Alexander Zverev vs Sebastian Baez Prediction: Betting on the German's 3:1 Victory

In the second round of Roland Garros Alexander Zverev will face the world No. 36, Sebastian Baez, a player from Argentina. The guys have met each other only once before - only two weeks ago at a tournament in Rome. The German won that match in two sets, so it is not surprising that Alexander is the favorite.

The German has already played four clay tournaments on the ground, Roland Garros is the fifth. Zverev has no clay titles in 2022 yet, so it is unlikely to consider the German among the tournament favorites, although potentially Zverev may well become a finalist. In Madrid the German got to the final by beating Tsitsipas. In Rome he played a semifinal with the same Tsitsipas but lost in three sets. Overall, the German's current form is far from excellent, which was only confirmed by his first-round RG against Ofner. Zverev beat Sebastian in an hour and 50 minutes, 6:2, 6:4, 6:4, the guys had 28 games. Alexander fired 13 times and made four double faults, winning 65% of his first-serve points and 85% of his second. On reception Zverev had the following statistics: 30% of the first serve and 56% of the second.

I’m very happy. Usually, I start a Grand Slam tournament with a five-set match and a few hours on court, but Sergi Bruguera told me today not to do that, so I listened to him for once! I’m happy with the match, especially against Sebastian, who already played three matches here. He’s playing very well, so I’m happy with the start here. I had a very stable clay-court season,” said Zverev. “Semis in Monte Carlo, final in Madrid, semis in Rome. But I didn’t win any tournaments. I’m always somebody that likes to win rather than be stable. I’d rather lose first round, first round, first round, and then win a tournament, so hopefully, I can do that here. Hopefully, I can play my best tennis here.

Zverev after the match with Ofner

Baez has excellent practice on clay courts, preparing for Roland Garros since early April, with the Masters in Monte Carlo. By the way, Baez won a tournament in Estoril, Portugal. Then he played in the quarterfinals of the Lyon competition. The win in Estoril was the first in an ATP tournament for the 21-year-old South American. However, Sebastian won six Masters on clay last season - Chile, Argentina, Brazil and one in Croatia. In Lyon, Baez lost to Norrie in three sets. The match against No. 11 lasted two hours and 42 minutes. The Argentine won 57% of points on first serve and 56% on second. On the receiving end, Baez was 31% on Zverev's first serve and 42% on his second. The Argentine felt confident gaining in four sets over Lajovic in Paris, which lasted two hours and 28 minutes.

Alexander Zverev is a better player than Baez. It's obvious. The German has had a solid season, not getting titles but practicing instead. We doubt the Argentine has a chance to win the match, but a set - perhaps. We believe that the upcoming meeting will be quite a long one. 

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