World number 10 Alexander Zverev will be up against the 106th-ranked Pavel Kotov in the second round of the 2023 Chengdu Open on Friday, September 22. Get the predictions and odds of this Alexander Zverev v Pavel Kotov match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Alexander Zverev v Pavel Kotov Head to Head
Zverev and Kotov have never faced off in a competitive match before this.
Also Read:
Zverev Returns after Strong US Open Showing
Having returned to competitive tennis this year after a six-month layoff, Zverev took his time to get going again. In more recent times, however, he has continued to give us a reminder why he was once ranked second in the world and what one can expect from him in the times to come.
His turnaround looked to have come in the lead-up to the French Open before Zverev made the semifinal of the season’s second Grand Slam. A semifinal at Halle and a third round exit at Wimbledon might not have been the best results for Zverev but he followed that up with his first title win of the season in Hamburg.
And then in the North American hardcourt swing, Zverev has already made the semifinal at the Cincinnati Masters and the quarterfinals at the US Open. Even those defeats came at the hands of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz respectively.
Given the form struggles of almost everyone in the top 10 except Djokovic, Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and to an extent Daniil Medvedev, Zverev will be looking to end the season as a top five player again. He will want to do that by racing away to a couple of solid performances in China.
Zverev had a first round bye and starts off a 1/5 favourite with bet365 here.
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Kotov Edges Through against Galan
Daniel Elahi Galan wasn’t quite the favourite going into his opener against Kotov (he was 11/10 with bet365) but he would have backed himself to use his experience to get past his opponent.
He did put up a fight too but in the end, it was Kotov who came through in a match that went on for an hour and 52 minutes.
Kotov broke late in both the sets before serving it out in the 12th games of those two to win 7-5, 7-5 and advance to the second round where he faces a top-10 player in Zverev. Stalling Galan’s 10 aces and saving seven of the eight break-points he faced, Kotov’s solid serving – he won 70% of his service points in all – made all the difference.
Interestingly, this was Kotov’s first win in the main draw of a hardcourt competition since ATP Dubai in February.
Can he make things difficult for Zverev here?
Zverev v Kotov Prediction and Tip
Zverev’s form is too irresistible to be betting against him, especially when he faces a player ranked outside the top 100. A straightforward, straight-set win expected for the German.
Tips:
- Low Risk Tip: Zverev to win in straight sets: 1/2 (with bet365)
- Moderate Risk Tip: Under 20.5 games in the match: 5/6 (with bet365)
The 2023 Chengdu Open will be played from September 18 to 24. You can get all the tennis betting news with our tennis betting blog here. Also get rest of the tennis match previews here.
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