A.Popyrin vs M.Berrettini prediction
A.Popyrin
M.Berrettini
A.Popyrin
The 26-year-old Australian tennis player is having a season to forget — to put it mildly— and refrain from using any explicit language. With 4 wins and a bewildering 12 losses, Alexei's track record in 2026 is nothing short of a nightmare. Let's be honest, nothing seems to work for Popyrin on the court right now, and unfortunately, there's a high chance he'll slip from his current 60th spot in the world rankings, sliding further down the top 100 list.
Let's take a closer look at Popyrin's recent match results. He lost to Tiafoe (6-3, 4-6, 6-7), Ruud (3-6, 4-6), and Damm (6-7, 4-6). It's not utterly hopeless, yet nothing to write home about either. Occasionally, Alex starts off with some energy, only to fizzle out physically, making countless errors, and essentially falling apart. Earlier in April, the Aussie managed to edge out Mikkelsen (6-0, 4-6, 6-1) and Kipson (4-6, 6-4, 6-3) in tough battles, but before that brief win streak, he faced two-set defeats to Cilic, Brooksby, and Mensik. Such frustrating inconsistency from a player supposedly in his prime is quite alarming.
M.Berrettini
Berrettini, once a member of the world's top ten tennis players, is also navigating a rough patch in his professional career. Currently, the Italian is positioned at the 100th spot in the world rankings, striving hard to reclaim his place among the planet's elite. Injuries—abdominal and foot—are hampering his return to peak form and rise through the ATP ranks. However, he's playing extensively with a positive balance, signaling a glimmer of hope at the tunnel's end.
Berrettini's recent matches have shown he has more in his tank than Popyrin. While the Italian athlete surprisingly lost easily to Prizmich (3-6, 4-6) and Fonseca (3-6, 2-6), he put up a commendable fight against Hurkacz (6-4, 3-6, 4-6), and clinched victories over Navone (7-5, 6-3), Kipson (6-4, 6-7, 7-6), Medvedev (6-0, 6-0), and Bautista-Agut (4-0, the Spaniard withdrew from the match). In March, Matteo marked his wins against formidable opponents like Mannarino (4-6, 7-5, 7-5) and Bublik, the world's 11th seed (6-4, 6-4). Although he still has a way to go to return to his best form, Berrettini is slowly progressing, and a rise in the rankings seems just a matter of time.
Prediction
I'm seeing no promising signs pointing to a Popyrin victory in the upcoming match. The Australian has been dreadful in his recent outings — 6 losses in 8 games, including in his latest three matches. Their head-to-head record against Berrettini isn't encouraging for Alexei either — standing at 4-1 in favor of the Italian. Most crucially, the 60th ranked player never really excelled on clay. While Matteo may not be at his former best, he's been fairly decent recently, even managing to defeat Medvedev just the other day. I anticipate another win for him now, as his next opponent is just too erratic. Let's chalk our predictions on a line of +3 games with odds at 1.86.
