Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Madrid match.
Stefanos Tsitsipas barely scraped through the first round, but that already marks some progress compared to last year, when Stefanos Tsitsipas failed to make it past his opening match in Madrid. However, his campaign may well end here, as he now faces the powerful Lorenzo Musetti, who recently got the better of Stefanos Tsitsipas on clay.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas continues to falter against strong opposition: over the past year, he has posted a disappointing 2-8 record against top-20 players. Even more worrying is his 0-5 record against players ranked above him. In his latest match against Jan-Lennard Struff, Tsitsipas dropped a set, committed three double faults on his first serve, and managed only a 64% success rate on first-serve points.
Lorenzo Musetti
By contrast, Lorenzo Musetti has been impressive against elite competition over the past two seasons, winning 12 out of 23 matches against top-20 opponents. Recently, he recorded an important win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo, breaking Stefanos Tsitsipas' previous dominance in their head-to-head meetings (now 1:5). In his recent match against Etcheverry, Musetti showcased an excellent first-serve performance, achieving a 71% success rate both in first-serve accuracy and points won behind the first serve.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Lorenzo Musetti Prediction
Stefanos Tsitsipas is currently struggling with confidence, experiencing a dip in form, and continues to underperform against top-tier competition. Lorenzo Musetti is in excellent shape and recently beat Tsitsipas on clay. On this occasion, the Italian is expected to eliminate Stefanos from the Madrid Masters.
