Tennis
2026-01-21 - Alexander Zverev vs Alexandre Muller
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
Tennis : Australian Open Second Round
Wednesday 21st January 2025 - Scheduled 7:30pm
8:30am (British Time)
Preview
This is the fourth time Alexander Zverev and Alexandre Muller will be facing one another in the last eighteen months and the second time they will be meeting in a Grand Slam played on the hard courts.
At the 2024 US Open, Alexander Zverev was able to wear down this opponent and the World Number 3 should be in control of this Second Round match, even if he can sometimes be a little too passive in his play.
Some will criticise Alexander Zverev for the slow start made against Gabriel Diallo, but that was a tough First Round match and by the end he was cruising past the Canadian. This time he will be facing an opponent who is actually Ranked lower than Diallo and the match up should be one that keeps Zverev relatively comfortable.
Alexandre Muller is getting the most out of his talent and has to be credited for his World Ranking, while he upset home hope Alexei Popyrin in the First Round. That is a win that deserves plenty of respect in a hostile atmosphere, but the Frenchman struggles on the return of serve and that will always make big wins that much harder to come.
That has been the case in the previous matches against Zverev with just 14% of return games ending in breaks of serve.
However, the most recent match saw Alexandre Muller upset Alexander Zverev on the clay courts of Hamburg and that will give the underdog some belief.
He has been stronger on the clay courts compared with the hard courts and the switch onto this surface should favour the World Number 3.
There will be moments that Alexandre Muller can roll through his service games, but the best of five set format clearly favours Alexander Zverev. A similar match to the First Round could end up developing with Zverev beginning to get a read on the Muller serve and that was the case when they played on the hard courts of New York City.
Focus will be the key for Alexander Zverev- as long as he avoids some sloppy moments, he should be the better player and can eventually make sure that shows on the final scoreboard.
Prediction
Lay the games with the World Number 3 for a second Round in a row.
The Pick :
Alexander Zverev 3-0 Alexandre Muller
