Day 7 of the 2022 ATP Mallorca Open will see the tournament come to a conclusion with the singles final. Home favorite and No. 5 seed Roberto Bautista Agut will face No. 2 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in title match at the ATP 250 grass court event in Spain. No. 1 seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev, who won the inaugural edition of the ATP event in 2021, fell in the quarterfinals this year.
ATP Mallorca Final Prediction
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Head-to-head: Tsitsipas 2-0 Bautista Agut
Roberto Bautista Agut saw off Taro Daniel 6-4 7-6(4) in the opening round before receiving a walkover from scheduled second round opponent Nick Kyrgios. The World No. 20 then impressively downed top-ranked Daniil Medvedev 6-3 6-2 in the quarterfinals, before earning a 7-6(5) 6-2 win over Swiss qualifier Antoine Bellier in the last four.
The Spaniard also made the last eight in Halle last week, falling to Medvedev in the quarterfinals. The 34-year-old has had success on grass, having achieved his best Grand Slam result to date at Wimbledon in 2018, where he made the semifinals. He also secured a grass court title at the Rosmalen Open in 2014. This will be Bautista Agut’s 20th career final and second on grass.
Stefanos Tsitsipas started his campaign in Mallorca with a 6-4 6-4 second round triumph over Ilya Ivashka after receiving a first round bye. The World No. 6 then battled past Marcos Giron 7-6(5) 4-6 6-3 in the quarterfinals, before defeating Benjamin Bonzi 6-4 6-4 in the semifinals.
The Greek lost in the last eight in Stuttgart and the second round in Halle in his other grass court outings this year. While the 23-year-old has continued to find the surface difficult, his losses at these tournaments came against elite grass-courters in Andy Murray and Nick Kyrgios. This will be Tsitsipas’ 21st ATP final, but his first on grass. His last 16 showing at Wimbledon in 2018 is his best result at the All England Club, where he has lost in the first round in his other three appearances.
Tsitsipas’ issues with his backhand return and backhand slice are most prevalent on grass given the speed and low bounce of the surface. The Greek does, though, possess an excellent first serve, forehand and transition game – all great attributes for grass. Bautista Agut, meanwhile, has flat strokes suited to grass, while the court speed reduces the need to generate pace.
The World No. 6’s stronger serve and greater overall firepower give him more control over the outcome of the match. If firing, which he was for the most part against Bonzi, Tsitsipas should be slightly too strong. Bautista Agut, who has been in fine form this week and will have the home crowd advantage, will likely provide a stern test. While the Spaniard will challenge the Tsitsipas backhand, he does not possess the biggest serve and may, therefore, not trouble the Greek’s return as much as needed.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
