US Open, 1st round, Monday, 26.08.2024, 17:00
One last time this year, it’s time for the big stage! Alexander Zverev, the 2020 finalist, is definitely one of the favorites at the US Open in New York and an early exit is not on the cards.
Consequently, the world number 4 doesn’t want to show any weaknesses in the first round against a “teammate”, not least because he is naturally the heavy favorite. So in my Marterer Zverev betting tip, I’ll tell you why I’ve picked a tiebreak bet for this match
It’s been a good year, maybe even a very good one, but somehow the crowning glory is still missing! Alexander Zverev is definitely back among the world’s top players in 2024, if only his biggest dream would finally come true.
The French Open finalist, who lost the final in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz a few months ago, has still not been able to win a Grand Slam title and is now making another attempt in New York.
He knows his way around the courts, having reached the final here four years ago, losing to Dominic Thiem in the end despite leading 2:0. The five-set loss to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, the defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in 2023, he was also really strong at the US Open recently.
An exit in the first round, that’s not really on the cards. Zverev arrives with the recommendation of the Cincinnati Masters, where he was narrowly beaten 6-7, 7-5, 6-7 by Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals
A clear improvement in performance, as the Hamburg-born player had previously failed to attract attention at either the Canadian Open or the Olympic Games, where he was eliminated by Lorenzo Musetti.
Seven tiebreaks in the last seven matches? I’d make a note of that as an anomaly. So now the 27-year-old wants to take his chance and climb far up the rankings at the next major.
How is his fitness? After his early exit at the Olympics, Zverev wanted to undergo some examinations and was struggling physically with a few aches and pains. According to the 2020 finalist, some of these are still present
“I have the feeling that if I can show my best tennis and I’m one hundred percent with myself, I’ll get my chances. I still have a cough, but apart from that I’m fine.”
He was actually supposed to play Emil Rusuuvuori in the first round, but as the Finn withdrew, Maximilian Marterer now takes his place. Zverev has only played his compatriot once before, when the favorite won outright in Hamburg in 2023.
Our bookmakers are relatively certain that it could be just as clear this time, with average odds of 1.02 to 15.0 in all apps. So is Marterer without a chance?
The 29-year-old was actually already eliminated in qualifying, but a lucky coincidence has now helped him into the main draw. The 4-6, 2-6 against Mitchell Krueger is now without consequences.
Previously, the Nuremberg player had won 6-4, 7-6 against Patrick Kypson and 6-3, 6-4 against Jack Kennedy. This is the fifth time he has played in the first round of the US Open, but he has never made it through.
The 29-year-old recently gained confidence at his home Challenger in Bonn, where he reached the final. Admittedly: The competition here was very manageable, no one was competing at the level of Alexander Zverev.
Since he had surprisingly survived the first round of the French Open against Jordan Thompson, things had not been going well for him, with only two wins outside of qualifying up to this Challenger.
One of the big differences between the left-hander and Zverev is that he won three tiebreaks when he reached the final in Bonn, which at least shows that he can hold his nerve
My Marterer Zverev tip
On paper, Alexander Zverev is the clear favorite against Maximilian Marterer and should have no problem putting his compatriot in his place. Will it be as clear-cut on court in the end?
The form is right, but Marterer would actually have failed in qualifying. Nevertheless, in my analysis I was able to determine that Zverev is currently scattering tiebreaks very regularly and my tip is therefore as follows:
We’ll see at least one tiebreak!
