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via Reuters

via Reuters

The United Cup 2024 has begun with all the usual buzz. The tournament is set to bridge the 2023 season and the 2024 season and many players take part in it. In the upcoming bout, Italy will face off against Germany, and both countries will play their first match. Lorenzo Sonego will battle Alexander Zverev, and both will aim to take their teams far. 

The two players are in very different positions in their careers. Sonego is aiming to return to his best ranking, while Zverev has found himself in the top 10 after immense effort.

Lorenzo Sonego vs Alexander Zverev: Preview

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Alexander Zverev entered the 2023 season with not much hope. He started the year ranked 12 and would fall further to 27 as the year continued. But he managed to turn it around in the US Open, which became a saving grace for him. He lost in round 2 of the Australian Open and the Wimbledon. But reached the final stages of the French Open and the US Open.

USA Today via Reuters

Now, he will play in the 2024 season ranked 7 and can once again dream of playing in the final matches of tournaments. He won two ATP 250 events, which helped him regain some form and play in a better position in 2024.

Lorenzo Sonego had a different trajectory from Zverev. He began 2023 at rank 45 and managed to climb to rank 38 by the time September rolled around. Sonego wouldn’t manage to keep this position as he ends the year close to where he began, at 46. His performance in slams and Masters did not help him reach further than round 4 in one championship. 

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He did compete in the ATP 250 and 500 tournaments, but he could not manage to take home the big prize in either. Sonego is in for a tough bout against Zverev.

Sonego vs Zverev: Head-to-Head

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Zverev and Sonego have faced each other twice in their careers. Their first match took place in 2021 in the Monte-Carlo Masters, where the Germans achieved a decisive victory over the Italians. The match ended with a score of 6-3, 6-3, and Zverev moved on. Their second bout took place this year at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Both players were suffering from issues but had the fire to be better. 

Sonego gave Zverev better competition this time, but it would be all for naught. The world number 7 once again took the match as the score read 7-5, 6-4, making their head-to-head 2-0 in Zverev’s favor.

Prediction: Zverev to take the win in three sets

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Given their head-to-head statistics and their current form, Zverev looks at an advantage to take the match. Although both players will use it as a warm-up tournament, the German player is on a completely different level and is showing no signs of going easy on his opponents. Their United Cup clash will probably end with Zverev as the victor.

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