Reigning Olympic gold medalist, Alexander Zverev has got off to a flying start at the Paris Olympics! He has already won his previous two matches without dropping a set and now he’s all set to face Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in the third round. German fans are patiently waiting to see him defend his Tokyo title. 

Meanwhile, his R3 opponent, Alexei Popyrin has also played some exceptional tennis in this mega event. He defeated Stan Wawrinka in the second round, and with that victory, he has now become the first Australian man since Lleyton Hewitt to reach the R3 of an Olympic event. 

Alexander Zverev vs Alexei Popyrin: Preview

Alexander Zverev has already won a title in this season. Apart from that, the German tennis star has also reached two finals, four SFs, and two QFs. In the Paris Olympics, he defeated Spain’s Jaume Munar in the first round by 6-2, 6-2, and in the next, he outclassed Tomas Machac by 6-3, 7-5. Zverev hit 9 aces and committed 4 double faults in the R2 clash. He won 78% of his first serve and 71% of his second serve. However, Sascha could only manage to convert 4/7 of his breakpoints against Machac.

The 24-year-old Aussie tennis player, Alexei Popyrin’s best result this year came at the Qatar Open where he reached the SF. He has faltered slightly since then. However, it seems as if he has found back his rhythm yet again! Popyrin defeated Chile’s Nicolas Jarry in the first round and in the second round, he beat Stan Wawrinka by 6-4, 7-5. In that match, Pop hit 8 aces and committed just 3 double faults. He won 81% of his service games and 73% of his return games but in the breakpoints, he was 2/2.

Zverev vs Popyrin: Head-to-Head

Both of these tennis stars have played against each other twice in their careers so far. Interestingly, the German has a clear 2-0 edge over his Australian opponent. 

• Their first meeting was in Basel in the year, 2018. In that R16 clash Alexander Zverev thrashed Alexei Popyrin by 6-4,6-4.
• Zverev once again defeated Popyrin 6-3, 6-3 in the R32 of the 2019 Mexican Open. The most eye-catching stat was Zverev hitting 13 aces and committing just 2 double fault. So, will the aces help him win this race yet again?

Prediction: Zverev to win in straight sets

Both players had to brave soaring temperatures to proceed into the next round. Fatigue may come out as a big issue to look at in this match. However, for Alexander Zverev, “The Olympics are still the biggest sporting event in the world. So there’s nothing bigger than winning a gold medal I think for your country, for yourself, and for everybody back at home.” This might give the defending champion an extra push in this campaign. He has been in stellar form this year and has a win-loss record of 44-13 this season. In comparison, Alexei Popyrin has recorded just 12-14.

Both of these tennis stars can generate some real power behind their serves. If we look at the numbers, Zverev has hit a total of 524 aces this season compared to Popyrin’s 256 aces. Adding more seasoning to this pop-corn match is the German’s incredible record of winning 90% of his service games in the 2024 season. Pop has won nearly 84% of his service games. 

Popyrin is an aggressive baseliner like Zverev but the 6ft 5 inches tall lad is extremely deceptive when it comes to showcasing his power on the courts. Popyrin looks to play first-strike tennis by attacking his opponent with his stunning deep and angled groundstrokes. His impeccable footwork and decent volleys are what make him a tricky player to handle on this surface.

Alexander Zverev will try to wear down his opponent by stretching the games from standing back behind the baseline. His backhand is one of the best in business, but he has sometimes been criticized for being too passive. Zverev’s forehand has at times put him in trouble during the matches, his volleys and overhead techniques are also among the weakest points in his game. For Popyrin to succeed, he needs to utilize his opponents’s weaknesses as much as he can right from the start of the game. If asked to pick one between world number 4 and 63, Sascha is clearly going to be the favorite in this match.