Munich 2022: Alexander Zverev vs Holger Rune preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | BMW Open
Match details:
Fixture: (1) Alexander Zverev vs (WC) Holger Rune.
Date: 27 April 2022.
Tournament: BMW Open by American Express 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Munich, Germany.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Red clay.
Prize money: €534,555.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Discovery.
Alexander Zverev vs Holger Rune preview
Top seed Alexander Zverev will begin his quest for a third Munich title against Danish wildcard Holger Rune on Wednesday.
The reigning Olympic gold medalist has had a quiet season so far. After notching up a couple of wins at the ATP Cup, Zverev reached the fourth round of the Australian Open. He bounced back from that early loss with a run to the final at Montpellier, where he surprisingly went down to Alexander Bublik.
Zverev was then withdrawn from his second-round match at Acapulco due to unsportsmanlike conduct in a doubles match.
The two-time ATP Finals winner has since struggled for consistency. His next three tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo saw him exit in the second round, quarterfinals and semifinals respectively.
accompanied by Sergi Bruguera 
at the @BMWOpen2022 in Munich. 
Alexander Zverev 🇩🇪 accompanied by Sergi Bruguera 🇪🇸 at the @BMWOpen2022 in Munich.
The top seed will start his title bid for a third title in Bavaria against either Holger Rune or a qualifier on Wednesday.
#ATPTour #BMWOpen #Munich 🍺
📸: @brigitte__urban https://t.co/RcuUcafkXP
The 25-year-old comes to the Bavarian capital with a 17-6 win-loss record for the season. He will hope to end his barren run at a tournament where he lifted the trophy in 2017 and 2018.
2019 French Open boys' singles champion Holger Rune has been gradually making his presence felt on the tour. Having turned professional at the age of 16, the Dane has been rapidly rising up the ranks.
In a stunning 2021 season, he won four ATP Challenger titles and made his Grand Slam debut at the US Open, where he took a set off Novak Djokovic in the first round.
This year, the 18-year-old has already grabbed the title at the Sanremo Challenger. However, he is yet to reach the quarterfinals in 11 events on the tour in 2022, despite scoring some impressive upset wins. In Monte Carlo, the Dane knocked out Aslan Karatsev while in Belgrade, he showed the door to Cristian Garin.
teen Holger Rune (here with mother Aneke) is making his Munich debut this week and will be the first opponent for @BMWOpen2022 top seed Alexander Zverev 
🇩🇰 teen Holger Rune (here with mother Aneke) is making his Munich debut this week and will be the first opponent for @BMWOpen2022 top seed Alexander Zverev 🇩🇪 on Wednesday.
📸: @brigitte__urban
#ATPTour #Munich 🍺 https://t.co/SxiDbRtwOY
Currently placed at a career-high No. 70, Rune disposed of fellow rising star Jiri Lehecka 7-6(4), 6-3 in the first round in Munich on Monday. The youngster will take some confidence from the win and hope to give a good account of himself when he squares off against home favorite Zverev on Wednesday.
Alexander Zverev vs Holger Rune head-to-head
Zverev and Rune have never squared off on the tour before, so their head-to-head currently stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Alexander Zverev vs Holger Rune odds
Alexander Zverev is the overwhelming favorite to win this match by sheer dint of his ranking and experience.
(All odds sourced from BetMGM)
Alexander Zverev vs Holger Rune prediction
This match will feature a battle between youth and experience. Zverev plays an aggressive brand of tennis, with his backhand being a major weapon. He also has a strong serve with which he will hope to get some easy points. However, Zverev's forehand tends to break down under pressure.
The German should still have enough in his arsenal to tackle an inexperienced opponent like Rune. That said, Zverev needs to make sure he doesn't allow the World No. 70 to get too comfortable. Rune likes to dictate the points with his powerful forehand, while his backhand is his weaker wing, which Zverev will look to target.
Against Lehecka in the first round, the 18-year-old fell behind 2-5 in the first set before staging a comeback. He can't afford to repeat the same mistake in his next match as a slow start against the top seed could give him no time to recover.
Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.