ATP Masters in Madrid, 2nd Round, Wednesday, 04.05.2022
We already encounter them in the last 16 of the Madrid Open, the great duels in which you can hardly declare one player the clear favourite! We will also encounter such matches on Wednesday evening.
While Matteo Berrettini will not be able to play again in Madrid, his younger colleague from South Tyrol wants to shine for Italy.
Read my De Minaur Sinner tip to find out why his place in the quarter-finals will be a tough one!
Only one participation and already eliminated in the 2nd round – Jannik Sinner does not have a proud record in Madrid. Now the Italian wants to do much better, or is a bad omen looming?
A year ago, he was defeated by Alexei Popyrin, an Australian. On Wednesday, he will meet Alex de Minaur in his second match and, how could it be otherwise, of course he is also from Australia!
Sinner will be glad to be in the Spanish capital at all, because his tournament start was anything but free of difficulties. He won 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 against Tommy Paul, converting only three of his eleven break chances.
This year, the quarter-finals are his preferred round, only in Indian Wells he was eliminated in the round of 16. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Hubert Hurkacz and Alexander Zverev, these three top players could defeat Sinner in 2022.
Two times he had to stop due to injury, but now seems to have found his fitness again. Actually, he knows how to play against Alex de Minaur, because the young South Tyrolean has won all three direct duels.
At this year’s Australian Open, Sinner won outright. However, the bookmakers can imagine that it will be much closer this time. With odds of 1.50 to 2.60, the world number 12 is ahead at Betano, but his opponent is not far behind.
Alex de Minaur is not likely to be any more rested, as he also had to push himself to the limit in his first round in Madrid. In the end, the Australian won 7-6, 1-6, 6-3 against Pedro Martinez.
He offered his opponent a total of 17 break chances, something he cannot afford against Sinner. On the other hand, the 23-year-old can take pride in serving in top form in the Spanish capital.
In Barcelona, he made it to the semi-finals a few days ago, where he almost managed the big coup. 7-6, 6-7, 4-6 against Carlos Alcaraz, the youngster has rarely been so close to defeat this year!
In Monte Carlo, Alex de Minaur lost in three sets to Andrey Rublev, in Miami to Stefanos Tsitsipas and in Indian Wells very narrowly to Taylor Fritz – so big names no longer scare him.
Anyone who appears at number 22 in the world rankings can certainly call himself a top player. A year ago, he was defeated by Dominic Thiem in the current round, but this time he wants to make it to the last 16.
My De Minaur Sinner Tip
Jannik Sinner is narrowly favoured by the bookies, but anyone who underestimates Alex de Minaur probably hasn’t watched the Australian’s last few tournaments. Good results, a great match against Carlos Alcaraz, this de Minaur can also convince in Madrid!
I don’t see any real advantage with anyone, which is why I’m putting the following tip into the race:
We see more than 20.5 Games!
