Italian Open 2024: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur preview, head-to-head, prediction, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (6) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (9) Alex de Minaur
Date: Tuesday, May 14
Time: TBD
Tournament: 2024 Italian Open
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Category: ATP 1000
Surface: Clay (Outdoor)
Prize Money: $7,877,020
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur preview
Sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on ninth seed Alex de Minaur in a highly anticipated fourth-round clash at the 2024 Italian Open on Tuesday, May 14.
Tsitsipas might have had an indifferent start to the season, but he turned his fortunes around at the start of the clay court swing, winning the title in Monte Carlo and reaching the final in Barcelona.
Tsitsipas kicked off his campaign in the Italian capital with a hard-fought victory over the very dangerous Jan Lennard Struff. Struff won the first set in a close tie-breaker, but Tsitsipas fought back in sets 2 & 3 to register an emphatic 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Up against 27th seed Cameron Norrie in the third round, Tsitsipas started strongly, claiming the first set 6-2. Norrie fought back in the second set to take it to a tie-breaker, but the Greek once again saved his best for the end to seal it 6-2, 7-6 (1).
Alex de Minaur, meanwhile, kicked off his campaign in Rome with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over home favorite Roberto Carballes Baena.
He took on 18th seed and the Madrid Open finalist, Felix Auger-Aliassime, in the following round. Aliassime took the first set in a gripping tie-breaker, but the Australian plowed back in sets 2 and 3 on the back of some gritty tennis to eventually seal the tie 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-4 in his favor.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur head-to-head
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur have played each other 11 times on the ATP tour with the former leading their head-to-head 10-1. The Australian, however, won their last encounter 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 earlier this year in Acapulco.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur odds
(Odds to be added once made available)
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur prediction
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur's fourth-round encounter promises to be an exciting one for fans, with both players heading into it on the back of some good form.
Tsitsipas may not have started 2024 well by his lofty standards, but the tide has turned his way ever since the start of the clay court swing. He holds a 12-2 match record on the red dirt this season. He might have been put to the test in his opener against Jan Lennard Struff, but he displayed incredible mental fortitude to eventually seal the win. His match against Cameron Norrie was more routine.
Alex de Minaur, on the other hand, has impressed so far in Rome with a couple of impressive wins on the trot. He blew his opponent off-court in his opener and displayed incredible grit in his second match to pull through a three-set epic.
While Tsitsipas heads into the match with the edge based on his recent form and clay being his favored surface, there is no discounting a surprise from de Minaur. The Australian can blow anybody off the court on his day, and Tsitsipas will vary of that.
It could ultimately boil down to who serves better and makes early inroads on the opponent's serve.
Pick: Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets.