Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev will be squaring off in the semifinals of a fourth straight Masters 1000 event when they clash at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Saturday afternon.
After victimizing Zverev 6-0, 6-1 last fall in Paris, Sinner doubled up the German on the recently completed Sunshine Double — cruising 6-2, 6-4 in Indian Wells and 6-3, 7-6(4) in Miami. Saturday marks their 13th overall encounter, with Sinner leading the H2H 8-4. It really isn’t that competitive, however The Italian has won seven in a row since once trailing Zverev 4-1.
Can the 28-year-old finally turn the tide back in his favor now that they have transitioned from hard courts to clay? Probably not! Zverev’s clay-court results have been stellar over the years, but the margins on the slow stuff are generally a lot bigger than they are on fasters surfaces. When one guy has a significant advantage from the baseline, it’s difficult for the other to change the game-plan or win free points with his serve.
It’s Sinner, of course, who has that baseline edge over Zverev — and over pretty much everyone else on tour other than Carlos Alcaraz. The world No. 2 is in especially dominant form at the moment, having just captured the Sunshine Double without losing a single set. Sinner has extended his Masters 1000 winning streak to 20 matches with Monte-Carlo defeats of Tomas Machac, Ugo Humbert, and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Zverev had to work overtime to book his fourth straight Masters 1000 SF appearance. He trailed Cristian Garin by a double-break in the third set before prevailing 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. A 6-2, 7-5 victory over Zizou Bergs ensued, followed by a 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-3 thriller against Joao Fonseca.
As if Sinner needs any help, a two-hour and 40-minute battle against Fonseca with no days off in between matches will likely put Zverev in an even more significant hole. Count Sinner advancing without too much trouble.
Pick: Sinner in 2
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.