Paris Masters 2020: Alexander Zverev vs Stan Wawrinka preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Alexander Zverev vs Stan Wawrinka
Date: 6 November 2020
Tournament: Rolex Paris Masters 2020
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Paris, France
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: €3,901,015
Match timing: Approx. 8.30 pm local time, 1 am IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six / Sony Liv
Alexander Zverev vs Stan Wawrinka preview
Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed at the Paris Masters, has been in good form since the resumption of the tour. He made his maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open a couple of months ago, and then won back-to-back titles in Cologne last month.
Zverev will now be keen to add some silverware to his 2020 collection in Paris, going into the ATP Finals later this year.
His campaign at the tournament got off to a solid start, as he beat Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic 6-2, 6-2. Zverev did struggle a but against France's Adrian Mannarino, but did just about enough to eventually come away a 7-6(11), 6-7(7), 6-4 winner.
Stan Wawrinka on his part has been seriously impressive in Paris so far. He started off with a straight-sets victory over Dan Evans, before beating Tommy Paul in an intense three-setter.
The Swiss then came up against the fifth seed, Andrey Rublev, in the Round of 16. Wawrinka's chances of making it to the quarters seemed to have taken a plunge when he lost the first set 1-6 to the red-hot Russian, but he fought back valiantly to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
This is Wawrinka's sixth ATP quarterfinal of the year.
Alexander Zverev vs Stan Wawrinka head-to-head
Alexander Zverev and Stan Wawrinka have locked horns thrice on tour so far, with the German winning all the matches and leading the head-to-head 3-0.
Their first encounter came in the final at St. Petersburg in 2016, which Zverev won 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 for his maiden ATP title. The duo then met in the Round of 16 of the 2017 Miami Masters, where the Russian doubled his lead with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win.
Wawrinka had a fiery start in their latest tussle at this year's Australian Open, but Zverev fought back to win 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Alexander Zverev vs Stan Wawrinka prediction
Despite his shaky performance against Mannarino, Alexander Zverev will be confident of his chances against Stan Wawrinka. The 23-year-old has beaten the Swiss every time they've played so far, and on the whole has had a better year too.
Zverev has big serve, with which he's already smacked 26 aces in Paris. That will undoubtedly be a key weapon for him against Wawrinka, who is not particularly known for his return of serve.
Zverev's newfound offensive approach from the baseline, coupled with his swift movement and net play, will certainly be a huge challenge for the Swiss.
Wawrinka, however, is more than capable of surprising Zverev with his heavy hitting from defensive positions - as he did against Rublev on Thursday. Besides, the Swiss has taken at least a set against Zverev every time they have met, so he is not likely to go down without a fight.
In fact, given the way he ended Rublev's winning streak, Wawrinka might just have built up enough confidence to pull off another upset.
Prediction: Stan Wawrinka to win in three sets.