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Match Details
Fixture: (8) Alexander Zverev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Date: September 30, 2023
Tournament: China Open 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $3,633,875
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime | Canada - TSN
Alexander Zverev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina preview
Alexander Zverev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina are set to clash in the second round of the 2023 China Open on Saturday.
Zverev was up against Diego Schwartzman in the first round. The German rallied from a break down in the opening set and broke his opponent's serve in the 11th game to go 6-5 up.
However, Zverev got broken while trying to close out the set. Schwartzman then gained the upper hand in the tie-break to nab the opener. The World No. 10 responded strongly by taking the second set for the loss of just one game.
The two went toe-to-toe in the third set, but Zverev managed to pull away in the end. He bagged the last three games of the match to record a 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-4 comeback win.
Davidovich Fokina, meanwhile, faced Zhou Yi in the first round. The Spaniard breezed through the first set as a 5-1 lead proved to be too difficult for his opponent to surmount. He struck first in the second set as well to go 2-0 up.
Yi put up a fight at this point and managed to level the score. However, Davidovich Fokina put an end to his resistance at this point as he went on a four-game run to win the match 6-2, 6-2.
Alexander Zverev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina head-to-head
Zverev leads Davidovich Fokina 3-1 in the head-to-head, but the latter won their most recent encounter at the 2023 Candian Open in straight sets.
Alexander Zverev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Alexander Zverev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina prediction
Schwartzman played one of his best matches in ages, but Zverev was able to raise his level when it mattered to down the Argentine. Davidovich Fokina, on the other hand, wasn't too bothered by Yi as he cruised to a win.
Zverev didn't even drop a set against Davidovich Fokina across their first three meetings. However, the former suffered a crushing 6-1, 6-2 defeat when the two faced off last month. The German couldn't conjure up a single break point during the loss.
Zverev also won just 25% of his second serve points during their last battle, which proved to be his downfall. However, he's playing quite well at the moment and just won the Chengdu Open a few days ago.
Davidovich Fokina will need to replicate the same level he did during their previous match in order to have a shot at victory. However, Zverev's the more consistent player between the two and will be favored to come through this contest.
Pick: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.
