No. 5 Rafael Nadal will turn 36 on the day of his upcoming semifinals matchup against world no. 3 Alexander Zverev. Will Nadal celebrate his birthday in style and advance to the 2022 French Open men’s singles tournament finals? Or will Zverev spoil the party?
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Betting Preview for the French Open Men’s Semifinals Match Featuring Alexander Zverev vs Rafael Nadal on June 3, 2022
Where: Roland Garros Stadium, Paris
When: Thursday, June 3, 2022 8:45 AM ET
Line: Alexander Zverev (+248) vs. Rafael Nadal (-310)
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Alexander Zverev (+248)
Zverev defied the odds in the quarterfinals and now finds himself on a collision course with the Clay God. The 25-year-old Zverev willed himself to defeat the favored and sixth-seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals to score a 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7) victory. It’s the first win Zverev has had so far in the 2022 French Open men’s singles tournament against a seeded opponent, and it’s one that should boost his confidence heading into a duel with an all-time great. Zverev has been a bit inconsistent in the tournament, as he’s only won one match in straight sets. In the second round, he battled back from a 0-2 series deficit to beat Sebastian Baez. Zverev’s service game was on point against Alcaraz, as he put 71 percent of his first serves in and scored in 73 percent of those serves. And while Zverev knows that Nadal is the scariest player ever on a clay surface, he’s definitely not fazed by the Spaniard. After all, he has won three of his last four meetings with Nadal.
Betting on the Rafael Nadal (-310)
Nadal is not yet done. Like Zverev, Nadal beat the odds and took down pre-tournament favorite Novak Djokovic in just four sets of their quarterfinals showdown. The 35-year-old Nadal established control early, winning the first set 6-2. He lost the next, 4-6, but didn’t drop one the rest of the way for a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) win. For those keeping count, Nadal has now beaten three players who were seeded inside the top 30 entering the 2022 French Open. He swept no. 26 Botic Van De Zandschulp in the third round and then outlasted no. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round (3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3) before the massive win over Djokovic. Overall in his career, Nadal is now 110-3 at Roland Garros. If there are any lingering concerns still about his form in the tournament, Nadal has effectively wiped them all out with that win against Djokovic. Zverev might have dominated him lately, but Nadal still won the last time they met, scoring a 6-3, 6-4 win over the German in the quarterfinals of last year’s edition of the Rome Masters.
Writer’s Prediction
Nadal wins in four sets.
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