Italian Open 2022: Alexander Zverev vs Cristian Garin preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (2) Alexander Zverev vs Cristian Garin.

Date: 13 May 2022.

Tournament: Italian Open 2022.

Round: Quarterfinal.

Venue: Rome, Italy.

Category: ATP Masters 1000.

Surface: Clay.

Prize money: €5,415,410.

Match timing: 11 am local time, 9 am GMT, 5 am ET and 2:30 pm IST.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot & Sports 18.

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Alexander Zverev vs Cristian Garin preview

Alexander Zverev at the 2022 Italian Open.

Second seed Alexander Zverev will take on World No. 45 Cristian Garin in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Italian Open on Friday.

Zverev almost defended his title at last week's Madrid Open. He made it to the final after defeating top 10 players Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. The German was up against the in-form Carlos Alcaraz in the final, but lost to the teenager in straight sets.

At the Italian Open, Zverev faced off against Sebastian Baez in the second round after a first-round bye. He defeated the Argentine 7-6 (6), 6-3 in what was a solid performance as he didn't face a single break point throughout the contest.

Zverev's third-round opponent was Alex de Minaur. It was a fairly competitive match, but the German came out on top, winning 6-3, 7-6 (5) to mark his milestone 100th win at the Masters 1000 level.

Cristian Garin at the 2022 Italian Open.

Clay is Cristian Garin's most preferred surface, as he has won all of his titles on the red dirt so far. However, the 25-year-old has struggled a fair bit this year. During the South American clay swing in February, he lost in the first round of all three events he competed in.

Garin fared better at the ATP 250 in Houston, reaching the semifinals. However, he once again failed to get across the opening hurdles at the Serbia Open and the BMW Open. At the Madrid Open, he defeated Frances Tiafoe before losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round.

At the Italian Open, Garin kicked off his campaign with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Francesco Passaro. He then defeated Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 6-4 in the second round. Garin was tested thoroughly by 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic in the third round, but eventually prevailed 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals.

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Alexander Zverev vs Cristian Garin head-to-head

Garin leads 1-0 in the head-to-head against Zverev. He won their previous encounter in three sets at the 2019 BMW Open.

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Alexander Zverev vs Cristian Garin prediction

Alexander Zverev at the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open.

Based on their form and results this year, Zverev will be the overwhelming favorite to come through this contest. The World No. 3 has had a rather successful clay season so far while, aside from a couple of good results, Garin has struggled mightily.

But the Chilean seems to be hitting his stride once again. Garin is at his best on clay and could put up a fight against the World No. 3. He did, however, struggle on serve during his third-round contest against Cilic, hitting five double faults and facing 20 break points, though he did save most of them.

Zverev faces his own issues with his serve, but has done quite alright so far in Rome. The German usually camps behind the baseline and likes to dictate the proceedings with his powerful groundstrokes.

It's quite tough to come out on top against him in baseline exchanges, so Garin will have to mix up his shots to disrupt his opponent's rhythm to stand a chance. The Chilean will need to be the aggressor and not let his opponent call the shots.

Zverev is a former champion here, winning his maiden Masters 1000 title back in 2017. Garin is usually on the backfoot against top players and it's tough to see him getting the better of Zverev in his current form.

Pick: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.