Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the US Open match.
Alexander Zverev’s victory over Alejandro Tabilo looks all but certain on paper, though there’s always that nagging thought when the German enters a Slam: he sometimes crashes out before finding his rhythm. It’s happened before.
Alexander Zverev
This season, most of his slip-ups came in spring, when he lost his opening matches at both Indian Wells and Monte Carlo. There have been fewer stumbles since, but one of them arrived at a Grand Slam: at Wimbledon he fell in the first round to Arthur Rinderknech in a five-set marathon lasting 4 hours 40 minutes. That said, Zverev has been far steadier in New York — ever since his run to the US Open final in 2020, he has always reached at least the quarter-finals.
Alejandro Tabilo
A year ago, Tabilo was inside the top 20, but now he has slumped to 122nd in the ATP rankings. In 2024 he managed a modestly positive record (32-27), but this year has been disastrous (5-12). Injuries have been a major factor: at the Monte Carlo Masters he injured his left wrist and spent six weeks on the sidelines. Alejandro returned at Roland Garros but bowed out in the second round to Alexei Popyrin in straight sets. Since Paris, his appearances have been fleeting. He was forced to retire in Cincinnati and then lost in Winston-Salem qualifying to the world No. 645 from India. Clearly, his form is still far from recovered.
Alexander Zverev vs Alejandro Tabilo Prediction
In this case, there should be no concerns about Zverev slipping up. He ought to dispatch Tabilo swiftly before moving on to tougher tests in the second round, where either seasoned fighter Roberto Bautista Agut or rising prospect Jacob Fearnley awaits.
