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Fixture: (19) Alexander Zverev vs David Goffin.
Date: May 13, 2023.
Tournament: Italian Open 2023.
Round: Second Round (Round of 64).
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
Category: Masters 1000.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €7,705,780.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Alexander Zverev vs David Goffin preview
After a first-round bye, Alexander Zverev will face off against David Goffin in the second round of the 2023 Italian Open on Saturday.
Zverev's first tournament of the clay season was the Monte-Carlo Masters. He defeated Alexander Bublik and Roberto Bautista Agut to make it to the third round. Up against Daniil Medvedev, he lost a close three-set tussle against him.
Zverev next competed in the BMW Open in his native Germany but was stunned by Christopher O'Connell in the first round. He rebounded by reaching the fourth round of the Madrid Open but was knocked out by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The Italian Open is a special tournament for Zverev as it's where he claimed his maiden Masters 1000 title. He defeated Novak Djokovic in the final to win the 2017 edition. He made it to the semifinals last year, going down to Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets.
Goffin was up against Luca Nardi in the first round here. The Belgian fell behind 4-1 in the opening set and was unable to close the gap, costing him the set. He was off to a slow start in the second set as well as he went down an early break to trail 2-0.
Goffin was under pressure during his next two service games as well, but he managed to hold serve. Now down 4-2, he swept the next four games to take the set. By now, he was fully in control of the proceedings, and the Belgian broke Nardi's serve twice in the third set to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Alexander Zverev vs David Goffin head-to-head
The two have split their previous four meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 2-2. Goffin won their last encounter at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters in two close sets.
Alexander Zverev vs David Goffin odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Alexander Zverev vs David Goffin prediction
Goffin looked down and out in his opener, but he flipped the script on Nardi to stage a comeback. While he showed enough fortitude to save 10 break points, he committed way too many unforced errors.
It got Goffin off the hook against a relatively inexperienced opponent, but he'll need to clean up his act going forward. He will now face a familiar foe in the form of Zverev. The German has been rather consistent during the clay swing, and aside from a surprise defeat to O'Connell, he has lost to top 10 players only.
Three of their four matches have taken place on clay, with Zverev winning two of them in three sets, including one at the Italian Open in 2018. On the other hand, Goffin's results have been on a decline this season.
Goffin had the tools to trouble Zverev in the past, but he struggles against better opposition these days. The German, on the other hand, has regained enough of his form to oust lower-ranked players, and as such, should be able to advance further.
Pick: Alexander Zverev to win in three sets.
