Stefanos Tsitsipas started off his 2024 Mexican Open campaign with a solid win over a player who gave him some trouble in the past, so can he keep it going?
Tsitsipas has a really strong bond with the Acapulco crowd, as they have warmly welcomed him ever since he first came to the event. He's played extremely well at the ATP 500 event in Mexico and always comes back to it in favor of the Middle East stretch, which is always an interesting choice.
He's won a doubles trophy in Acapulco and played in the singles before, so making a good start is not a huge surprise. However, this upcoming match promises to be tricky because he's facing a player who can have all the weapons needed to hurt him quite a bit.
Tsitsipas tends to struggle against players that come with a lot of hitting. That's just how Flavio Cobolli plays, but there are some things that the Greek could use here.
Tsitsipas had never played against Cobolli before, which made this a rather interesting meeting. The Greek enjoys these high-bounce courts because they allow him to grind out rallies.
Not many players can play long rallies like he can, and Cobolli will certainly want to avoid that. The Italian is a very capable hitter and will try to impose his will on the matchup. Should he succeed, there is a good chance that he will win this one.
I do think Cobolli will target Tsitsipas's backhand much like Roman Safiullin did, but I don't think he'll be that much more successful. This is a court where the Greek feels really well, and I could see him going all the way. So I'm going to back Tsitsipas to win this match.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.