Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Rafael Nadal: Preview and betting tips

One of the most interesting quarterfinal duels of the Australian Open is undoubtedly the duel between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal. Can the world number two confirm his role as the paper favourite?

Stefanos Tsitsipas goes through the first grand slam of the current season without any major difficulties. Although he played five sets against the home team’s Kokkinakis, he was in control for most of the match, winning 22 more balls in the duel.

The 22-year-old Greek youngster took Simon and Ymer in three sets. He advanced to the eighth round without a fight over the injured Italian Berrettini.

His opponent on Wednesday will be Rafael Nadal. The thirty-four-year-old Spaniard is among the world’s elite despite his age. He hasn’t lost a set on the Melbourne courts.

But the world number two has certainly shown better tennis during his career. This may be due to the back pain that plagued Nadal before the start of the tournament.

So what to bet on? Rafael Nadal remains the paper favourite, but he has so far faced tennis players he should regularly beat (Djere, Mmoh, Norrie, Fognini).

Stefanos Tsitsipas will be the first major test for Nadal, the owner of 20 Grand Slam titles. Although the stats of their mutual matches play in favour of the Spaniard, I expect a very interesting match that could end in five sets.

The advantage for Tsitsipas is his serve, which he lost on only one occasion at the Australian Open. He can also be helped by the aforementioned withdrawal of Berrettini, which gave him two extra days of recovery.