Monte-Carlo Masters 2022: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Diego Schwartzman preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (12) Diego Schwartzman
Date: 15 April 2022
Tournament: Monte-Carlo Masters 2022
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Monte Carlo, Monaco
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize money: €5,802,475
Match timing: Approx 5 pm local time, 11 am ET, 4 pm BST, 8.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Diego Schwartzman preview
Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will square off against Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters on Friday.
After a first-round bye, Tsitsipas kicked off his title defense in the second round against former champion Fabio Fognini. The Greek was at his best and cruised to a 6-3, 6-0 win.
Tsitsipas faced a lot more resistance in the third round from Laslo Djere. The defending champion broke the Serb in the final game of the opening set to take control of the match.
The Greek fended off the lone break point he faced in the third game of the second set and played a flawless tie-break to eke out a 7-5, 7-6(1) win.
Masters 1000 QF number 13 for @steftsitsipas!
The defending champion edges out Djere 7-5 7-6(1) to return to the #RolexMCMasters last 8 ⚡️ https://t.co/NL67SSR8C8
Diego Schwartzman, meanwhile, has already had some success on clay this year, with runner-up finishes at the Argentina Open and the Rio Open.
He kicked off his campaign in Monte-Carlo with a battling 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3 victory over Karen Khachanov.
Back from the brink 🇦🇷
@dieschwartzman outlasts Musetti 2-6 6-4 6-3 to set up a quarter-final meeting with Tsitsipas in Monte-Carlo!
#RolexMCMasters https://t.co/6yWS9PS40g
Schwartzman then defeated Marton Fucsovics 6-0, 7-6(4) in the second round, before staging a comeback to oust Lorenzo Musetti in the third. The Argentine trailed by a set and a break, but dug deep to score a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Diego Schwartzman head-to-head
The two have faced off thrice before, with Schwartzman leading 2-1 in the head-to-head. He won their most recent encounter at this year's ATP Cup in three sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Diego Schwartzman prediction
Tsitsipas has been playing with more confidence in Monte-Carlo than he has in recent weeks, while Schwartzman is at his best on clay, so this should be an even contest.
Tsitsipas' forehand worked well against Djere and he will rely on that to do the heavy lifting against Schwartzman as well. His serving stats were impressive as well, as he won 84% and 69% of his first and second serve points respectively against the Serb. But Schwartzman is one of the best returners on tour and will put the Greek under a lot more pressure.
The Argentine's serve, on the other hand, is a glaring weakness. He was broken seven times by Musetti, while winning just 57% and 33% of his first and second serve points respectively. He'll need to find a way to improve those numbers if he wants to make things competitive against Tsitsipas.
Ultimately, serve could be the deciding factor in this match. The Greek definitely has the edge in this department and might just be able to eke out a hard-fought win.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in straight sets.