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Match details
Fixture: (2) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Lorenzo Sonego
Date: 19 August 2021
Tournament: 2021 Western & Southern Open
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Cincinnati, Ohio
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $3,028,140
Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 11 pm GMT, 4.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot Select
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Lorenzo Sonego preview
Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the third round of the 2021 Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati on Thursday.
Tsitsipas has been one of the most consistent performers on tour in 2021. The Greek has won titles in Lyon and Monte Carlo, and also reached the final in Acapulco, Barcelona and Roland Garros this year.
At Toronto last week Tsitsipas reached the semifinal stage, where he bowed out in three sets against Reilly Opelka. But he has bounced back quickly, beating the young American Sebastian Korda in straight sets on Wednesday to get his Cincinnati campaign off to a strong start.
Lorenzo Sonego, on his part, has made some big strides over the last 12 months. The Italian had his breakthrough moment last year, when he defeated Novak Djokovic on his way to the final in Vienna.
Sonego has continued in the same vein this year, winning the title in Cagliari before beating Dominic Thiem and Andrey Rublev on his way to the semifinals in Rome. The 26-year-old also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Sonego has set up the third-round match against Tsitsipas with straight-sets wins over Carlos Alcaraz and Tommy Paul.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Lorenzo Sonego head-to-head
The third-round encounter in Cincinnati is the second match between the two players, and Stefanos Tsitsipas currently leads the head-to-head 1-0 over Lorenzo Sonego.
Tsitsipas defeated the Italian in the third round of the 2021 Miami Open, in straight sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Lorenzo Sonego prediction
Given his form and superior ranking, Stefanos Tsitsipas comes into this encounter as the overwhelming favorite.
The Greek's all-court game worked well in the relatively quick conditions in Toronto. His forehand is among the best on tour right now, and he consistently puts up solid numbers on serve.
Much like his opponent, Lorenzo Sonego's game is based around a powerful serve and forehand. But the Italian does tend to leak errors when his rhythm is disrupted, a problem that could be compounded against a player like Tsitsipas, who employs a lot of variety on his groundstrokes.
Tsitsipas has plenty of tools in his armory to give him the edge in this encounter. Barring a major lapse in concentration, he should move into the quarterfinals comfortably.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in straight sets.
