Monte-Carlo Masters 2023: Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Bublik preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (13) Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Bublik.
Tournament: Monte-Carlo Masters 2023.
Date: April 10, 2023.
Round: First round (Round of 64).
Venue: Monte-Carlo Country Club, Monte-Carlo.
Category: ATP Masters 1000.
Surface: Clay.
Prize money: €5,779,335.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel/TC Plus | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Bublik preview
World No. 16 seed Alexander Zverev will take on Alexander Bublik in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Zverev has won just eight out of his 17 matches this season, having returned to action after being sidelined for a few months due to an ankle injury. The German's best performance so far has been reaching the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, where he was beaten by Andrey Rublev.
He also reached the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells before losing to Daniil Medvedev.
Zverev's most recent appearance on the ATP Tour came at the Miami Open, where he suffered a 6-0, 6-4 drubbing at the hands of Taro Daniel.
Bublik, meanwhile, has had a disastrous start to the 2023 season, with only four wins from 16 matches so far. The Kazakh's best performance came at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille, where he reached the semifinals. His first-round win at the ATP 250 tournament snapped an eight-match losing streak.
Bublik had a disappointing Sunshine Double, losing in the first round at both the Indian Wells and Miami Masters. He fell 6-4, 6-4 to Chinese Taipei's Wu Tung-Lin in Indian Wells while being beaten 7-5, 6-3 by JJ Wolf in Miami.
Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Bublik head-to-head
Bublik currently leads 2-0 in the head-to-head against Zverev. The last meeting between the two came in the final of last season's Open Sud de France in Montpellier, with the Kazakh winning 6-4, 6-3.
Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Bublik odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Bublik prediction
Zverev will enter the match as the favorite to win considering his record on clay (105-72) is way superior to that of Bublik (11-18).
The German's solid baseline game and movement have helped him excel on the surface and his powerful groundstrokes will no doubt be difficult for his opponent to handle. Zverev served 126 aces during last year's clay-court season and will be eager to fetch as many of those as he can in his opening match in Monte-Carlo.
On the other hand, Bublik's biggest weapon has been his serve and he will be eager to make the most out of it. However, he needs to be careful not to serve too many double-faults, an issue he has had at times.
Zverev is still on his way to returning to his best, but has produced some promising tennis lately. He should be able to eliminate Bublik by getting his first-ever win over him considering the Kazakh's clay-court record.
Pick: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.