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The highs and lows never seem to stop for Greek tennis star, Stefanos Tsitsipas. While it has looked like he has reached his prime form this year on the court, Tsitsipas faced a huge setback in his personal life. He broke off with his ex-girlfriend, Paula Badosa earlier this month. This will be playing in the minds of the 25-year-old, who steps on the court today to play his first match at the 2024 Italian Open.

Tsitsipas will face Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round in Rome. The former was awarded a bye in the opening round after being the sixth seed here. Let’s find out how the odds stack up for the two in this contest.

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Jan-Lennard Struff: Preview

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Both Tsitsipas and Struff are coming to the Italian Open on the back of some impressive performances in the recent clay-court tournaments. Last month, the Greek International won the Monte Carlo Masters after defeating Casper Ruud in the summit clash. Subsequently, he also reached the finals in Barcelona. Tsitsipas has already been acclimatized in Rome as he also played his men’s doubles encounter yesterday which he lost. Thus, he’ll be out there to make amends today.

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Struff has had similar fortunes as Tsitsipas of late. A few weeks ago, he won the Bavarian International, defeating Taylor Fritz in the summit clash. Additionally, he also reached the men’s doubles final in the same tournament. Struff has performed consistently this year and is set to pose a big challenge to Tsitsipas later today.

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Tsitsipas vs Struff: Head-to-Head

Both Struff and Tsitsipas are seasoned professionals and play consistently on the ATP Tour. As a result, they are bound to square off against each other multiple times. The duo has played seven matches between them and their battles have always been keenly fought. However, Tsitsipas has a slight upper hand as far as the h2h record is concerned, winning 4 matches against Struff’s 3. Thus, it promises to be a thrilling contest for the fans in Rome.

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Prediction: Tsitsipas to come on top against Struff

Despite battling personal challenges, the Greek tennis star will have his full focus on the court with the French Open looming. Although Struff is set to pose a big challenge, Tsitsipas will use his experience and prevail over him. Tsitsipas is predicted to win the match in straight sets and enter the third round of the Italian Open. Their match is scheduled in the Grand Stand Arena in the afternoon session.