Kitzbuhel 2024: Matteo Berrettini vs Pavel Kotov preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Generali Open
Match Details
Fixture: Matteo Berrettini vs Pavel Kotov
Date: July 23, 2024
Tournament: Generali Open 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Tennis Stadium Kitzbuhel, Austria
Surface: Clay
Category: ATP 250
Prize Money: €579,320
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Matteo Berrettini vs Pavel Kotov preview
Former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini will take on Pavel Kotov in the first round of the Generali Open 2024.
Berrettini returned to the ATP Tour at the Miami Open in March and lost to Andy Murray in the first round. He turned things around quickly by winning his very next tournament in Marrakech. Unfortunately, he was sidelined for another two months after losing in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Berrettini made another comeback during the grass swing, and reached the final in Stuttgart, losing to Jack Draper in three sets. He didn't advance beyond the second round in Halle as well as Wimbledon.
The Italian then headed to Gstaad for the Swiss Open. He beat Pedro Cachin and Daniel Elahi Galan to make the last eight and defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the semifinals. He knocked out top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas after that and beat Quentin Halys 6-3, 6-1 in the final to win his second title of the year.
Kotov reached the third round of a Major and a Masters tournament for the first time in his career this year, doing the same at the French Open and the Madrid Open respectively. Additionally, his only tour-level semifinal came in Marrakech.
The 25-year-old also made another couple of quarterfinals in Hong Kong and Lyon. His career-best season also saw him reach a career-high ranking of No. 50 in June. He competed at the Swedish Open in Bastad last week. He started with a three-set win over Cristian Garin and then lost to qualifier Duje Ajdukovic in the second round.
Matteo Berrettini vs Pavel Kotov head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Matteo Berrettini vs Pavel Kotov odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Matteo Berrettini vs Pavel Kotov prediction
After an early exit from Wimbledon, Berrettini resumed his winning ways with a title in Gstaad. It was his second title at the venue, the ninth of his career, and fifth on clay. He didn't drop a set en route to the title and dropped his serve only once the entire week.
Kotov has enjoyed decent success this year as well but not at the same level as the Italian. He has a 15-14 record this year, though he is 11-7 on clay. Despite being quite comfortable on the surface, he will be the underdog in this match-up.
Berrettini has played some great tennis this season whenever he's in good shape. He's slowly inching his way back to the top and after an impressive showing in Gstaad last week, he will be keen to continue the momentum in Kitzbuhel as well.
Pick: Matteo Berrettini to win in straight sets.