Miami Open 2024: Alexander Zverev vs Fabian Marozsan; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

Fabian Marozsan versus Alexander Zverev. A battle between one player competing in their first-ever Miami Masters and the other in the quest for a sixth Masters 1000 title, a first in Miami. But from the looks of it, the Miami Open by no means looks like Marozsan’s first outing in the Sunshine State, considering he’s been on a ‘giant-slaying’ rampage. Having already beaten two top 10 players on his way to the quarterfinals, the question is: Will Zverev be his next victim?

Alexander Zverev vs Fabian Marozsan: Preview

Alexander Zverev made a stellar start to his season, reaching the Australian Open and Los Cabos Open semifinals in a row. After that, his most notable performance came in Indian Wells, where he reached the quarterfinals, losing to the eventual winner, Carlos Alcaraz. Given his deep run there – one he’s matched in Miami – he’s been in solid form. And that’s been evident in his matches here.

In the Round of 64, Zverev defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime, 6-2, 6-4, and followed that performance with an entertaining encounter against Christopher Eubanks. Winning 7-6, 6-3, he continued that momentum against Karen Khachanov, getting past the Russian in a 6-1, 6-4 victory. Considering he hasn’t dropped a set so far, will he be able to keep up that streak against the 24-year-old Hungarian?

Fabian Marozsan reached the Round of 16 in his first tournament this year at the ASB Classic. He made it to the third round of the Australian Open. But after a few inconsistent performances, he reached the Round of 16 at Indian Wells, losing to Alcaraz. However, in Miami, he looks like a completely different player. Having convincingly defeated 6th seed Holger Rune, 6-1, 6-1, in the Round of 64, he beat World No.10

Alex de Minaur, 6-4, 0-6, 6-1, in his previous match.

Besides the two seeded players, Marozsan overcame

Aleksandar Kovacevic, 6-3, 6-2, in the first round and Alexei Popyrin, 7-5, 6-3, in the third. That said, he’ll be looking to reach his first Masters semifinal just as much as Zverev would want to win his 27th Masters quarterfinal appearance. Going into this match, what does their head-to-head look like, though?

Zverev vs Marozsan: Head-to-Head

Well, this will be their first meeting on the tour. So, the H2H is currently at 0-0. In a match that will likely be a battle of big serves and powerful groundstrokes, the winner will draw first blood in what could be the start of a rivalry. With that much more at stake, who’ll come out on top?

Prediction: Zverev to win this intriguing contest

Historically, the Miami Open hasn’t been Alexander Zverev’s favorite hunting ground. In fact, in the past 4 editions, the German has lost thrice in the Round of 64. His best result in that period has been a quarterfinal appearance in 2022. However, this time around, he looks dialed in. Coming into this encounter, he played his best match of the tournament against Khachanov. Losing just 9 points on serve, he didn’t face a single break point, winning 79% of points on his first serve.

That said, it’s no secret his serve will be his biggest weapon against Marozsan. Well, apart from his lethal backhand. This season, he has a 74% win percentage on his first serve and 56% on his second. However, while his double fault count is usually a dampener in his statistics, he made zero against Khachanov. With a 15-5 win-loss record, the 26-year-old has scored the fourth-most points in 2024. Even so, we can’t really count Fabian Marozsan out.

The Hungarian, with a 9-8 record this season, has a formidable forehand to complement his serve. With a first-serve win percentage of 71%, he’ll aim to capitalize on it as much as possible. The World No.57 will need to bring his A-game to win against Zverev, who’s looking as consistent as ever. With the relatively fast courts favoring both fairly equally, this match could be determined by the smallest of margins. And that could only mean one thing: it’ll be a cracker of an encounter!

Who do you think will come out on top?

READ MORE: ‘We’re Playing on a Parking Lot’ – Alexander Zverev Brutally Obliterates Miami Open’s Vast Contrast in Playing Conditions