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Match details
Fixture: (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Roman Safiullin
Date: February 27, 2024
Tournament: Mexican Open 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Arena GNP Seguros, Acapulco, Mexico
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $2,206,080
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Roman Safiullin preview
Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Roman Safiullin in the first round of the 2024 Mexican Open on Tuesday.
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An injury concern prevented Tsitsipas from completely giving it his all at the United Cup. He contested a couple of singles ties and while he won against Steven Diez 6-2, 6-3, he lost to Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-4.
Tsitsipas was the runner-up at last year's Australian Open but his journey concluded against Taylor Fritz in the fourth round this year. It was his earliest exit from the tournament since 2020.
As the defending champion at last week's Los Cabos Open, Tsitsipas registered wins over Aleksander Vukic and Aleksandar Kovacevic. His title defense came to an end in the semifinals against Casper Ruud with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) loss.
Safiullin made a strong start to the season with a semifinal run at the Brisbane International, where he lost to Holger Rune. He has struggled since then as he has crashed out in the first round of his next three tournaments.
Safiullin led by two sets to love during his first-round clash against Tallon Griekspoor but lost the match in five sets. He came up short against Rune once more after that, this time in Rotterdam. Dan Evans handed him a 6-2, 6-4 defeat at the Los Cabos Open.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Roman Safiullin head-to-head
Safiullin leads Tsitsipas 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Open 13 Provence in straight sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Roman Safiullin odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Roman Safiullin prediction
Tsitsipas showed some signs of life during his Los Cabos campaign last week but it wasn't enough. Having recently fallen out of the top 10 as well, the Greek's going through a tough time.
But Safiullin finds himself in an even worse situation. His loss to Griekspoor at the Australian Open seems to be the catalyst. The Russian blew a comfortable lead and hasn't been the same since.
While Safiullin was able to get the better of Tsitsipas the last time they faced, given his rough patch it's unlikely that history will repeat itself. The Greek's game has some loopholes, namely his backhand, that can be exploited by better players.
However, unless Safiullin can raise his level, he won't be able to corner Tsitsipas simply by attacking his backhand. The latter has also played some of his best tennis at the Mexican Open and hasn't lost before the semifinals here. Expect the Greek to inflict another defeat on his out-of-form opponent.
Pick: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in straight sets.
