Italian Open 2021: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Matteo Berrettini preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (9) Matteo Berrettini
Date: 13 May 2021
Tournament: Internazionali BNL d'italia 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Rome, Italy
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: €2,082,960
Match timing: Not before 12 pm local time, 10 am GMT, 6 am EST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Matteo Berrettini preview
Stefanos Tsitsipas will look to keep his momentum on clay going when he takes on local favorite Matteo Berrettini in the Italian Open third round on Thursday.
After reaching the semifinals in Rotterdam and the finals in Acapulco earlier this year, Tsitsipas picked up his first title of 2021 - and also first Masters 1000 title of his career - at the Monte Carlo Masters. The Greek eventually went on a nine-match winning streak, that was finally snapped by Rafael Nadal in Barcelona.
Tsitsipas did, however, come into the Italian capital on the back of a surprising third-round defeat to Casper Ruud in Madrid.
The 22-year-old got his Rome campaign rolling by beating Marin Cilic in straight sets on Wednesday. He now faces a tricky obstacle in his path to the quarterfinals, in the form of Matteo Berrettini.
Berrettini has proved his worth on clay over the past month. After losing in the first round at Monte Carlo, the Italian went on an eight-match winning streak that was only broken a couple of days ago.
Berrettini picked up the title at the ATP 250 event in Belgrade, and then reached the first Masters 1000 final of his career in Madrid. The 25-year-old defeated the likes of Aslan Karatsev, Casper Ruud and Cristian Garin during the course of his run, underlining his claycourt credentials.
Berrettini has had an impressive start to his week in Rome too. He defeated 2021 BMW Open champion Nikoloz Basilashvili in a tricky first-round encounter, before routinely beating John Millman to set up the match against Tsitsipas.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Matteo Berrettini head-to-head
The third-round encounter in Rome is the second tour-level match between the two players, and Stefanos Tsitsipas currently leads the head-to-head 1-0 over Matteo Berrettini.
The Greek defeated Berrettini in four sets in the first round of the 2019 Australian Open, en route to his first Grand Slam semifinal. Tsitsipas also got a walkover when the pair were supposed to meet in the fourth round of the 2021 Australian Open, and defeated the Italian in qualification at the 2017 US Open.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Matteo Berrettini prediction
Stefanos Tsitsipas is the favorite on paper for this tie, but Matteo Berrettini may prove to be a much trickier opponent than he would have hoped for this early in the tournament.
Tsitsipas will look to impose himself on the proceedings right from the outset, by putting his reliable all-round game to good use. The Greek usually has very solid numbers on his serve, and is blessed with a forehand that can generate winners from anywhere.
Tsitsipas' backhand, something of a weakness earlier, has also been shored up this year - particularly the down-the-line version of it.
Berrettini, on his part, will look to use his natural power to take time away from his opponent. The Italian's forehand is one of the most powerful on the tour, and his serve can be relentless too.
This third-round encounter has the potential to be a blockbuster. Tsitsipas, however, is better suited to the surface, and has regularly demonstrated his ability to neutralize power players and big servers. All things considered, he might have a slight edge.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.