Canadian Open 2022: Matteo Berrettini vs Pablo Carreno Busta preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (11) Matteo Berrettini vs Pablo Carreno Busta
Tournament: Canadian Open 2022
Round: First round (Round of 64)
Venue: Montreal, Canada
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $5,926,545
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Sportsnet, TVA Sports | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports 18
Matteo Berrettini vs Pablo Carreno Busta preview
Eleventh seed Matteo Berrettini will face off against Pablo Carreno Busta in the first round of the Canadian Open.
Berrettini has had a decent season so far. The World No. 14 has registered 21 wins against seven losses.
The Italian started the year on a high note, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open. He was taken out by eventual champion Rafael Nadal in four sets.
Matteo Berrettini passes on the baton to Jannik Sinner, seconds after beating Monfils in 5 sets.
When told he is the first Italian man in history to reach the Australian Open singles semi-finals, he says:
"Hopefully tomorrow there's going to be a second one."
He had to withdraw from the Miami Open, citing a right-hand injury. He went on to have surgery, which kept him out of action for a good three months.
Right after, Berrettini astonishingly made a winning return and clinched his first title of the season by defeating Andy Murray at the Stuttgart Open. He then won his second consecutive title of the year as the defending champion at the 2022 Queen's Club Championships, beating Filip Krajinovic.
Italian second seed Matteo Berrettini defended his title at the Queen's Club by defeating Serbian Filip Krajinovic 7-5, 6-4 on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Berrettini claimed back-to-back titles in two weeks after his success at the Stuttgart Open earlier. https://t.co/T70xyeg4mC
The 2021 Wimbledon finalist had to pull out of the grasscourt Slam after testing positive for Covid 19. In his next tournament, he reached the finals of the Swiss Open but lost to Casper Ruud.
Pablo Carreno Busta, meanwhile, hasn’t had a season out of the ordinary. He has 22 wins against 17 losses so far.
His notable results have included reaching the quarterfinals of the Halle Open, the semifinals of the Swedish Open and the final of the Barcelona Open, which he lost to good friend Carlos Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz defeats Pablo Carreño Busta 6-3 6-2 to win the Barcelona Open 🇪🇸🏆
Just as Rafa did when he won in 05, Carlos will make his top-10 debut when the rankings are released 📈
This after saving 2 MPs in the longest match of the tournament's history this morning... 😅 https://t.co/Ybt0MlYyk7
Earlier in the year, the Spaniard made it to the fourth round at the Australian Open but was knocked out by his current competitor Matteo Berrettini in straight sets.
Matteo Berrettini vs Pablo Carreno Busta head-to-head
Berrettini and Carreno Busta have met each other on one occasion, at the 2022 Australian Open. The Italian defeated the Spaniard in the encounter, thus leading the head-to-head 1-0.
Matteo Berrettini vs Pablo Carreno Busta odds
(All odds are sourced from Bet365)
Matteo Berrettini vs Pablo Carreno Busta prediction
This could be a tight contest. Hardcourt isn't the preferred surface for either player, but Carreno Busta has three hardcourt titles to his name while Berrettini has none.
This match will mark the 26-year-old Italian’s debut at the Canadian Open. On hardcourts, he has a 8-5 win-loss record this year. The Spaniard, meanwhile, has just one extra win with a 9-5 win-loss record.
Berrettini banks on his big serve to snatch points from his opponents. He has dished out 362 aces in 28 matches so far this year.
Apart from that, the World No. 14 is an aggressive all-court player. He likes to keep rallies short and uses his forehand to hit solid winners from the baseline. He also likes approaching the net to finish points in his favor.
Carreno Busta, meanwhile, keeps things calm and steady. He likes to dig deep into the rallies and force errors out of the opponent. The Spaniard will try to extract errors from Berrettini’s weaker backhand.
However, Berrettini should be able to win his first match in Montreal.
Pick: Berrettini to win in three sets.