Stuttgart 2022: Matteo Berrettini vs Radu Albot preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Boss Open
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Matteo Berrettini vs (Q) Radu Albot.
Date: 8 June 2022
Tournament: Boss Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Stuttgart, Germany.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: € 769,645.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Discovery.
Matteo Berrettini vs Radu Albot preview
After a first-round bye, World No. 10 Matteo Berrettini will take on qualifier Radu Albot in the second round of the 2022 Boss Open on Wednesday.
Berrettini started the season strongly, but an injury stalled his progress. He made it to the semifinals of the Australian Open at the start of the year, his first in Melbourne and third at a Grand Slam. The Italian then made it to the quarterfinals of the Rio Open, losing to Carlos Alcaraz.
An injury forced Berrettini to retire midway through his first-round contest at the Mexican Open. He then lost in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Open, which would end up being his last tournament for quite some time. He underwent surgery to treat a hand injury and missed the entire clay season.
Berrettini will now make his return to the tour on a surface where he has had his biggest triumph. He made it to the final of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets.
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Radu Albot's best results this year came at the start of the season. He made it to the third round of the Australian Open and the second round of a couple of ATP 250 events. He then competed in a few Challenger events, as he failed to qualify for the main draw of ATP tournaments.
Albot failed to make the cut for the French Open, falling in the second round of qualifying. He commenced his grass season at last week's Surbiton Trophy, a Challenger event, but lost in the first round.
Albot made it through the qualifying rounds to reach the main draw of the Boss Open and defeated Joao Sousa 6-2, 7-6(7) in the first round.
Matteo Berrettini vs Radu Albot head-to-head
Berrettini leads Albot 2-0 in the head-to-head. Both wins came on clay and this will be their first encounter on grass. The Italian won their previous contest at the 2018 Kitzbuhel Open in three sets.
Matteo Berrettini vs Radu Albot odds
(All odds sourced from BetMGM)
Matteo Berrettini vs Radu Albot prediction
This will be Berrettini's first match in almost three months and as a result, he might be a little rusty. Fortunately for him, he's up against an opponent with a poor record in ATP matches this season.
Albot has struggled a fair bit this year. Moreover, he has never defeated a top-10 player in his career, making his task all the more difficult.
Berrettini's big serve is extremely effective on grass. At last year's Wimbledon, he hit 117 aces across seven matches. His forehand can also be quite devastating, as can his ability to serve and volley.
Albot lacks a big weapon to trouble opponents, and will thus need to grind it out from the back of the court to try and frustrate Berrettini. If he's able to return the Italian's serve consistently, he might stand a chance in this contest.
Berrettini is a former champion in Stuttgart. Expect the Italian to make a winning return from his rather lengthy injury lay-off.
Pick: Matteo Berrettini to win in three sets.