Can Zverev stand up to the Spanish prodigy?

There was no need for the preliminary skirmish, as the top seeds did not show any weakness in the top half of the men’s table at Roland Garros. Accordingly, the fans can look forward to a real Super Tuesday. In addition to the giant duel between the Djoker and the clay court king, the match between Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz is also eagerly awaited.

Although the Hamburg native is ranked three places higher in the world rankings, the German tennis number one is hardly given any chances. The bookmakers are currently offering betting odds of over 4.00 for a win between Zverev and Alcaraz for the world number three. Alcaraz is regarded as an upcoming superstar in men’s tennis and is already considered by many experts to be the most promising title candidate at the French Open.

Zverev already criticised the organisers in Paris in the run-up to the match, as he has only been allowed to play once on centre court on his way to the quarter-finals, while Alcaraz has already been seen three times on the Philippe Chatrier. Zverev feels “left out” and is convinced the organisers are hoping for a defeat on his part.

Alexander Zverev – Statistics & current form

Even before the tournament began, the attention paid to Carlos Alcaraz was a thorn in his side, a criticism he renewed after his hard-fought round of 16 win. There is too much focus on the young Spaniard and many other players are left out. So the quarter-finals will be a chance for him to prove the organisers wrong. Although the German’s performances so far do not necessarily serve as an encouragement in the duel with the 19-year-old prodigy.

Hard-fought win against qualifier

Last season his journey at Roland Garros only ended in the semi-finals, this year his back was already against the wall in the second round. He even had to fend off a match point against Sebastien Baez in set five, but managed a successful comeback from a 0:2 set deficit. The German then won the matches against Brandon Nakashima and Bernabe Zapata Miralles in three sets each, but his performance was by no means convincing.
Both Nakashima and Spanish qualifier Zapata Miralles had enough chances to force Zverev into at least a fourth set. Against the Spaniard, Zverev committed an unbelievable 64 unforced errors in three sets, but could only hit 37 winners in return. Such a festival of errors was just about tolerable against the world number 131.

In the duel with Carlos Alcaraz, however, such a performance will not even be enough to give him a chance of winning. Zverev has not looked fresh and lively in the tournament so far, and the number of errors is alarming. All in all, the quarter-final clash between Zverev and Alcaraz points to a clear victory for the favourites. Both a set handicap and the game handicap are possible here.

Carlos Alcaraz – Statistics & current form

It wasn’t just Carlos Alcaraz who had his back against the wall in the second round. Against his compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas, the teenager had far more problems than expected and also needed five sets to muddle through. However, the youngster was able to keep a cool head even in precarious situations and presented himself as extremely hard-nosed.

Yearly record 32:3

The 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz is the talk of the town at the moment and the assignments on centre court (including three night sessions) are unusual for a teenager, but the experts are sure that he has everything he needs to make his mark on an era like Federer/Nadal/Djokovic. Some experts even see him as the perfect mixture of this trio, convincing with pure ambition, finesse and an extremely strong balance.

He already underlined his enormous talent last year, but in 2022 he took another big step forward. Alcaraz has now played 35 games in 2022, winning no fewer than 32. The red clay is certainly his strongest surface, as he impressively proved with tournament victories in his home country of Barcelona and Madrid.

After his victories over Sebastian Korda and Karen Khachanov in round three and round of 16 respectively, Alcaraz now looks back on a winning streak of no less than 14 matches. The youngster has been absolutely convincing again recently and has not let anything go to waste. His current form, the immense confidence in his strokes and the support from the stands are three strong arguments that underline a prediction on the favourite from Spain in the cracker duel between Zverev and Alacaraz.

Alexander Zverev – Carlos Alcaraz Direct comparison / H2H record

Head to Head: 2:1

In a head-to-head comparison, Zverev from Hamburg has the edge over the Spanish teenager. Zverev won both of their matches last season. On hard court in Acapulco and indoors in Vienna, the German had no major problems with the up-and-coming Spaniard. The last duel almost three weeks ago was completely different. In the final of the Masters in Madrid, Alcaraz swept away the German and celebrated a brilliant 6:3 and 6:1 victory.

Alexander Zverev – Carlos Alcaraz Tip

The better world ranking and the head-to-head favour the German, but the momentum is clearly on the side of the 19-year-old Spaniard. Alcaraz is considered to be the best-formed player on the tour and presents himself outstandingly on the red clay. In addition, he recently won very clearly against the German Zverev. His game is very error-prone in the city of love, but it was still sufficient against his previous opponents. Now comes the first big calibre and in the duel between Zverev and Alcaraz, despite attractive odds, betting on the Hamburg player does not appear to be an option.

Zverev would have to improve considerably to even come close to success. Alcaraz came through the brief wobble against Ramos-Vinolas well and has been extremely consistent in the last two matches. This consistency will also tip the scales in favour of the top talent. Due to Zverev’s enormously flawed performance, a 3:0 Alcaraz bet is also a good option in the quarter-final duel between Zverev and Alcaraz. The betting odds are around 2.30 – a stake of four units is recommended