Roland Garros 2021: Alexander Zverev vs Oscar Otte preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (6) Alexander Zverev vs (Q) Oscar Otte
Date: 30 May 2021
Tournament: Roland Garros 2021
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Red Clay
Prize money: €17,171,108
Match timing: Approx. 6 pm local time, 4 pm GMT, 12 pm EST, 9.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Alexander Zverev vs Oscar Otte preview
Alexander Zverev will launch his 2021 Roland Garros campaign on Sunday when he faces compatriot Oscar Otte in the first round. Zverev is one of the form players on the ATP tour and will be hoping to make a deep run in Paris.
Zverev came into the clay season on the back of his first title of the year in Acapulco. The 24-year-old bowed out of Monte Carlo and Munich early, before putting together a title-winning run in Madrid, where he defeated Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Matteo Berrettini in consecutive matches.
The German was defeated by Nadal in the quarterfinals in Rome and has spent the last few weeks fine-tuning his game ahead of the French Open.
Zverev's first-round opponent Oscar Otte is yet to play a tour-level match in 2021. However, he does have plenty of claycourt matches under his belt at Challenger-level and even registered a runners-up finish at the Prague Challenger this month.
The 27-year-old qualified for Roland Garros with impressive straight-sets wins over Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Danilo Petrovic, and Hugo Dellien.
Alexander Zverev vs Oscar Otte head-to-head
The first-round encounter at Roland Garros is the first match between Alexander Zverev and Oscar Otte, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Alexander Zverev vs Oscar Otte prediction
Alexander Zverev enters this match as the firm favorite. The German's game on clay has developed over the years, and he looks set to finally embark on a deep run at Roland Garros, given his favorable draw.
The 24-year-old bases his game around a massive first serve and rock-solid backhand. His groundstrokes have served him well on the surface, where he has three Masters 1000 titles. His backhand, in particular, has gone from being a rally shot to a significant weapon, which he uses to put away high-bouncing balls on clay.
However, Zverev's second serve remains a concern and that's an area that Otte will look to capitalize on. But Otte lacks a distinct weapon to truly trouble his compatriot. This match will likely be decided on Zverev's racket.
The two-time Madrid Open champion seems to have put his off-court controversies behind him and will look to ease past his significantly lower-ranked opponent .
Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.
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