Alexander Zverev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime: Clash of the NextGen at Madrid Open 2022

Alexander Zverev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime: Madrid Open 2022 Preview 

Defending champion Alexander Zverev reached his fifth consecutive quarter-final at the Madrid Open after Lorenzo Musetti retired due to an injury.

Zverev led the match 6-3, 1-0 when a thigh injury forced the 20-year-old opponent to retire from the match. 

The World No. 3 was leading the first set after converting two break points in the seventh and ninth games. 

The German had an impressive touch to his game in the third round clash, with a high powered game and a big serve, though he had to dig a little deeper to get by World No. 24 Marin Cilic in his first match.

Felix Auger-Aliassime on the other hand dominated 10th seed Jannik Sinner to win the third round 6-1, 6-2 in just 80 minutes. Sinner, regarded as one of the most powerful ball strikers of the game, controls the game against all his opponents, but Auger-Aliassime dominated on his serve winning 90 per cent of his first serve points. 

"Me playing really well and him missing a few more balls than he should on top of that, I think it just created a big difference," Auger-Aliassime said.

Alexander Zverev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime: Head to Head 

• The Madrid Open quarter-finals will be their 7th head-to-head meeting on the tour, with Zverev leading the scoreboard 4-2.
• Their last meeting was at the ATP Cup 2022, where Felix Auger-Aliassime won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 against Alexander Zverev. 
• Their last meeting on clay was in 2019 at the Monte Carlo Masters. Zverev had won that match in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.

Alexander Zverev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime: Journey so far in 2022 

Zverev may be finding his rhythm during the clay-court season but it was not so at the start of the year. Getting disqualified from the Mexican Open in February for violently hitting the umpire’s chair, earned him a fine as well as some criticism from fellow players. 

The ATP committee also put him on one-year probation. But it seems that after the drama at Mexico, Zverev is making a comeback at the Madrid Open. Holding a 17-2 record, Zverev is chasing a third title at the Madrid Open.

Auger-Aliassime has had his share of ups and downs from the beginning of the tour. But shaking of his past defeats, he is focusing on an amazing clay court season at the Madrid Open. From defeating Jannik Sinner to climbing the world ranking of 9, the young Canadian has a bright future ahead.

Prediction: Sportco predicts Felix Auger-Aliassime to get past Alexander Zverev in 3 sets.