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Match Details
Fixture: (2) Alexander Zverev vs (7) Carlos Alcaraz
Date: 8 May 2022
Tournament: Madrid Open 2022
Round: Final
Venue: Madrid, Spain
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Match timing: Not before 6.30 pm local time, 4.30 pm GMT, 12.30 am EST, 10 pm IST
Prize money: €6,744,165
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports18 & Voot
Alexander Zverev vs Carlos Alcaraz preview
Second seed Alexander Zverev will square off against the high-flying Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Madrid Open on Sunday.
The German has not had a great season so far. He suffered a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open, before reaching his first final of the year at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier.
The 25-year-old had a disappointing run at Indian Wells, losing to Tommy Paul in the second round. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the Miami Masters but was beaten by Casper Ruud.
Zverev reached the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters after getting the better of Jannik Sinner in the last eight. But he was ousted by Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.
The German then suffered a disappointing exit in the second round of the BMW Open at the hands of Holger Rune, a match he described as his worst in the last six to seven years.
Zverev is seeded second at the Madrid Open and started with a hard-fought win over Marin Cilic. He had a relatively easy outing in the last 16 as his opponent Lorenzo Musetti was forced to retire in the second set due to a thigh injury.
In the quarterfinals, Zverev beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 7-5 to set up a semi-final clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas. He got his revenge on the Greek, beating him in three sets to reach his third final at the Madrid Open.
The World No. 3 became only the fifth man to reach consecutive singles finals in the tournament. Others to have attained the feat are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Dominic Thiem.
Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, is in the midst of a dream season. After a disappointing third-round exit at the Australian Open, the Spaniard bounced back by winning his maiden ATP 500 title at the Rio Open. He then reached the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters with wins over Gael Monfils and Cameron Norrie before going down to his idol Nadal.
The 19-year-old ended the American summer by winning the Miami Masters, defeating Hubert Hurkacz and Casper Ruud in the semifinals and final, respectively.
Alcaraz was then ousted in the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters after a grueling battle with Sebastian Korda. However, he made up for it by winning the Barcelona Open, his third title of the season. The Spaniard saved a few match points against Alex de Minaur in the semifinals before defeating compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta in the final in straight sets just hours later.
Alcaraz's triumph in Barcelona saw him break into the top 10 of the ATP rankings, becoming the youngest player to do so since Nadal in 2005.
Seeded seventh at the Madrid Open, he started with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili in the second round. He then overcame Cameron Norrie in two hours and 41 minutes to set up a quarter-final clash with Nadal. Alcaraz finally got his first win over the King of Clay to secure a meeting with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
The Spaniard came from a set down to win 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5) and reach his fourth final of 2022.
Alexander Zverev vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head
This will be the third meeting between the pair, with Zverev leading the head-to-head 2-0. Their first encounter came at the 2021 Mexican Open in Acapulco, with Zverev winning 6-3, 6-1. He then beat the Spaniard 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.
Alexander Zverev vs Carlos Alcaraz odds
(All odds sourced from Oddschecker)
Alexander Zverev vs Carlos Alcaraz prediction
Alcaraz will enter the match as the slight favorite, given his stunning performances against Nadal and Djokovic. However, Zverev will provide a stern test for the Spaniard. The two-time Madrid Open champion has bounced back strongly from his exit at the BMW Open and looks in formidable form at the moment.
Alcaraz's all-round game makes him very hard to beat. The World No. 9 doesn't have any perceivable weaknesses. His powerful groundstrokes and ability to hit winners from anywhere on the court will no doubt come in handy, as will his brilliant drop shots.
Zverev will need to be aggressive from the get-go to put pressure on the Spaniard and will look to use his powerful serve to do most of the damage.
The match could go the distance but given Alcaraz's form and confidence, it will be hard to bet against him. The Spaniard should just about be able to squeeze past Zverev and snatch his fourth title of the season.
Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in three sets.
