Stefanos Tsitsipas v Carlos Alcaraz: Prediction, Tips and Odds

World number three Carlos Alcaraz eased past Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets at this quarter-final stage of last season’s French Open, but the Spaniard may have to dig a little deeper to make the semi-finals this time around.

Alcaraz is a perfect five out of five against Tsitsipas, with three of those victories coming on clay, but his Greek rival appears to be playing some of his best tennis for a while.

Tsitsipas was runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the 2021 French Open, having led by two sets, and a title triumph at the Monte Carlo Masters in April followed by a runner-up effort in Barcelona suggests he may be in similar form.

There were unknowns surrounding the well-being of Alcaraz in the build-up to Paris as he lost in the quarter-final in Madrid to Andrey Rublev before withdrawing from competition in Rome.

However, the 21-year-old has stood up to the challenge and dropped only one set across his four tournament successes so far, suggesting that he is a serious title contender.

But this won’t be an easy ride against world number nine Tsitsipas, who simply thrives under these conditions and has lost only three of his 20 clay-court matches this season.

Stefanos Tsitsipas v Carlos Alcaraz betting tips and predictions

Over 36.5 games - 5/6 

With both players looking close to the top of their game and serving superbly, breaks of serve could be few and far between and that lends itself to a lengthy battle.

Alcaraz defeated Tsitsipas 6-2 6-1 7-6 at last season’s French Open and, while the result may stay the same, it is hard to see him winning so convincingly.

Tsitsipas has dropped only two sets across his four tournament victories and his opponents have carved out a total of only 13 break-point opportunities, converting only four of those.

The Greek star has played some good opponents in that run, including recent ATP Bucharest champion Marton Fucsovics, Rome quarter-finalist Zhizhen Zhang and Rublev’s conqueror Matteo Arnaldi.

With two clay-court finals under his belt in Monte Carlo and Barcelona this season, Tsitsipas is clearly in confident spirits and it will take a fine Alcaraz performance to deny him.

While Tsitsipas has been broken only four times in as many matches in Paris, Alcaraz has dropped serve 10 times, although five of those did come in his four-set victory over Jesper De Jong in round two.

That is the only time that Alcaraz has lost a set in the tournament but it is hard to see him winning this quarter-final 3-0 against a player in such rude health.

These two did meet in the last 16 of the US Open three years ago and that contest went five sets, featuring 51 games and being settled in a deciding set tiebreak, and this could follow a similar narrative.

With that in mind, going over 36.5 games looks the best bet on offer. That bet has obliged in two of Tsitsipas’s four matches - against Daniel Altmaier and Arnaldi - and, as was the case with those encounters, it should take only four sets for the selection to land.

Stefanos Tsitsipas to win & both players to win a set - 4/1

Tsitsipas has not yet been able to mastermind a success over Alcaraz, but there is plenty of hope that his losing run against the Spaniard can come to an end in this epic last-eight battle.

If roles are going to be reversed any time soon then these are the optimum conditions as Tsitsipas, the 2021 French Open runner-up, thrives on these Parisian slow courts.

The Athens ace is featuring in the French Open quarter-finals for the fourth time in the last five seasons and he has lost only three of his 20 clay-court matches this term.

Tsitsipas has defeated the likes of Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud on clay this season, showing how well he is playing, and he may be able to stun Alcaraz too.

Alcaraz is giving up a lot more chances on serve than Tsitsipas is and, if there are any weaknesses in the current conditioning of the Spaniard, the Greek player is sure to expose them.

That said, it is unlikely to be an easy win for either player, which is why bettors can eke out some extra value by backing Tsitsipas to prevail in four or five sets.

Read more tennis betting tips and predictions on site.

Stefanos Tsitsipas v Carlos Alcaraz odds

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 3/1
Carlos Alcaraz - 1/4

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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.