{"id":35896,"date":"2021-05-13T18:40:28","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T22:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=35896"},"modified":"2021-05-13T18:40:28","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T22:40:28","slug":"atp-rome-masters-quarterfinal-predictions-including-alexander-zverev-vs-rafael-nadal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2021\/05\/13\/atp-rome-masters-quarterfinal-predictions-including-alexander-zverev-vs-rafael-nadal\/","title":{"rendered":"ATP Rome Masters Quarterfinal Predictions Including Alexander Zverev vs Rafael Nadal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The ATP Rome Masters has been eventful, to say the least. While five out of the top eight seeds managed to reach the quarterfinals, it has been a bumpy ride for most. Who will make the semis?<\/p>\n<h2>ATP Rome Masters Quarterfinal Predictions<\/h2>\n<h4>Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Head to head:<\/strong> Djokovic 4-2 Tsitsipas<\/p>\n<p>After a shaky opener against Taylor Fritz, Djokovic quickly dismissed the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2019\/05\/03\/alejandro-davidovich-fokina-unconventional-spaniard\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">in-form Alejandro Davidovich Fokina<\/a> 6-2 6-1 on Thursday. The Serbian needed a breather ahead of a potential murderer\u2019s row of opponents this weekend. Meanwhile, Tsitsipas defeated Marin Cilic and Madrid finalist Matteo Berrettini at the <em>Foro Italico<\/em>.\u00a0 The matchup versus the Italian had two very distinct phases. Early on, Tsitsipas couldn\u2019t get anything going on return, but the momentum shifted in the first set tiebreak, especially after a controversial double bounce no-call.<\/p>\n<p>Djokovic and Tsitsipas typically deliver high-quality tennis in direct duels. The 2020 Roland Garros semifinal comes to mind. The World No. 1 was phenomenal out of the gates, but the 22-year-old evened the match in scintillating fashion before he cramped out in the fifth set.<\/p>\n<p>Tsisipas\u2019 early loss in Madrid was probably a blessing in disguise. At a Major, I\u2019d probably be leaning Djokovic, but Tsitsipas has clearly been playing better ball throughout this clay campaign, so I\u2019ll take the World No. 5.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Tsitsipas in 2<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"GggUtLY_REt89NSc4HbzoA\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1317787060\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'GggUtLY_REt89NSc4HbzoA',sig:'pgCd7K2b373UcFqw31u1N0YzrljgxRY8neRqW6v0IfM=',w:'594px',h:'390px',items:'1317787060',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Lorenzo Sonego vs Andrey Rublev<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Head to head:<\/strong> Rublev 2-0 Sonego<\/p>\n<p>Sonego doesn\u2019t go on many deep runs at tour level, but when he does, he makes sure he is noticed. After his inconsistent debut against Gael Monfils, few would have guessed the Italian would be capable of elevating his level enough to upset none other than US Open champion Dominic Thiem.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2021\/01\/23\/andrey-rublev-rising-star\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Rublev appears to be back on track<\/a> after a couple of iffy performances in Barcelona and Madrid. On Italian soil, the Russian overcame an inspired Jan-Lennard Struff and the ever-dangerous Roberto Bautista Agut. It\u2019s hard to see the underdog Sonego upending Rublev following his 3-hour 24-minute marathon against Thiem.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Rublev in 2<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"fsJA4NgAS71xunQ_b5PcBA\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1232737060\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'fsJA4NgAS71xunQ_b5PcBA',sig:'Mxt_xKoWyfrQ9jGdO72K1thNCM1g5009VRhepp_iKvI=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1232737060',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Federico Delbonis vs Reilly Opelka<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Head to head:<\/strong> first meeting<\/p>\n<p>If you correctly predicted this quarterfinal when the draw came out, please tell me which number will win the next Powerball jackpot. Fine, Delbonis had been picking up steam of late with nine wins in his previous three tournaments, but he\u2019s shattered expectations by defeating Karen Khachanov, David Goffin and Felix Auger-Aliassime back-to-back-to-back. Impressive stuff, sure, but not nearly as unexpected as Opelka\u2019s run. \u00a0Not only did the 6\u201911\u201d American enter the Rome Masters riding a 6-match losing streak, but he had only collected two career wins on clay prior to this week.\u00a0Opelka has fired 59 dingers en route to straight sets wins over Richard Gasquet, local favorite Lorenzo Musetti, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2021\/02\/13\/aslan-karatsev-remarkable-rise\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">streaking Aslan Karatsev<\/a>. When two players full of confidence are clashing, the margins should be razor thin.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Opelka in 2<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"-2fFFzuMTNlcH25O2KYKWA\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1316066152\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'-2fFFzuMTNlcH25O2KYKWA',sig:'W5wQmtf-G1Q4K0rZWYPqD95RqSB2ULWBZEhv0sEVlzg=',w:'396px',h:'594px',items:'1316066152',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Alexander Zverev vs Rafael Nadal<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Head to head:<\/strong> Nadal 5-3 Zverev<\/p>\n<p>Merely a week after their last meeting, Zverev will attempt to beat Nadal for a second time in consecutive weeks on clay. That achievement has only been unlocked once, back when Djokovic had his breakthrough season in 2011. Ten years ago, the relentless Serbian stopped the King of Clay precisely in Rome and Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>In the previous round, Zverev proved too strong for an inspired Kei Nishikori, prevailing 4-6 6-3 6-4. For his part, Nadal had to dig deep against fellow lefty Denis Shapovalov, surviving a myriad of extreme situations, including two match points, on the way to a 3-6 6-4 7-6 win. The 13-time French Open champion has yet to find his usual groove and the fact Zverev has won their previous three meetings doesn\u2019t help his cause. Doubting Nadal\u2019s ability to turn it up on clay is admittedly a worrisome sign, but I believe he will be packing his bags back to Manacor earlier than expected. That being said, a potential loss here would mean next to nothing ahead of Roland Garros.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Zverev in 3<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Main Photo from Getty.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ATP Rome Masters has been eventful, to say the least. While five out of the top eight seeds managed to reach the quarterfinals, it has been a bumpy ride for most. Who will make the semis? ATP Rome Masters Quarterfinal Predictions Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas Head to head: Djokovic 4-2 Tsitsipas After a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1663,"featured_media":35840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[85,15615,511,15413,5908,353,15497,5868,2404,15736,22,15556,135,15412,19,15684,2827,304,15417,2373,2369],"class_list":["post-35896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-predictions","tag-alexander-zverev","tag-alexander-zverev-predictions","tag-andrey-rublev","tag-andrey-rublev-predictions","tag-atp-rome-predictions","tag-federico-delbonis","tag-federico-delbonis-predictions","tag-italian-open-predictions","tag-lorenzo-sonego","tag-lorenzo-sonego-predictions","tag-novak-djokovic","tag-novak-djokovic-predictions","tag-rafael-nadal","tag-rafael-nadal-predictions","tag-reilly-opelka","tag-reilly-opelka-predictions","tag-rome-masters","tag-stefanos-tsitsipas","tag-stefanos-tsitsipas-predictions","tag-tennis-picks","tag-tennis-predictions"],"modified_by":"Yesh Ginsburg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1663"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}