Acapulco 2022: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs J.J. Wolf preview, head-to-head & prediction | Abierto Mexicano Telcel
Match details
Fixture: (3) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs J.J. Wolf
Date: 23 February 2022
Tournament: Abierto Mexicano Telcel 2022
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Acapulco, Mexico
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $1,832,890
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Tennis TV
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs J.J. Wolf preview
Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on American qualifier J.J. Wolf in the second round of the 2022 Abierto Mexicano Telcel on Wednesday.
Tsitsipas kicked off his campaign in Acapulco with a hard-fought 7-6(7), 7-6(4) win over Laslo Djere. The Greek fell behind in the first set and saved a set point at 4-5. In the ensuing tie-break, he saved yet another set point before clinching the opener.
Tsitsipas took an early lead in the second set, but faltered while serving for the match at 5-4. But he held his nerve in the tie-break to seal his 200th career win.
The 23-year-old has been quite consistent this season. He reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the third time in his career and then advanced to his first final of the year at the Rotterdam Open, where he lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime. He then lost in the quarterfinals of the Open 13 Provence last week.
Career win 200! 💪
2021 Acapulco runner-up @steftsitsipas cracks a milestone win, defeating Laslo Djere 7-6 7-6.
#AMT2022 https://t.co/4kHfJsl9x0
J.J. Wolf, meanwhile, registered just his third career victory by defeating Lorenzo Sonego in the first round in Acapulco. After dropping the opening set, the American appeared to be heading towards yet another early loss. But he held firm and slowly stepped up his game.
Wolf saved a match point in the second set tie-break before winning it 9-7. He then pulled away from Sonego in the decider to seal a 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 victory, marking the biggest win of his career so far.
All smiles 😊
American JJ Wolf nabs his biggest career win by ranking, saving a match point to defeat 21st-ranked Lorenzo Sonego.
#AMT2022 https://t.co/BieBMeBFEm
Wolf's only previous wins on the main tour came during the 2020 US Open, where he made it to the third round.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs J.J. Wolf head-to-head
This will be the first encounter between the two players, so the head-to-head is 0-0 at present.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs J.J. Wolf prediction
Given the gulf in rankings and experience between the two players, Tsitsipas will be the overwhelming favorite to win this contest. The Greek has won 200 matches on the ATP tour, while Wolf has managed just three. But the American will be high on confidence after taking down World No. 21 Lorenzo Sonego.
Wolf has a rather solid game. He will rely heavily on his first serve to give him an advantage early in the rallies as he could find it difficult to outmaneuvre Tsitsipas from the back of the court. The American also doesn't shy away from moving forward when the opportunity presents itself and he will need to do plenty of that against the Greek.
Tsitsipas was rather inconsistent in his first-round match, but he managed to stay solid when he had to. The Greek's serve and forehand are his biggest weapons and he will rely on them to do the heavy lifting against Wolf.
Unless Tsitsipas completely drops the ball, it's hard to see how Wolf can pose much of a threat.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in straight sets.