Men's French Open final predictions: Zverev poised to run Alcaraz close
- Alexander Zverev leads Carlos Alcaraz 5-4 in head-to-head meetings
- Zverev has won 12 consecutive matches
- Recommended bet: Alexander Zverev +1.5 sets on the set handicap
Carlos Alcaraz has already won the US Open and Wimbledon and the 21-year-old Spaniard will bid for the third leg of the career Grand Slam when he lines up opposite Alexander Zverev in Sunday's French Open men's final.
Both of these players are competing in their first Roland Garros final and it's pre-tournament favourite Alcaraz who the odds suggest will prevail with the Spaniard priced up at 33/100 with LiveScore Bet to win a first French Open title.
Zverev, meanwhile, is one of the form players on the ATP Tour, winning the Italian Open in the build-up to the French, but he failed to get over the line in his first Grand Slam final when losing from two sets up against Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final.
The 27-year-old experienced a subsequent dip in form - not helped by the ankle ligament injury which he sustained in the 2022 French Open semi-finals - but he is brimming with confidence now and is 11/5 to claim his maiden Slam title.
The stats
While Alcaraz has achieved plenty in his short career, the head-to-head record makes for interesting reading.
Zverev has claimed five victories from nine meetings with the Spaniard, including a four-set triumph in Paris in 2022, while he also won two of the last three meetings - at the ATP Finals last season and the Australian Open earlier this year.
That has to be taken in the context of Alcaraz's fitness struggles in recent months but it's still a tick in the German's box.
Zverev knows he can defeat Alcaraz and he's on a 12-match winning run following his triumph in Rome.
Prediction
Alcaraz enjoyed an authoritative 6-3 6-1 win when the pair clashed at Indian Wells in March and, on sheer ability, he looks the right favourite but there could be less between them than the odds suggest.
While Alcaraz was brilliant in his come-from-behind win over Jannik Sinner in Thursday's semi-final, neither man looked at the peak of their powers and Zverev could prove similarly difficult for the favourite to contain.
The German has negotiated some difficult tests to reach this stage, seeing off Rafael Nadal, David Goffin, Tallon Griekspoor, Holger Rune, Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud, and there is every chance he can at least keep the men's final close.
Alcaraz has also beaten some high-class opponents, none more notable than Sinner, but he also produced a huge number of unforced errors against the Italian and he'll need to tighten up if he's to win this easily.
Zverev merits consideration in the match betting but the safer option could be to take him on the sets handicap with a 1.5-set start.
