Italian Open 2023: Holger Rune vs Alexei Popyrin head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Fixture: (7) Holger Rune vs (Q) Alexei Popyrin

Date: Tuesday, May 16

Tournament: Italian Open 2023

Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)

Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy

Category: Masters 1000

Surface: Outdoor clay

Prize money: €7,705,780

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

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Holger Rune vs Alexei Popyrin preview

Rune is into the fourth round in Rome.

Seventh seed Holger Rune takes on Australian qualifier Alexei Popyrin on Tuesday in the fourth round of the 2023 Italian Open.

World No. 7 Rune improved to 24-9 on the season with two wins at the Foro Italico this week. After beating qualifier Arthur Fils on his Rome debut, the Dane made it two wins out of two by overcoming wildcard Fabio Fognini in the third round - also in straight sets. Rune dropped six games each against Fils and Fognini.

The 20-year-old Dane is having an impressive European claycourt swing. After losing to Andrey Rublev in a three-set Monte-Carlo final, Rune won his first title of the season in Munich, defending his title in a rematch with Botic van de Zandschulp from 2022.

Meanwhile, the 77th-ranked Popyrin is having an impressive campaign at the Foro Italico. After emerging from qualifying, the 23-year-old Australian beat compatriot Christopher O'Connell on his Rome main draw debut.

Popyrin then upset tenth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime before beating fellow qualifier Roman Safiullin to improve to 3-0 in the Italian capital and 12-10 on the season. The Australian was coming off an opening-round loss in Madrid two weeks ago.

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Holger Rune vs Alexei Popyrin head-to-head

The two players haven't met before, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

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Holger Rune vs Alexei Popyrin odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Holger Rune	-550	-1.5 (-190)	Over 21.5 (-115)
Alexei Popyrin	+375	+1.5 (+135)	Under 21.5 (-120)

(All odds as per BETMGM)

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Holger Rune vs Alexei Popyrin prediction

Popyrin is 3-0 in Rome.

Both Rune and Popyrin like to dominate opponents from the back of the court and have similar game styles. Both serve big, hit powerfully off either flank and move well. However, the Dane takes the edge because of his superior experience, pedigree and consistency.

Moreover, Rune has superior claycourt pedigree than his Australian counterpart. He's 28-20 on the surface - winning two titles (both in Munich) - while Popyrin is only 11-14.

The Dane has also had a better season - especially on clay - and should emerge victorious.

Pick: Rune in three sets