Stefanos Tsitsipas will look to maintain his fine recent form when he locks horns with top seed Alex de Minaur at the ATP Mubadala Citi DC Open on Tuesday.
De Minaur is the defending champion after his thrilling victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina last year.
He has been handed a tough draw this time around, though, with Tsitsipas dominating their head-to-head battles over the years.
Alex de Minaur v Stefanos Tsitsipas Tips Summary
Best Bet - Stefanos Tsitsipas to win @ 11/10
Alternative Bet - Over 22.5 games @ 5/6
Bet Builder - Alex de Minaur to win Set 1 & Stefanos Tsitsipas to win 2-1 @ 7/1
Alex de Minaur v Stefanos Tsitsipas Prediction
Best Bet: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win @ 11/10
De Minaur has gone through the motions in recent weeks and he will need to find a solution quickly if he wants to defend his crown this week.
The Australian lost in the fourth round of Wimbledon to ninth seed Flavio Cobolli and said afterwards: "It breaks me inside, that's the reality of it."
De Minaur made far too many errors on his way to a 7-5 7-6 6-3 defeat and he admitted it was hard to accept that he did not "step up to the plate" after the draw at SW19 started to play into his hands for a deep run.
He took time away from playing to get married, but the draw in Washington has been far from kind.
While he is the top seed, he has lost 12 of his 13 matches against Tsitsipas and nine of those defeats have come on hard courts.
Tsitsipas looks to have found his groove again and is looking to break back into the world's top 50 after a rough few years
The Greek ace decided to stop working with his father and coach Apostolos just a day before Wimbledon and his partnership with Thomas Perrin has already worked wonders in Switzerland.
Confidence is so important at this level and De Minaur's recent comments suggest he lacks belief, which is the worst possible thing ahead of a tie with someone that routinely gets the better of him.
Alternative Bet: Over 22.5 games @ 5/6
Tsitsipas impressed in Switzerland on his serve as he hit four aces and no double faults in his 6-4 6-7 6-3 final win over Belgian Raphael Collignon.
He will look to keep this match on his forehand as best he can, as he is well known for having an erratic backhand.
However, the conditions suit De Minaur's game and he proved that last year by going all the way.
With a title to defend, he is likely to empty the tank in order to defend his crown with pride and he will look to use his counterpunching ability and speed around the court should trouble the former world number three.
If he can lay down a platform early on, he has what it takes to make this a real fight for Tsitsipas.
Alex de Minaur v Stefanos Tsitsipas Bet Builder Tip
Alex de Minaur to win Set 1
Stefanos Tsitsipas to win 2-1
Pays @ 7/1
De Minaur should have been able to move on from his Wimbledon heartache and the chance to defend his title should give him renewed energy this week.
Tsitsipas comes into this event with momentum, but he faced nobody of De Minaur's quality in Switzerland.
For all of his improved performances, he only won in straight sets in one of his five contests.
De Minaur knows he has to start well and disrupt his opponent, so back him to claim an early lead in a tournament he did well in last year.
However, as the match wears on, it is Tsitsipas that should be able to drag him into the trenches. His recent success in Switzerland shows he has found an old spark and he should be able to use his superior power to grind down the defending champion.
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Key Match Stats
Alex De Minaur comes into the match on the back of a straight-sets defeat to Flavio Cobolli at Wimbledon
Stefanos Tsitsipas is on a five-match winning streak after winning the Swiss Open title last week
Tsitsipas has dominated the head-to-head battles over the years, winning 12 of their 13 matches
Nine of those victories have come on hard courts
Tsitsipas has won 11 times in straight sets against De Minaur
Tsitsipas beat De Minaur in straight sets back in March in Miami
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
