Queen's 2021: Matteo Berrettini vs Alex de Minaur preview, head-to-head and prediction | cinch Championships

Match details

Fixture: (1) Matteo Berrettini vs (4) Alex de Minaur

Date: 19 June 2021

Tournament: Queen's Club cinch Championships 2021

Round: Semifinals

Venue: London, United Kingdom

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Grass

Prize money: €1,290,135

Match timing: Not before 1 pm local time, 12 pm GMT, 8 am EST, 5.30 pm IST

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

Matteo Berrettini vs Alex de Minaur preview

Matteo Berrettini, on a quest for his maiden ATP 500 title, will face fourth seed Alex de Minaur in the Queen's semifinals on Saturday.

Berrettini has been in fine form this week. He got the better of fellow countryman Stefano Travaglia in the first round, and followed that up with a clinical win over five-time Queen's champion Andy Murray.

The Italian then defeated sixth seed Dan Evans 7-6(5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Alex de Minaur

While Berretini has not lost a set yet, De Minaur has had to work hard for his victories.

The young Australian came back from a set down to defeat Laslo Dere in the opening round, before registering a straight-sets victory over compatriot John Millman. In the quarterfinals, De Minaur battled past Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a match that lasted over two hours.

Matteo Berrettini vs Alex de Minaur head-to-head

Matteo Berretini and Alex de Minaur have never faced each other on the ATP tour, so their head-to-head is currently tied at 0-0. The two players did, however, meet at the 2017 Segevio Challenger, where the Australian won in straight sets.

Matteo Berrettini vs Alex de Minaur prediction

Matteo Berretini enters the match as the firm favorite on paper. The Italian has had a stellar season so far, and will be looking to keep the momentum running ahead of Wimbledon.

That said, Alex de Minaur is known to trouble the top players with his speed and defense. The Australian will look to do just that on Saturday, as he aims to reach first ever tour level final on grass.

Matteo Berrittini is yet to drop a set this week

Berretini has been impeccable on serve this week, hitting a total of 41 aces. The 25-year-old will look to be on the front foot right from the get-go and dictate the play through his powerful groundstrokes. He will also try to come to the net at every opportunity in order to break his opponent's rhythm and finish points quickly.

De Minaur, who never seems to get tired on the court, will look to make as many returns as possible and force his opponent into committing errors. But while he possesses a strong first serve, the 22-year-old needs to be wary of Berrettini's attempts to attack his weaker second serve.

Ultimately, the Italian might end up having too much firepower for De Minaur to fend off in this one.

Prediction: Matteo Berrittini to win in straight sets.