French Open 2023: Alexander Zverev vs Alex Molcan preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick | Roland Garros

Match Details

Fixture: (22) Alexander Zverev vs Alex Molcan

Date: Thursday, June 1

Tournament: French Open 2023

Round: Second round (Round of 64)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor clay

Prize money: €49,600,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports, Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten

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Alexander Zverev vs Alex Molcan preview

Twenty-second seed Alexander Zverev locks horns with Slovakia's Alex Molcan as a place in the French Open third round beckons.

The 2022 Roland Garros semifinalist - ranked 27th in the world - faced a stern test against South African Lloyd Harris in his opener. Struggling to find his best tennis, the 26-year-old drew first blood by taking the opener in a tiebreak.

To his credit, Harris refused to give up and twice came within a point of making it a set apiece. Zverev, though, stood tall, winning all seven points in the tiebreak to take a commanding two-set lead. The German then whirled through the third set - dropping just one game - to improve to 24-7 at the claycourt Major and 17-14 on the season.

Meanwhile, World No. 86 Molcan took care of French wildcard Hugo Gaston in straight sets to improve to 12-11 on the season and 2-1 at Roland Garros, where he lost in the second round to Novak Djokovic last year.

The 25-year-old Molcan has had a decent claycourt swing, reaching the semifinals at the inaugural Banja Luka Open in Srpska and making the second round at Madrid and Rome. He will now seek to reach the Roland Garros third round for the first time but faces a tough challenge against 19-time ATP Tour titlist Zverev.

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Alexander Zverev vs Alex Molcan head-to-head

This is a first-time matchup, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

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Alexander Zverev vs Alex Molcan odds

All odds as per BETMGM

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Alexander Zverev vs Alex Molcan prediction

Both Zverev and Molcan are quintessentially baseliners, but the German takes the edge because of his superior consistency, experience, and pedigree, especially on clay.

Zverev has a big serve, can hit powerfully off either flank, and moves well for his height, while Molcan has more modest attributes. Moreover, the German has a 117-47 record on clay, winning six titles, compared to Molcan's 28-13.

Both players are coming off straight-set wins in their opener, but the experienced German should take the win.

Pick: Zverev in straight sets