TennisSection previews the 2021 Madrid Open as Matteo Berrettini (8) meets Federico Delbonis in the Round of 16 on Thursday May 6th, 2021.
Can eighth seed Matteo Berrettini continue his stunning recent form on clay? Or will the experienced Argentine Federico cause a stunning upset here at the 2021 Madrid Open? Both men have been impressive here so far in Madrid, who will advance to the Quarter-Finals?
Matteo Berrettini is currently ranked #10 in the world, and has previously ranked as high as #8. After struggling for a few months since returning to the ATP Tour, he finally is showing signs of the form that took him to the top 10. After an outstanding week in Belgrade where he won his fourth ATP title, he has continued strongly here at the 2021 Madrid Open, defeating Fabio Fognini in straight sets in the Second Round. With his big serve and heavy groundstrokes, he is hard to beat on any surface, but typically struggles with consistency. When he is in this type of form he can be a very difficult opponent, and enters this match as the huge favorite over Federico Delbonis, and is heavily favored to reach the Quarter-Finals here in Madrid.
Federico Delbonis is ranked #77 in the world, and has a career-high ranking of #33. Now 30 years old, he has seen his ranking slide in recent years but is still capable of some good tennis, especially on this surface. The Argentine has been in fantastic form so far here at the 2021 Madrid Open, defeating highly-rated Pablo Carreno-Busta in the First Round and then Estoril Open champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the Second. His heavy lefty forehand is a major weapon on clay, and he uses it to his advantage well. While he enters this match as the underdog, he will be aware of Matteo Berrettini’s inconsistency and will be hoping to take advantage here as he seeks to reach his first ATP-1000 Quarter-Final of the year.
This will be the first time that the two players have faced each other on the ATP Tour, and their head to head record stands at 0-0. While both men have been in good form lately, I see no other possible result here other than a win for Matteo Berrettini. I am a bit hesitant to predict a straight-sets win as he is known for lapses in concentration plus his opponent Federico Delbonis has been playing well, but the very likely outcome is a win for the Italian. It certainly won’t be too straightforward, but expect the Italian to win here and advance to the Quarter-Finals of the 2021 Madrid Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Matteo Berrettini to win.
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