing great the last 10 days though, seeing off the dangerous Jan-Lennard Struff and No. 5 seed Daniil Medvedev in his last two matches.
Can he carry on his unlikely run and upset Zverev as well? Read on to find out our take.
How the Bookies View It: Sorry De Minaur, It Ends Here
Bookmaker bet365 is firmly on Zverev’s side in this clash. The No. 4 seed pays 2/5 to win, while De Minaur stands at a tall 2/1 in the betting odds. Set betting puts this at 3-0 to Zverev, with this paying 9/4.
Recent Head-to-Head: Plenty of History
This will be the 10th meeting between Zverev and De Minaur. The German has dominated this fixture, leading 7-2 and winning their most recent match in Indian Wells this year, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. De Minaur did beat Zverev in January, however. They’ve also only met on clay once, with Zverev winning 6-3, 7-6(5)
Anything Else Catch the Eye?
De Minaur’s strategy here has to be to prolong points and try to wear Zverev down. While he’s a hardy player, back-to-back five setters will take a toll on even the toughest.
A big part of this clash will come down to the serve: it’s Zverev’s strongest suite, and De Minaur’s weakest. Zverev typically makes well over 70 percent of first serves, while De Minaur’s first serve is toothless, and second is vulnerable to be attacked.
To win, De Minaur will need to have a strong serving day, and hope that his opponent takes a dip.
Zverev vs De Minaur Betting Tips & Predictions
Everyone loves an underdog story, and as much as we’d love to see De Minaur keep the good times rolling, it’s just too unlikely to get behind. We expect it’ll come to an abrupt end on Wednesday, with Zverv winning in straight sets.
- Zverev to win 3-0 @ 9/4
- Total games under 37.5 @ 4/5
The winner of Zverev vs De Minaur will move through to the semi-finals. There, Casper Ruud awaits, having benefited from a walkover after Novak Djokovic withdrew from the French Open injured.