Gstaad 2022: Matteo Berrettini vs Dominic Thiem preview, head-to-head, predictions, odds and picks
Match Details
Fixation: (2) Matteo Berrettini vs. Dominic Thiem
Date: July 23, 2022
Tournament: Swiss Open 2022
Round: Semi-finals
Venue: Gstaad, Switzerland
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Clay
Prize money: €534,555
Live broadcast: United States – Tennis Channel | United Kingdom – Amazon Prime Video | Canada-TSN
Matteo Berrettini vs. Dominic Thiem preview
Second seed Matteo Berrettini will face former Slam champion Dominic Thiem in the semifinals of the Swiss Open on Saturday.
Despite missing the clay season through injury, Berrettini has had an incredible year so far. He reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and won titles at the Stuttgart Open and the Queen’s Cub Championships.
Matteo Berrettini beats Filip Krajinovic 7-5, 6-4, defends his title at Queen’s Club. 9-0 on grass in 2022, 20-1 since 2021, 32-3 since 2019. 8th player to defend a title in this tournament — *all* the other 7 were alumni #1s. https://t.co/AParyC4Rhn
The Italian was one of the favorites to win Wimbledon but sadly pulled out of the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19 on the day of his first round match. He returned to action at the Swiss Open in Gstaad and continued his rich vein of form with wins over Richard Gasquet and Pedro Martinez.
But Berrettini ran into problems against Martinez. The 26-year-old came back from a set down before winning 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-1 to extend his winning streak to 11 games.
Dominic Thiem, meanwhile, has been sidelined for nine months after suffering an unfortunate wrist injury at the 2021 Mallorca Championships. Thiem joined the tour at the Marbella Tennis Challenger earlier this year but has struggled to regain his form, making first-round exits in eight successive tournaments.
The Austrian ended his daunting run at the Nordea Open last week, with victories over Emil Ruusuvuori and Pablo Carreno Busta en route to the quarter-finals. He also put up a strong challenge against Sebastian Baez in their last eight encounters but eventually lost to the Argentine 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4.
Thiem continued his resurgence at Gstaad, with impressive wins over Hugo Gaston, Federico Delbonis and Juan Pablo Varillas. On Friday, he beat Varillas in vintage fashion to win the match in straight sets and reach his first semi-final in 14 months.
Matteo Berrettini vs. Dominic Thiem head-to-head
Matteo Berrettini currently leads the head-to-head 3-2 against Dominic Thiem. Berrettini beat the Austrian in their last clash 6-2, 6-4, which took place at the 2021 ATP Cup.
Matteo Berrettini vs. Dominic Thiem Odds
All odds are from BetMGM.
Matteo Berrettini vs Dominic Thiem Prediction
A tantalizing semi-final encounter is scheduled for Gstaad as two high-quality players battle it out for a place in the Swiss Open final.
Berrettini’s serve once again got him out of trouble in his hard-fought win over Pedro Martinez. He hammered 15 aces in the match and won 83% of his first service points.
The Italian was being dominated from the baseline but managed to adopt a different strategy, approaching the net and using his sharp volleying skills. It will be interesting to see if this tactic also works against Thiem, who is known for his powerful passing shots.
The Austrian for his part went through his quarter-final match against Pablo Varillas. Thiem created 12 break point chances and converted five to keep the upper hand in the contest.
The 28-year-old has troubled all of his recent opponents with the depth and topspin he’s been able to generate on his groundstrokes. On Saturday, he will look to punish anything short on his side of the pitch and apply consistent pressure from the baseline.
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It could turn into a slugfest and go the distance as both players would enter the match in style. Berrettini will need to start strong against a player willing to make a significant impact in this tournament. But even if the Italian does that, he might have to dig deep for the win.
Take: Berrettini won in three sets.