Nitto ATP Finals 2020: Alexander Zverev vs Diego Schwartzman preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (6) Alexander Zverev vs (8) Diego Schwartzman
Date: 18 November 2020
Tournament: Nitto ATP Finals 2020
Round: Round-robin stage
Venue: London, United Kingdom
Category: ATP Finals
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: $5,700,000
Match timing: Not before 2 pm GMT, 7:30 PM IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony / Sony Liv
Alexander Zverev vs Diego Schwartzman preview
Alexander Zverev will face Diego Schwartzman in a 'Group Tokyo 1970' round robin clash at the ATP Finals 2020 on Wednesday. Zverev and Schwartzman lost their respective opening matches in straight sets, which makes this face-off a must-win for both to keep their semifinal hopes alive.
Alexander Zverev is yet to give a convincing response to the off-court allegations surrounding him. The German is under tight scrutiny from the media and fans alike, which seems to have started weighing on his game.
Zverev came into the ATP Finals in solid form, having won the Cologne double-header and reached the final at the Paris Masters last week. But he looked like a completely different player in his defeat to Daniil Medvedev on Monday.
The 2020 US Open runner-up lost in straight sets at a tournament where even winning sets counts towards your fortunes. Zverev's serve deserted him in the first set of the match, and he was punished on his second serve by the Russian.
Diego Schwartzman suffered a similar fate at the hands of Novak Djokovic, managing to win only five games in the match. The Argentine's sub-par serve couldn't hold up against Djokovic's superior returning.
Schwartzman had a few half-chances on the Serb's serve, especially in the first set. But all the tightly-contested games went Djokovic's way, resulting in a comfortable win for the World No. 1.
Alexander Zverev vs Diego Schwartzman head-to-head
The head-to-head record between Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman currently stands dead even at 2-2.
However, both of the German's wins came on indoor hardcourts, with the most recent one being in the final of Cologne 2 a few weeks ago. Schwartzman has managed a combined nine games off Zverev in their two meetings on the surface.
Alexander Zverev vs Diego Schwartzman prediction
Despite putting in 72% first serves against Medvedev, Alexander Zverev got broken thrice in the match. He was stretched in a majority of his service games, as the Russian's return was on point.
That isn't expected to be the case against Diego Schwartzman, whose physical limitations won't allow him to do what Medvedev did. But Schwartzman is a great returner himself and has often navigated his way around the biggest servers, even on the quicker surfaces.
That said, if the Argentine doesn't hold his own serve as efficiently as Medvedev, Zverev would have a lot more chances in return games than in his previous match.
Looking at their match-up record in indoor conditions, Zverev starts as the clear favorite. But he would have to fix his serving woes quickly, or else Schwartzman could make him pay.
Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.