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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (5) Yannick Hanfmann
Date: October 20, 2023
Tournament: European Open 2023
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Lotto Arena, Antwerp, Belgium
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard (indoor)
Prize money: €673,630
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Canada - TSN
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Yannick Hanfmann preview
Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will square off against Yannick Hanfmann in the quarterfinals of the 2023 European Open on Friday.
Following a first-round bye, Tsitsipas took on Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round. The Greek went down an early break to fall behind 4-2 in the first set. He then flipped the script as he bagged five on the next six games to clinch the set.
The second set was more straightforward. A single break of serve in Tsitsipas' favor proved to be more than enough for him to win the match 7-5, 6-3. He has now made it to his eighth quarterfinal of the season.
Hanfmann defeated Alexander Blockx in straight sets to book a second round showdown against 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem. The German struck first in the opening set to go up a break and never looked back after that to claim the set.
It looked like the second set would be decided via a tie-break given how well the two defended their serves. However, Thiem broke Hanfmann's serve in the 12th game of the set to take it.
The pair traded service breaks to start the third set. Hanfmann got the decisive break in the seventh game to go 4-3 up. He held on to the lead and soon won the match 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to reach his sixth quarterfinal of the year.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Yannick Hanfmann head-to-head
Hanfmann leads Tsitsipas 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2023 Mallorca Open in three sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Yannick Hanfmann odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Yannick Hanfmann prediction
Tsitsipas played quite well in the last round. With his fellow top 10 cohorts losing early in different tournaments, he avoided the same fate. He'll now be aiming to win consecutive matches for the first time since his title-winning run at the Los Cabos Open in August.
Hanfmann played some solid tennis to keep a fighting Thiem at bay. He saved a massive 13 of the 15 break points that he faced, while going 3/3 on his own break point opportunities.
Hanfmann got the better of Tsitsipas in their only match so far, which took place earlier this year. The Greek's downfall was mainly due to his inability to make inroads on his opponent's serve, along with his wayward backhand. Both held up pretty well in the previous round against van de Zandschulp.
With a spot in the ATP Finals on the line, Tsitsipas will be eager to do well here. Hanfman certainly has the potential to back up his previous win over the Greek, but the latter is likely to gain the upper hand this time around.
Pick: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.
