Gstaad 2022: Matteo Berrettini vs Dominic Thiem preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Swiss Open
Match details
Fixture: (2) Matteo Berrettini vs Dominic Thiem
Date: July 23, 2022
Tournament: Swiss Open 2022
Round: Semifinals
Venue: Gstaad, Switzerland
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Clay
Prize money: €534,555
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Canada - TSN
Matteo Berrettini vs Dominic Thiem preview
Second seed Matteo Berrettini will take on former Slam champion Dominic Thiem in the semifinals of the Swiss Open on Saturday.
Despite missing the claycourt season due to injury, Berrettini has had an amazing year so far. He reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and claimed titles at the Stuttgart Open and the Queen's Cub Championships.
Matteo Berrettini beats Filip Krajinovic 7-5, 6-4, defends his title at the Queen's Club.
9-0 on grass in 2022, 20-1 since 2021, 32-3 since 2019.
8th ever player to defend a title in this tournament -- *all* the other 7 were former #1s. https://t.co/AParyC4Rhn
The Italian was one of the favorites to win Wimbledon but ill-fatedly withdrew from the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19 on the day of his first-round match. He returned to action at the Swiss Open in Gstaad and continued his rich vein of form with victories against Richard Gasquet and Pedro Martinez.
But Berrettini did face some trouble against Martinez. The 26-year-old come back from a set down before winning 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-1 to stretch his win streak to 11 matches.
Moving 🔛
@MattBerrettini defeats Pedro Martinez 3-6 7-6 6-1 to set up a semi-final showdown against Dominic Thiem in Gstaad.
@SwissOpenGstaad | #SwissOpenGstaad https://t.co/ggC5OdwgnT
Dominic Thiem, on the other hand, was on the sidelines for nine months after sustaining an unfortunate wrist injury at the 2021 Mallorca Championships. Thiem rejoined the tour at the Marbella Tennis Challenger earlier this year but struggled to rediscover his form, making first-round exits at eight successive tournaments.
The Austrian broke his dispiriting run at the Nordea Open last week, with wins over Emil Ruusuvuori and Pablo Carreno Busta en route to the quarterfinals. He also put up a strong challenge against Sebastian Baez in their last eight clash, but eventually bowed out to the Argentine 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4.
Thiem has continued resurgence in Gstaad, with impressive wins over Hugo Gaston, Federico Delbonis and Juan Pablo Varillas. On Friday he outhit Varillas in vintage fashion to win the match in straight sets and reach his first semifinal in 14 months.
Sealed in STYLE! ☄️
@domithiem defeats Varillas 6-4 6-3 and secures his spot in Saturday’s semi-finals
#SwissOpenGstaad https://t.co/uK62zx1L1G
Matteo Berrettini vs Dominic Thiem head-to-head
Matteo Berrettini currently leads the head-to-head 3-2 against Dominic Thiem. Berrettini defeated the Austrian in their most recent clash 6-2, 6-4, which took place at the 2021 ATP Cup.
Matteo Berrettini vs Dominic Thiem odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Matteo Berrettini vs Dominic Thiem prediction
A mouthwatering semifinal encounter is on the cards in Gstaad as two high-quality players battle it out for a place in the final of the Swiss Open.
Berrettini's serve got him out of trouble once again in his hard-fought win against Pedro Martinez. He hammered 15 aces in the match, and won 83 per cent of his first serve points.
The Italian was getting outplayed from the baseline but successfully switched to a different strategy, approaching the net and making use of his sharp volleying skills. It will be interesting to see whether that tactic works against Thiem too, who is known for his powerful passing shots.
The Austrian on his part breezed through his quarterfinal match against Pablo Varillas. Thiem created 12 break point opportunities and converted five of them to maintain the upper hand in the contest.
The 28-year-old has troubled all of his recent opponents with the depth and topspin he's been able to generate on his groundstrokes. On Saturday he will be looking to punish anything short on his side of the court and apply consistent pressure from the baseline.
This could turn into a slugfest and go the distance, as both players would be entering the match on a high. Berrettini will need to start strong against a player who's eager to make a significant impact in this tournament. But even if the Italian does that, he might need to dig deep for the win.
Pick: Berrettini to win in three sets.