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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Shevchenko
Date: February 19, 2025
Tournament: Rio Open 2025
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Jockey Club Brasileiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: $2,574,145
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Shevchenko preview
Top seed Alexander Zverev will face Alexander Shevchenko in the second round of the Rio Open 2025.
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Zverev was drawn against Bu Yunchaokete in the first round of the Rio Open. The German was cruising smoothly and leading 4-1 when his opponent gave him a scare. He nabbed the next four games and served for the set at 5-4, and even held a set point.
However, Zverev stopped him from serving out the set and later edged him out in the tie-break to capture the set. The two went toe-to-toe for most of the second set until the top seed raised his level. He nabbed the last three games of the match to register a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory.
Shevchenko commenced his run in Rio against home hope Felipe Meligeni Alves. The Kazakh overcame a break deficit in the first set to level the score and then broke his opponent's serve in the eighth game to go 5-3 up. However, he got broken while trying to close out the set.
Shevchenko still got the job done as he broke Meligeni Alves' serve again in the very next game to claim the set. The Kazakh let go of a 3-0 lead in the second set but eventually won the match with another three-game run for a 6-4, 6-2 win.
Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Shevchenko head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Shevchenko odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Shevchenko prediction
Zverev found himself on the back foot in the first round after his lead was cut down to size. However, he stepped up his game when it mattered to get his second win of the South American clay swing. He made the last eight at the Argentina Open a week ago.
Shevchenko had his ups and downs in the previous round but weathered the storm to beat Meligeni Alves and claim his third win of the year. However, struggling against a player ranked outside the top 100 doesn't bode well for his chances against the second-ranked player in the world.
Zverev will be keen to go all the way here as it could help him get the coveted No. 1 spot. While he trails the top-ranked Jannik Sinner by 3,000 points at the moment, the latter is serving a ban until May and is going to keep on dropping points until then.
If Zverev performs well over the next couple of months, then he could ascend to the top spot. He is also unbeaten against players ranked outside the top 50 this season, with a perfect 5-0 record against them. Thus, he will be the favorite to beat Shevchenko.
Pick: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.
