Roland Garros: Alexander Zverev vs Jannik Sinner preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020

Match details

Fixture: Alexander Zverev vs Jannik Sinner

Date: 4 October 2020

Tournament: Roland Garros 2020

Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: Approx. €38,000,000

Match timing: Approx. 1 pm CEST, 4.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Also check out: The Complete French Open 2020 Schedule

Alexander Zverev vs Jannik Sinner preview

Alexander Zverev plays a forehand

Sixth seed Alexander Zverev will be looking to make a third career quarterfinal appearance at the French Open on Sunday, but has the fast-rising Jannik Sinner in his way.

Zverev didn't play a single competitive claycourt match leading up to the French Open, choosing to rest after his 2020 US Open campaign. As a consequence of less match practice, the German's game in Paris has been understandably shaky.

But he is playing with increased self-belief lately, and that was evident in his third-round encounter against former semifinalist Marco Cecchinato. While Zverev was slow to get off the blocks against France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the previous round, against Cecchinato he was on his game right from the start.

Zverev hammered his Italian opponent 6-1 in the first set, playing some supremely aggressive tennis. The sixth seed would eventually wrap up the match in straight sets, hitting 31 winners past his opponent.

Jannik Sinner, meanwhile, is through to the fourth round of a Slam for the first time in his career. And he has done it without dropping a set, making light work of Argentina's Federico Coria in his third-round match.

This is a much-needed result for the Italian teenager, who had a breakout season in 2019 but then struggled to perform at the same level in early 2020 due to fitness issues. In fact, the World No. 75 scored consecutive main-draw wins for the first time this season at the Rome Masters three weeks ago, where he defeated France's Benoit Paire and upset World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the Round of 16.

Alexander Zverev vs Jannik Sinner head-to-head

The two youngsters have never played each other before on the tour, so the head-to-head between Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner is currently 0-0.

Alexander Zverev vs Jannik Sinner prediction

Jannik Sinner hits a backhand

Alexander Zverev was at his absolute best against Cecchinato, showing some all-court prowess in what was a straightforward victory. Zverev's first serve - always a crucial shot for him - was on fire all match, and his forehand was unusually effective too.

Jannik Sinner, on the other hand, is a player who likes to go hard at his opponent right from the start. The Italian has an impeccable crosscourt backhand and times the ball incredibly well off both wings. Sinner also doesn't overly depend on his serve to get him out of trouble, although he doesn't move as well as his fourth-round opponent.

The one worry for Sinner would be his physical conditioning. He has stumbled while trying to get across the finishing line at times, which is not a surprise given his inexperience.

If Sinner's durability suffers in a potentially long match, Zverev will more or less be guaranteed to go through; the German has done well in five-set matches of late.

Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in five sets.

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