Italian Open 2024: Alexander Zverev vs Nuno Borges preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Alexander Zverev vs Nuno Borges
Date: May 14, 2024
Tournament: Italian Open 2024
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)
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+
Alexander Zverev vs Nuno Borges preview
Third seed Alexander Zverev will duke it out against Nuno Borges in the fourth round of the 2024 Italian Open on Tuesday, May 14.
Zverev secured a comfortable 6-0, 6-4 win over Aleksandar Vukic to reach the third round, where he faced home favorite Luciano Darderi. The two were evenly matched for most of the first set, which eventually culminated with the German coming out on top in the tie-break.
The second set wasn't as close as the previous one. Zverev set the terms and Darderi just reacted to it. The third seed broke his opponent's serve twice as he bagged a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win.
Borges knocked out Pedro Martinez and Alexander Bublik to make the third round, where he was up against Francesco Passaro. The Portuguese was the one in the lead in the first set but had the tables turned on him as his opponent fought back to take the set.
With both players remaining steady on serve in the second set, it went to a tie-break. Borges saved a match point and captured the set to force a decider. He outplayed Passaro once again in the third set tie-break to complete a 4-6, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (4) comeback win.
Alexander Zverev vs Nuno Borges head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Alexander Zverev vs Nuno Borges odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Alexander Zverev vs Nuno Borges prediction
Borges' breakthrough season continues as he has now reached the fourth round of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time. He has displayed impressive mental fortitude during the tournament. Not only did he save a match point against Passaro, but he also did the same against Martinez in his opener.
Zverev has been in impressive form as well. He hasn't dropped his serve so far and has won an average of 82 percent of his first serve points. He also rained down 12 aces against Darderi in the previous round.
Borges is 0-6 against top-10 players in his career. He has also managed to win only one set across those six defeats. Even though he has improved a lot this year, he's still not at that level to match top players shot for shot.
Zverev has flown under the radar during this clay season. He's a former Italian Open champion, hoisting the winner's trophy back in 2017. He's still a few rounds away from the summit clash, though given his form, he should get one step closer to it with a win over Borges.
Pick: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.