TennisSection previews the 2021 Rome Open as Felix Auger-Aliassime meets Federico Delbonis (Q) in the Round of 16 on Thursday, May 13th, 2021.
Who will come out in this very interesting match between two players who were able to cause big upsets in the Round of 32? Will it be the qualifier and clay-lover Federico Delbonis, or the up and coming Felix Auger-Aliassime to make their way to the Quarter-finals of the 2021 Rome Open?
Federico Delbonis absolutely destroyed the very experienced David Goffin in the Round of 32, beating him in straight sets 6-2/6-1. David Goffin just did not show up to play, and Federico Delbonis was able to use his lefty swing to dictate the rallies and make Goffin uncomfortable on his backhand side. Federico Delbonis is a very solid clay-courter, but he mainly focuses on small ATP 250 and Challenger Tour tournaments, so it will be very interesting to see how he deals with yet another big name in Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Round of 16 on Thursday.
Felix Auger-Aliassime was able to beat the clay court expert, and 2020 Rome Finalist, Diego Schwartzman in straight sets 6-1/6-3 on Wednesday, dictating every point and every rally to ensure he got the job done. Felix Auger-Aliassime has so much power behind both his serve and his forehand, and when he is confident, it is hard to stop him from dominating. The young Canadian is now being coached by the very experienced Toni Nadal, and if he is able to continue playing at this level and improve slight areas of his game, he will surely make inroads into more bigger tournaments, and not have to worry about opponents like Federico Delbonis.
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Federico Delbonis have never met before, with this being their first meeting on the ATP Tour. Although Federico Delbonis is a clay court lover and focuses most of his playing time each year on this surface, he just does not have the shot power and accuracy of the young Canadian. Felix is very determined to continue improving and to make his way far into big tournaments, and I don’t see him losing momentum after that big win over Schwartzman.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Felix Auger-Aliassime to Win.
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