Italian Open 2024: Alex de Minaur vs Felix Auger-Aliassime preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (9) Alex de Minaur vs (18) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Date: May 13, 2024
Tournament: Italian Open 2024
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize money: £7,877,020
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Alex de Minaur vs Felix Auger-Aliassime preview
Top-20 players Alex de Minaur and Felix Auger-Aliassime will clash in the third round of the 2024 Italian Open on Monday, May 13.
Following a first-round bye, de Minaur took on Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round. The Australian squandered a 2-0 lead in the first set but regrouped as he bagged the last four games of the set to take it.
Carballes Baena put up a fight at the start of the second set as he broke de Minaur's serve to go 2-0 up. His resistance crumbled after that as the latter reeled off the next six games for a 6-3, 6-2 win.
Auger-Aliassime, fresh off a runner-up finish at the Madrid Open, was up against Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round. The first set was a walk in the park for the Canadian as he conceded just one game in it.
A third set looked inevitable as Auger-Aliassime looked out for the count after going 5-1 down in the second set. However, he staged an incredible fightback as he saved a couple of set points to force a tie-break, in which he came out on top for a 6-1, 7-6 (6) win.
Alex de Minaur vs Felix Auger-Aliassime head-to-head
Auger-Aliassime leads de Minaur 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Davis Cup Finals in straight sets.
Alex de Minaur vs Felix Auger-Aliassime odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Alex de Minaur vs Felix Auger-Aliassime prediction
Auger-Aliassime won the opening set in convincing fashion against van de Zandschulp but the match almost got away from him after that. However, he displayed some great determination to get over the finish line.
Auger-Aliassime's serve deserted him from time to time as he threw in six double faults, and struck 20 winners against committed 22 unforced errors. Aside from a few minor hiccups, de Minaur was never in any real danger of losing to Carballes Baena in the previous round.
De Minaur has lost both of his prior matches against Auger-Aliassime in straight sets. The former's overall results this season have been a lot better than the latter's. It remains to be seen if the Canadian's recent resurgence is a flash in the pan or the start of something substantial.
Auger-Aliassime's 41-34 career record on clay trumps de Minaur's 24-30 record on the surface. The former has been able to counter the latter's tactics rather easily in the past. Given his record in this rivalry and their results on clay, the Canadian will be expected to make it through this clash.
Pick: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win in three sets.