Australian Open 2022: Matteo Berrettini vs Carlos Alcaraz preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (7) Matteo Berrettini vs (31) Carlos Alcaraz

Date: 21 January 2022

Tournament: Australian Open 2022

Round: Third round (Round of 32)

Venue: Melbourne, Australia

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: $75,000,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Liv

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Matteo Berrettini vs Carlos Alcaraz preview

Berrettini at the 2022 Australian Open.

Seventh seed Matteo Berrettini will square off against Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster third-round clash at the 2022 Australian Open on Friday.

Berrettini overcame a second-set wobble to defeat American Stefan Kozlov 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the second round. The Italian played incredibly well, ending the match with 53 winners and just 29 unforced errors. His serve was also on point, hitting a whopping 21 aces and a solitary double fault.

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2022 Australian Open.

Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, continued his fine run of form to defeat Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 in the second round and advance to the third round of the Australian Open for the first time.

The Spaniard is touted as one of the most promising young talents on the men's tour and has thus far lived up to the hype surrounding him. His quick ascent to the top is reminiscent of compatriot and idol Rafael Nadal and he will look to continue making giant strides.

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Matteo Berrettini vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head

The two have faced off once before, with Alcaraz winning 6-1, 6-7(2), 7-6 (5) in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Vienna Open. He leads their head-to-head 1-0.

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Matteo Berrettini vs Carlos Alcaraz prediction

Berrettini at the 2022 Australian Open.

This match is extremely hard to call. Berrettini is a higher-ranked player with more experience, but Alcaraz is no stranger to taking down big names. At last year's US Open, he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets in the third round.

The Spaniard is a powerful baseliner with a reliable serve. His huge groundstrokes often push his opponents far behind the baseline.

Berrettini will have the edge when it comes to serving, but his backhand remains a liability and could be exploited by Alcaraz. If the Spaniard can get enough returns in play and force Berrettini into the backhand corner, he will be able to dictate the points.

Alcaraz has looked in supreme form in this tournament and might just pull off the upset.

Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in four sets.

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