Paris Olympics 2024: Alexander Zverev vs Alexei Popyrin preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Alexander Zverev vs Alexei Popyrin
Date: July 31, 2024
Tournament: Paris Olympics 2024
Round: Third Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
Category: Olympics
Surface: Clay
Live Telecast: USA - NBC, Peacock | UK - Eurosport, Discovery+, BBC iPlayer | Canada - CBC Gem, Radio Canada, Tou.tv | India - JioCinema, Sports18
Alexander Zverev vs Alexei Popyrin preview
Third seed Alexander Zverev will look to defend his Olympic champion title when he takes on Alexei Popyrin of in the third round of the Paris Olympics. Zverev won the gold in men's singles in Tokyo 2020 by defeating Karen Khachanov in the final. In 2024, Zverev has an impressive 46-13 record, winning the Italian Open.
Clay has been the most successful surface for Zverev this season, having made three finals so far. The World No. 4 reached the finals of the French Open and the Hamburg Open, losing to Carlos Alcaraz and Arthur Fils respectively. Zverev also reached the quarterfinals of the BMW Open in his home tournament in Munich, losing to Cristian Garin.
The German has shown fine form so far at the Paris Olympics, reaching the third round following straight-set wins over Jaume Munar and Tomas Machac.
2024 has not been the best of seasons so far for Alexei Popyrin, as he has a 14-14 win-loss record so far. His one notable performance came at the Qatar Open, where he reached the semi-finals. On clay, Popyrin's performances have been disastrous as he has only won two matches on the surface in 2024.
However, Popyrin has shown good form at the Paris Olympics. He caused an upset when he defeated 16th-seeded Nicolas Jarry in straight sets in the first round. He notched up another impressive win when he defeated former French Open Champion Stan Wawrinka in the second round.
Alexander Zverev vs Alexei Popyrin head-to-head
Zverev has a 2-0 record against Popyrin on the Tour. The German player won the last meeting at the Acapulco Open in 2019.
Alexander Zverev vs Alexei Popyrin odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Alexander Zverev vs Alexei Popyrin prediction
Zverev has 8 titles on clay in his career. The German's prolific baseline style of play, where he plays from the back of the court makes him effective on the red dirt. Zverev relies on hitting winners from the baseline to overpower his opponent. He has a 34-9 at Roland Garros with a 79 percent win ratio.
Popyrin did have one clay-court title when he defeated Stan Wawrinka to win the Croatia Open last year. However, at Roland Garros, the Australian record is extremely poor. In the 6 times he has played at the French Open, Popyrin has won just one match on the clay in 2019.
Given his form and ability to play on clay, Zverev is the overwhelming favorite in this contest.
Pick- Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets