For the second time this year, we'll see Alexander Zverev take on Grigor Dimitrov at the Grand Slam level, this time at the 2023 US Open.
If you were to ask which player had the tougher time in the previous round and you only knew that Zverev played Altmaier while Dimitrov played Murray, you might pick Dimitrov. But it's actually the opposite, as Dimitrov produced a really high level to take down Andy Murray in straight sets.
The Brit didn't really play all that well, but still, we need to give credit to Dimitrov, who has had a better season than most people realize. He's already won more matches this year than last year, and 30 wins, as of right now, is the highest total he has won since 2017.
Zverev, on the other hand, had a lot of issues against Daniel Altmaier, who has given some big-name problems this year. We all remember him stunning Jannik Sinner in a match where the Italian had match points. Still, Zverev overcame all of that to book this matchup, which generally favours him a lot.
Head-to-head:
We've seen this matchup six times on the ATP Tour so far, including two times this year. Zverev generally has the upper hand, leading 5-1 overall, with both of their recent matches going his way as well.
They played earlier this year at Roland Garros, and Zverev won easily 6-1 6-4 6-3. They also played recently in Cincinnati, and Zverev again won easily 6-2 6-2, so it's clear that he has his number.
Prediction:
Considering how their matchup stacked up so far it's rather easy to predict that Zverev will likely win this one as well. His last good run here ended in the semi-final and he's played in a final as well so New York suits him.
For everything that he does well on the court, Dimitrov struggles to find solutions for Zverev, who can be pretty tough to break down from the baseline. I don't see enough variety in the Bulgarian's game to see this going his way.
Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in 4 sets.
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