Alexander Zverev vs Kevin Anderson: US Open Preview and Prediction

Fifth seed Alexander Zverev kick-starts his US Open campaign against South African Kevin Anderson.

Despite possessing massive potential, Zverev has always come up short in the grand slams. This year was a bit different for the German as he reached the semifinals of the Australian Open. With six wins and an equal number of losses, 2020 has not been up to the expectation for Zverev. His recent form is wobbly having suffered an opening round defeat to Andy Murray in the recently concluded Cincinnati Open.

On the other hand, Anderson is on a comeback trail after recovering from a spate of injuries. The South African got crushed by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Cincinnati Open in the round of 32. 

Strengths of Zverev

He is an aggressive baseliner who depends on his powerful serve to get things done. The 23-year-old's backhand is one of the best in the game as he can hit it cross-court as well as down-the-line effectively. While his court coverage is par excellence, his forehand is quite inconsistent. Zverev needs to come more to the net to finish off points.

Strengths of Anderson

Being a big-server, Anderson has impressed everyone with his consistent groundstrokes. While his all-round game has received a lot of plaudits, his backhand is relatively weak. His return of serve is quite sub-par sometimes and he struggles to break his opponent's serve. 

Head to Head record

Zverev has a comprehensive 5-0 winning record against Anderson. Having crashed out in the fourth round last year, the German would be looking to go one better this time. Anderson being the runner-up in the 2017 US Open would know what it takes to have a deep run in the tournament. Having not competed in last year's tournament, the South African would be raring to prove himself on the big stage. 

Prediction - Alexander Zverev to win in four sets

Featured image credits: Associated Press