Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Australian Open match.
Both players were among those who played their first-round matches on Sunday. They have had two days to recover, and it remains to be seen who will benefit more from the rest.
Pedro Martínez
The Spaniard had a stroke of luck in that his opponent, Luciano Darderi, suffered an injury and was forced to retire in the second set at 6:4, 4:1 in Martínez's favour. Ranked closely at 44th and 45th positions, their clash could have been intense and prolonged, but the task became easier for Martínez. Will this advantage help him overcome the second seed?
Alexander Zverev
The German played a full match but managed to finish in straight sets against Lucas Pouille. Once a top-10 player, the Frenchman was defeated by Zverev in identical set scores of 6:4. Particularly noteworthy was Zverev’s ace advantage. His ratio was six times his opponent's (18-3). He also aimed to keep the rallies short, starting strongly; out of 111 points won, 79 were decided with no more than four strokes.
Pedro Martínez vs Alexander Zverev Prediction
They have faced each other once before, in Zverev's hometown of Hamburg last season. There, the German was unlikely to lose, securing victory (6:2, 6:4). Now, Zverev needs to back up last year's semi-final performance, so he will aim to accomplish this as swiftly as possible.