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Match details
Fixture: (12) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Matteo Berrettini
Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2023
Round: First round (Round of 64)
Venue: Cincinnati, US
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $6,600,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv
Matteo Berrettini vs Felix Auger-Aliassime preview
Matteo Berrettini and Felix Auger-Aliassime are set to face off in the first round of the 2023 Western & Southern Open.
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Berrettini missed a decent chunk of the season due to physical issues. He started the year by leading Italy to the final of the United Cup, but they lost to the American contingent. He then crashed out in the first round of the Australian Open.
Berrettini returned to action a month later at the Mexican Open, where he retired midway through his quarterfinal clash due to an injury. He left Indian Wells and Miami without winning a match after that. The Italian made it to the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters, but withdrew prior to the match.
Berrettini then skipped the remainder of the clay season and returned to compete on grass. The 27-year old reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, but was dispatched by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. His next tournament was the Canadian Open, where he was knocked out in the second round.
Auger-Aliassime has had a rough year so far, with injuries and poor form affecting his results to a great extent. He has won consecutive matches just thrice this campaign, at the Australian Open, the Qatar Open and the Indian Wells Masters.
Auger-Aliassime has now arrived in Cincinnati without winning a match in his previous four tournaments. He has reached the quarterfinals here for the last two years.
Matteo Berrettini vs Felix Auger-Aliassime head-to-head
Berrettini leads Auger-Aliassime 4-1 in the head-to-head. The Italian won their previous encounter at the 2022 Laver Cup in three sets.
Matteo Berrettini vs Felix Auger-Aliassime odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Matteo Berrettini vs Felix Auger-Aliassime prediction
Auger-Aliassime has been quite dismal in his last few matches. He's unable to string together a few good points in a row and his serve, which used to give him an edge, is quite inconsistent at the moment.
Berrettini's run has been quite rocky as well, but one can consider him to be in slightly better form compared to his next opponent. The Italian's big serve and powerful forehand could put Auger-Aliassime under pressure right from the start.
Auger-Aliassime's only win over Berrettini came in Cincinnati. He'll aim to repeat the feat, but given how they've played this year and how their rivalry has unfolded so far, the Italian will be favored to win this bout as well.
Pick: Matteo Berrettini to win in straight sets.
