Madrid Open 2021: Alexander Zverev vs Dan Evans preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Alexander Zverev vs Dan Evans

Date: 6 May 2021

Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2021

Round: Third round (Round of 16)

Venue: Madrid, Spain

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: €2,614,465

Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 10.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Alexander Zverev vs Dan Evans preview

Fifth seed Alexander Zverev will take on World No. 26 Dan Evans on Thursday for a place in Madrid Open quarterfinals.

Zverev began his year in strong fashion, reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before lifting the Abierto Mexicano Telcel trophy. The 23-year-old was in spectacular form during his week at Acapulco, winning the tournament without dropping a single set.

But Zverev has seen a steep drop-off in his level recently, having suffered several disappointing losses since then. The German made early exits at the Miami Masters, the Monte Carlo Masters and the Munich Open, with two of his three losses coming against players ranked outside the top 30.

Zverev will be looking to make amends in Madrid this year, where he won the title in 2018. The World No. 6 was in complete control during his opener against Kei Nishikori on Wednesday, bagging close to 50% of his return points in what was a straightforward victory.

Dan Evans, meanwhile, has been playing on clay with a newfound vigor this year. The Brit has never been considered a force on clay, having won just four matches on the surface before Monte Carlo, but he turned his fortunes around in the Principality.

Evans outplayed Novak Djokovic en route to reaching the last four, where he lost to eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The World No. 26 has notched up two more impressive wins in Madrid this week, beating John Millman and Jeremy Chardy in three sets each to book his place in the Round of 16.

Alexander Zverev vs Dan Evans head-to-head

The third-round match in Madrid will be the first-ever career meeting between Alexander Zverev and Dan Evans, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Alexander Zverev vs Dan Evans prediction

Alexander Zverev is capable of playing lethal claycourt tennis, but the German has put up underwhelming results on the surface over the last couple of years. Zverev won the Madrid Open in 2018 and also had Rafael Nadal on the ropes during their Rome championship match that same year, but he hasn't made any major inroads since then.

Zverev has a lot of variety on his backhand; he can flatten it out to finish a point quickly, and also strike it with depth and spin from behind the baseline. The 23-year-old can also use his heavy forehand to push his opponents back, something that is particularly useful on clay.

Dan Evans, on the other hand, is a versatile player from both wings and constantly looks to open the court with his varied skills. The USP of Evans' game is his backhand slice, which he hits with incredible spin to ensure the ball goes deep.

Zverev's mental strength will be put to the test in his Round-of-16 encounter against Evans. The German has shown a tendency to choke in big matches lately, like he did against Ilya Ivashka in Munich last week, and he would be eager to avoid a repeat of that in Madrid.

If Zverev can manage to control his nerves, he will likely have too much firepower for Evans. But the Brit can certainly make things interesting if he sticks to his strengths and gets Zverev out of his comfort zone.

Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in three sets.

Edited by Musab Abid