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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Alexander Zverev vs Aleksandar Vukic
Date: May 10, 2024
Tournament: Italian Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize money: £7,877,020
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Alexander Zverev vs Aleksandar Vukic preview
After a first-round bye, Alexander Zverev will begin his 2024 Italian Open campaign against Aleksandar Vukic in the second round on Friday (May 10).
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Zverev's first tournament on clay this year was the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he fell to eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round. He then participated in the BMW Open in his native Germany, and was ousted in the quarterfinals by Cristian Garin.
Zverev moved on to the Madrid Open after that, a tournament he had won twice in the past. He reached the fourth round with wins over Borna Coric and Denis Shapovalov before losing to Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 6-4.
Vukic, meanwhile, drew former top-10 player Diego Schwartzman in the first round of the Italian Open. The former was on a four-match losing streak, while the latter hadn't won a main-draw match all year.
In a must-win match for both, it was Vukic who came out on top. He broke Schwartzman's serve twice in each set to score a 6-2, 6-2 victory and make a winning debut at the Italian Open.
Alexander Zverev vs Aleksandar Vukic head-to-head
Zverev leads Vukic 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their most recent encounter in the first round of the 2023 US Open in straight sets.
Alexander Zverev vs Aleksandar Vukic odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Alexander Zverev vs Aleksandar Vukic prediction
Vukic would be glad to have finally made it past the first round after falling at the first hurdle of his last three tournaments. Even though Schwartzman wasn't a huge threat given his current form, the Australian was in dire need of a win.
Zverev hasn't made any waves during this clay swing. He had similar results last year as well but still reached the semifinals of the French Open. He captured his very first Masters 1000 title at the Italian Open back in 2017.
Given Vukic's results and form, this is an easy draw for Zverev. The former has a 3-6 career record on clay, while the latter has already won four matches on the surface this year.
However, Vukic can be a tricky player to deal with. He pushed World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to three sets when they met at the Indian Wells Masters earlier this year. However, even if he raises his level, he could find it tough to counter Zverev as the match goes on, who is a formidable player on clay in his own right.
Pick: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.
