Andy Murray of Scotland wins his 2nd men final at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships at the AELTC in London, UK, on July 10, 2016. Murray defeated Canada's Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2). Photo by Corinne Dubreuil/ABACAPRESS.COM
4th seed Alexander Zverev locks horns with 3-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in the round of 16 of the 2023 Qatar Open on Wednesday.
The German star returned to action at the Australian Open last month after recovering from a devastating ankle injury he suffered last year at the French Open semis. Zverev defeated Juan Pablo Varillas in the first round before going down to Michael Mmoh in the following round.
Before coming to Qatar, Zverev played in the ATP Rotterdam Open where he started well by defeating Soon-woo Kwon in the first round. However, his campaign ended in the round of 16 as he lost to Tallon Griekspoor after winning the first set. Zverev has just returned from a severe injury and will take time to get back his rhythm. Good thing is that he said in a recent interview that he is being able to play freely now without having thoughts of the injury at the back of his mind.
The British veteran played in the Adelaide International 1 but his campaign ended in the first round following a loss to eventual runner-up Sebastian Korda. In the Australian Open, Murray managed to reach the third round with hard-fought wins against Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis. Murray’s run ended when he lost to 24th seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
In the first round of the Qatar Open, Murray got the better of Lorenzo Sonego after dropping the first set. The 35-year-old saved three match points during the emphatic win.
Andy Murray has a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head scoreline against Zverev. Their most recent encounter was at the 2021 Indian Wells Masters where the German youngster won 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) in the second round.
Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in three sets.
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