Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Rotterdam match.
The quarter-finals of the ATP-500 in Rotterdam bring us an all-Spanish showdown, with Carlos Alcaraz taking on Pedro Martinez Portero.
Carlos Alcaraz
The tournament’s top seed eased past Andrea Vavassori, an Italian qualifier who only reached the second round after Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew injured. The match lasted just over an hour, with Alcaraz barely breaking a sweat. He was only truly tested on serve once, and apart from that, it was smooth sailing. However, playing back-to-back days could still have some effect.
Pedro Martinez Portero
Few expected Martinez Portero to defeat Rune. Before Rotterdam, his season record was negative (2-3), yet he’s now taken down two higher-ranked players in a row. Against Rune, his return game was ruthless, converting four out of eight break points, and he wrapped up the match in under 90 minutes (6:4, 6:1).
Carlos Alcaraz vs Pedro Martinez Portero Prediction
Alcaraz has won all three of their previous meetings. However, the last of those matches was in 2020 on a Challenger tour event in Spain, when Martinez was barely inside the top 100, and Alcaraz was a rising 17-year-old talent still in the second hundred of the rankings. Now, both players are completely different prospects. Alcaraz is world No.3, but his form is not at its peak, and Martinez is playing some of his best tennis this season. While the favourite should still prevail, expect a much closer match than anticipated.
