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Match Details
Fixture: (18) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Botic van de Zandschulp
Date: May 11, 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+
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Botic van de Zandschulp preview
After a first-round bye, Felix Auger-Aliassime will face Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the 2024 Italian Open on Saturday.
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Auger-Aliassime was having a rather poor season, until he reversed his fortunes at the Madrid Open. He staged a comeback to beat Yoshihito Nishioka in three sets in the first round and then scored a 6-0, 6-4 win over Adrian Mannarino.
Auger-Aliassime benefited from Jakub Mensik's mid-match retirement in the third round, though he led 6-1, 6-0 when his opponent threw in the towel. He knocked out Casper Ruud in the fourth round to record his first win over a top-10 player in six months.
Auger-Aliassime caught another lucky break as the in-form Jannik Sinner withdrew before their quarterfinal clash. He didn't have to do much to win his semifinal duel either as Jiri Lehecka retired midway through the first set.
The Canadian took on Andrey Rublev in the summit clash and even claimed the first set but lost the match in three sets. Nevertheless, it was enough for him to return to the top 20 of the rankings.
Van de Zandschulp came through the qualifying rounds of the Italian Open and drew Nicolas Moreno de Alboran in the first round. The former edged out the latter to take the first set courtesy of a three-game run towards the end.
The two were on even footing for the rest of the match. Moreno de Alboran leveled the match after he won the second set in a tie-break. Van de Zandschulp sneaked past him in the third set tie-break to win the match 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4).
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Botic van de Zandschulp head-to-head
Auger-Aliassime leads van de Zandschulp 2-1 in the head-to-head. The Canadian won their previous encounter at the 2023 Swiss Indoors in straight sets.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Botic van de Zandschulp odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Botic van de Zandschulp prediction
Auger-Aliassime will be keen to continue the momentum after finishing as the runner-up in Madrid. Even though he had a lot of help during his run to the final, he did play some great tennis during the tournament.
Van de Zandschulp's form has taken quite a hit this season. He was ranked in the top 50 at the start of the season and has since fallen out of the top 100. He needed to dig deep to win his opener in Rome as well.
Van de Zandschulp will now aim to win consecutive matches for the first time this season. Given his form, it's unlikely that he'll challenge Auger-Aliassime in a significant manner, especially as the latter will be high on confidence after his performance in Madrid.
Pick: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win in straight sets.
