Italian Open 2024: Alexander Zverev vs Alejandro Tabilo; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

It’s time for Ale, Ale, Ale in Rome! Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo is currently having a dream run at the 2024 Italian Open. He defeated the world number one, Novak Djokovic in the third round (R32) of this tournament by a 6-2,6-3 margin. The tennis world is still considering whether it was a lapse from the Serbian’s end or just sheer brilliance from the Chilean. But in the meanwhile, the 26-year-old lefty has already reached the SF and will take on world number 5, Alexander Zverev in his next match.

The German made quite a few deep runs into the tournaments this year but has failed to win a title this season. Will Rome bring him the luck that he has been looking for throughout the season? Both the players have won all their matches in straight sets as of now in this tournament. So, they will be looking forward to repeating the same in the next game as well.

Alexander Zverev vs Alejandro Tabilo: Preview

Zverev has reached three SFs and two QFs so far this season. He has showcased some outstanding performances this year, but again, without trophies, no performances get the right recognition. However, at the Italian Open, he has been quite dominating in his previous matches. Alexander Zverev defeated the in-form American tennis star, Taylor Fritz by 6-4,6-3 in his previous match. It took him one hour and thirty minutes to seal the deal against the American. And with this victory, Zverev has now leveled with David Ferrer for the fourth most clay-court ATP Masters 1000 SF appearances (9).

Now, shifting our focus to his stats from his previous match, Zverev hit six aces and committed just one double fault in the entire match. His first-serve win percentage was around 78% and his second-serve win percentage was 70%. The German tennis star managed to convert three out of his five breakpoints against Taylor Fritz. Even Alexander Zverev’s numbers from the season so far have been quite impressive. He hit 246 aces and committed just 40 double faults. Not only that, Zverev has won 90% of his service games and 19% of his return games so far this season.

On the other hand, his opponent from Chile started his season with a title triumph at the ASB Classic. He reached the finals of the Chile Open and then recently won another title at the Challenger AIX-EN-Provence, FR. Alejandro Tabilo defeated China’s Zhang Zhizhen in his previous match by 6-3,6-4. He hit seven aces and committed three double faults against the Chinese. His first serve win percentage was around 83% but it dropped to 52% on the second serve. Tabilo successfully converted two out of his five breakpoints against Zhizhen.

Looking at his overall stats from this season, Alejandro Tabilo has hit 160 aces and committed 47 aces so far. He has won 83% of his service games and 36% of his return games this season. Numbers look quite impressive for both the tennis stars, but who leads the H2H scoreline?

Zverev vs Tabilo: Head-to-Head

Well, currently their H2H scoreline is at 0-0. They haven’t met each other earlier on the tour and this is exactly why this match has the potential to come up with a few surprises. Alejandro Tabilo had won just seven Masters 1000 main draw matches prior to his remarkable run in Rome this year. So, he will be keen to prove himself on the bigger stages of the game on Friday.

Alexander Zverev, on the other hand, had to go through a hard tumble in the QF match before he sealed the victory against Taylor Fritz. He felt awkwardly on his stomach and got an open wound on his left wrist. Surely, he wouldn’t want any more tumbles in this tournament. But can he heal his wounds with a victory against Tabilo in the semis or will the Chilean rub salt on the German’s wounds?

Prediction: Zverev to continue his straight-set winning run

It’s number 5 versus the number 32, a right-hander versus a left-hander! Alexander Zverev won the Italian Open title in 2017 and currently, he has a win-loss record of 26-10. In contrast, Alejandro Tabilo has a win-loss record of 20-10. But if look at the other side, Tabilo has already tasted title triumphs this season, but the higher-ranked player is yet to win one this season.

Alexander Zverev’s aggressive baseline game will be put to the test against the challenger. Zverev tends to generate a lot of power with his backhands and forehands. In fact, his backhand is one of the best in the game. The 6ft 6 inches heavily relies on his big serves to dominate the matches. Although he has checked his high double fault counts from previous years (Zverev hit most double faults in the 2016 & 2020 seasons). But still, this is something he needs to take a close look at in this intriguing contest.

Seeing the overall form and experience of playing big matches, it’s Sascha over Jano! But don’t be surprised if we see the ‘unagi-style’ celebration at the end of this match. Because Tabilo certainly has the potential to disrupt all the equations and we’ve already witnessed it in this tournament.