ATP Masters in Miami, 2nd round, Saturday, 23.03.2024
Final stop quarter-finals? That’s about to change! Alexander Zverev’s ambitions at the Miami Masters are clear: he wants to achieve his best result to date in 2024. He starts the tournament on Saturday and his opponent could well be easier.
His performances have fluctuated a lot in recent weeks, so it’s not always easy to make predictions. After the crushing defeat in Indian Wells against Carlos Alcaraz, he wants to do better in Miami.
His first opponent? A former top star who is still in a creative crisis. That’s exactly why I’m going to tell you in my Zverev Auger-Aliassime tip why I’m betting on an outright win for the German
He’s back in the top 5 in the world, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement! Alexander Zverev knows very well that there is no reason to rest on his laurels, after all he wants to finally win a Grand Slam in the foreseeable future as well as take over the top spot in the world rankings.
In Indian Wells, he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals. Not somehow, but with a more than clear 1-6, 3-6. As he had beaten the Spaniard a few weeks earlier at the AO, his lack of consistency quickly became clear.
After his serious injury, the Olympic champion has fought his way up bit by bit. He is beating the really big names again, but at the same time he is also having some forgettable tournaments
The best example: his Acapulco exit in the first round against compatriot Daniel Altmaier. The 26-year-old is never immune to such defeats, so what gives him hope that this won’t happen to him in Miami?
Two years ago, he didn’t get over the hurdle in the opening round here, but lost in three sets to Tommy Paul. Paul? The world number 39 at the time – and this could be a bad omen!
Now he is up against an opponent who is ranked 36th in the world. His name: Felix Auger-Aliassime, who was still permanently in the top 10 himself not so long ago
The two have already played each other seven times, with Germany winning five times. The last direct duel took place in Madrid 2022, which (like three others) went to Zverev.
If we look at our sports betting apps, we can also see that Zverev is the clear favorite. The odds are 1.35 to 3.00, which gives Auger-Aliassime at least a small chance.
For many months now, things have been going downhill for the 23-year-old, who is definitely in the most difficult phase of his career. A way out of the crisis? There hasn’t been one so far.
He has yet to reach more than the round of 16 in Miami and has been defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in each of the last two years. This time, he’s already got his opening round behind him, which was successful, but also a little bumpy in some ways
Auger won 7-5, 6-4 against Adam Walton, the 81% of points won on his first serve and the fact that he was able to fend off all five of his opponent’s break chances were strong.
Walton, however, had struggled through qualifying with two three-set victories and is not ranked in the world’s top 120. In this respect, Auger-Aliassime should know: This performance might not be enough against Zverev.
It’s been almost two months since the Canadian last managed to win two matches at the same tournament. At the same time, I can only count five victories in 2024 that were clean sweeps.
The 1.93m tall right-hander is actually very strong on serve, but has failed to make anything of this talent for months now. Will the eleven aces against Walton help him to change that?
My Zverev Auger-Aliassime tip
Alexander Zverev starts the Miami Masters against a really strong opponent, although I was of course able to present you with a very positive direct comparison against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The Canadian suits him, and we’ve known for many months that Auger is completely out of form. Wins against top opponents? They’re virtually impossible. For me, that automatically leads to the following bet:
Zverev beats Auger-Aliassime in two sets!
