Chengdu Open 2023 Final: Alexander Zverev vs Roman Safiullin preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Alexander Zverev vs Roman Safiullin
Date: September 26, 2023
Match Timing: 7:30 pm local time, 5 pm IST, 11:30 am GMT, 7:30 am ET
Tournament: Chengdu Open 2023
Round: Final
Venue: Chengdu, China
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $1,152,805
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Tennis TV | Canada - TSN
Alexander Zverev vs Roman Safiullin preview
Top seed Alexander Zverev will face Roman Safiullin in the Chengdu Open final on Tuesday.
The German received a bye to the second round of the ATP 250 tournament and defeated Pavel Kotov 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals. Here, he came back from a set down to beat seventh seed Miomir Kecmanovic 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 and seal his spot in the semifinals.
Zverev faced third seed Grigor Dimitrov in the final four and took the first set 6-3, breaking in the first and last game. The second set was tightly contested and both players had to save break points in the early games. They managed to hold their serve and a tiebreak ensued. The German dominated the tiebreak and won it 7-2 to book his place in the Chengdu Open final.
Meanwhile, Roman Safiullin was unseeded at the ATP 250 tournament and beat Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round. He then triumphed 6-3, 6-3 over fourth seed Dan Evans to book his place in the quarterfinals.
Here, the Russian faced Jordan Thompson and won the opening set via a tiebreak before the Aussie was forced to retire. He reached the semifinals, where his opponent was second seed Lorenzo Musetti.
Safiullin broke the Italian's serve in the eighth game of the first set and this was enough to see him claim it 6-3 to take the lead in the fixture. He then made another solitary break in the seventh game of the second set before winning it 6-4 to reach his maiden ATP singles final.
Alexander Zverev vs Roman Safiullin head-to-head
Zverev leads 1-0 in the head-to-head between the two, having previously beaten Safiullin 7-6(4), 6-3, 7-6(1) in the second round of the 2021 French Open.
Alexander Zverev vs Roman Safiullin odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Alexander Zverev vs Roman Safiullin prediction
Alexander Zverev will enter the match as the overwhelming favorite to win given his recent run of form. But Roman Safiullin will be in good spirits after reaching his maiden singles final.
The German has been quite solid on his first serve so far in Chengdu, serving 30 aces and winning 142 out of 188 points (75.5%). He has also had 110 winners while producing only 21 unforced errors, seven in each of his three prior matches throughout the tournament.
Zverev is a solid baseline player and will look to attack from the start of the match. His groundstrokes have been quite astute and are hit with a lot of power. The German has already served 30 aces in Chengdu and will look to fetch a lot more of those in the final.
Safiullin has had pretty impressive numbers on his first serve throughout the tournament, winning 112 out of 141 points (79.4%) with 21 aces to his name. He also hit a staggering 98 winners compared to just 20 unforced errors.
The Russian will have to be aggressive in order to deal with Zverev's intensity. Like the German, he also loves to hit powerful groundstrokes and they will come in very handy, not to forget his effective serve.
While Safiullin should not be written off, Zverev's experience in big matches should be enough to see him through and lift his second title of the 2023 season.
Pick: Zverev to win in straight sets.