Alexander Zverev vs Thiago Monteiro Prediction United Cup Tennis Picks 12/29/24

Alexander Zverev of Germany will square off against Thiago Monteiro of Brazil in the men’s singles match in Group E of the 2025 United Cup in Perth, Australia. This match is scheduled to take place on Sunday, December 29, 2024. Here’s our Alexander Zverev vs Thiago Monteiro prediction. This preview will also contain an Alexander Zverev vs Thiago Monteiro pick.

Alexander Zverev Preview

Alexander Zverev put together one of the best seasons of his career in 2024. He returned to World No. 2, replacing Carlos Alcaraz in that position, and took another step towards winning a Grand Slam title. 

Zverev was a set away from breaking his duck at Grand Slam level but lost last season’s French Open final to Alcaraz. He still won the equivalent of 2000 points with two Masters titles (in Rome and Paris-Bercy) and was a semifinalist at the 2024 ATP Finals. 

Overall Zverev won 69 matches, which is the most he has achieved in a single season, to go with 21 defeats. He will once again lead Germany’s bid to win a second United Cup title.

Last season, the 27-year-old won four of his five singles matches as Germany hoisted its first United Cup title.

Thiago Monteiro Preview

Thiago Monteiro was routinely beaten by Zhizhen Zhang in the opening tie in this group as Brazil shockingly lost to China 3-0. In the defeat which did not last an hour, Monteiro hit three aces and two double faults.

The lefty landed 63% of first serves and won 59% of first-serve points (13/22). He won just three points on his second serve and was broken four times. 

Monteiro won 15% of return points (6/39) and managed to take three games off Zhang. Brazil run the risk of being eliminated and a Zverev-inspired Germany could do that.

Alexander Zverev vs Thiago Monteiro Head-To-Head

• Zverev and Monteiro have met twice at the Tour level.

• Zverev leads the series 2-0 with their most recent clash being on clay at the 2023 Bastad Open.

Alexander Zverev vs Thiago Monteiro Prediction

Monteiro suffered a dismal defeat against Zhang which turned out to be a very one-sided tie in the end, leaving Brazil on the brink of elimination. Monteiro is a player who can give the ball a very good smack but often struggles to use the full width of a hard court. The nuances of this surface make him easily vulnerable and he’s up against one of the world’s elite performers in Zverev. Give me the German in two routine sets.