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Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Date: May 12, 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.
Novak Djokovic vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry preview
Following a first-round bye, Novak Djokovic will kick off his title defense against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round of the 2023 Italian Open on Friday.
Djokovic's first tournament of the clay swing was the Monte-Carlo Masters. He started off with a win over Ivan Gakhov, but was stunned by Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.
His fortunes didn't improve at the Srpska Open either. The Serb defeated Luca Van Ashe in three sets to make the last eight. Up against compatriot Dusan Lajovic, Djokovic lost quarterfinal showdown in two competitive sets.
He then withdrew from the Madrid Open due to an injury.
Meanwhile, Etcheverry was up against Van Ashe in the first round here. After dropping serve in the very first game of the opening set, the Argentine bagged the next four games to go 4-1 up. He remained in front and even served for the set at 5-3, but was unable to close it out.
Van Ashe managed to take the set into a tie-break, but Etcheverry got the upper hand in it to claim the opener. The Argentine trailed 3-0 in the second set but turned the tables on his opponent rather quickly. He reeled off the next six games to win the match 7-6 (7), 6-3.
Novak Djokovic vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Novak Djokovic vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Novak Djokovic vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry prediction
Etcheverry captured a closely contested opening set and staged a comeback in the second to oust Van Ashe in the first round. He fired seven aces while winning 74% of his first serve points. The Argentine also smacked 22 winners against 11 unforced errors.
The clay season hasn't gone too smoothly for Djokovic and with the French Open right around the corner, he'll be aiming to get on top of things. Luckily for him, the Italian Open has been a happy hunting ground. The Serb has won six titles here along with an equal number of runner-up trophies.
With a 64-10 win-loss record in Rome, it stands out as his most successful Masters 1000 tournament. The World No. 1 has never lost before the quarterfinals here so far.
Etcheverry, meanwhile, is a pretty good player on clay, having reached a couple of finals on the surface this season.
Having not competed in a while, Djokovic could be off to a slow start. If Etcheverry is able to capitalize on his opponent's lack of match play, he could put the Serb in a spot of bother. However, the defending champion should eventually be able to subdue his younger opponent to emerge victorious.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.
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