Aleksander Zverev vs Zhizhen Zhang – Breakdown and Prediction

Marcus Brandt/dpa

Aleksander Zverev vs Zhizhen Zhang: ATP Hamburg – Quarterfinals

The ATP Hamburg defending champion Alexander Zverev will take on Zhizhen Zhang in the quarterfinal of the tournament.

 

Aleksander Zverev Profile

Aleksander Zverev is fourth in the ATP rankings, two spots shy of his career high. The German is 42-12 for the season and 18-4 on clay.

Zverev is coming off a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over Hugo Gaston in the second round of the tournament after defeating Jesper De Jong in the opener.

Previously, he lost in the round of 16 at Wimbledon to Taylor Fritz in five sets.

Zverev won the title in Rome this season and lost the final at the French Open.

Zverev won the title in Hamburg last year and reached the semis in 2014 and 2019.

 

Zhizhen Zhang Profile

Zhizhen Zhang is 34th in the ATP rankings, only one spot lower than his career high. The Chinese are 22–19 for the season and 9–5 on clay.

Zhang is coming off a 6-1, 7-5 win over Flavio Cobolli in the second round after defeating Thiago Seyboth Wild in the opening round.

Zhang reached the semifinals in Halle, where he lost to Jannik Sinner, and he also made it to the quarterfinals in Rome and Marseille.

Last year in Hamburg, Zhang lost in the semifinals to Laslo Djere.

 

Head-to-Head

This will be the first match between Aleksander Zverev and Zhizhen Zhang.

 

Prediction and Conclusion

Aleksander Zverev is the favorite to win the second consecutive title in his hometown, but it is a fact that he is not on top of his game. He barely won in the previous round and is expected to pick up the level of his play against Zhizhen Zhang. The Chinese is one of the players who is constantly improving his game, and if he goes past Zverev, he will have the best ranking of his career as of Monday. There is no bigger motive for Zhang, and he will be able to cover the +4.5-game spread against Zverev.