Cincinnati Open: Alexander Zverev vs. Lloyd Harris 8/18/21 Tennis Prediction

Third seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany faces South African Lloyd Harris in the Second Round of the 2021 Cincinnati Open. The match is scheduled to be played on Wednesday August 18th, 2021

An interesting match is upon us in the Second Round here at the Cincinnati Open as third seed Alexander Zverev faces Lloyd Harris for a spot in the Round of 16. Both men have been having solid years and fans will not want to miss this one. Can Harris cause the massive upset and stun the German star? Or will Zverev advance as expected, in search of his second Masters-1000 title of the year?

Alexander Zverev is ranked fifth in the world rankings and is the third seed here at the Cincinnati Open. The tall German has been having an outstanding season, and after claiming the Madrid Open, will be looking to win yet another ATP-1000 event. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have withdrawn, setting the stage for Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev to do battle as favorites for the title here. The German is on an all-time high after winning the Olympic gold medal, and will enter as the big favorite here against the dangerous Lloyd Harris. His all around style suits any surface, and his main weapon is his ability to change his game style to suit any opponent, and is equally comfortable on offense and defense. If he plays to the best of his ability he is a serious threat for the title here and is expected to advance here.

Lloyd Harris is unseeded here at the Cincinnati Open and is ranked #46 in the world. The South African has quietly been putting together a solid season, reaching one ATP Final and claiming quite a few top 20 wins, including a huge win over Rafael Nadal two weeks ago in Washington. The big serving South African is very dangerous on quicker courts, and will pose a big threat to his opponent Alexander Zverev who is prone to lapses in concentration early on in tournaments. He started well here with a straight sets win over Yoshihito Nishioka, 6-3, 6-4. If he plays his best then he can make things interesting, but he is the massive underdog here and it will be tough to get a result.

This is the second time that the two are facing each other on the ATP Tour, with Zverev winning their only career meeting last year. Lloyd Harris is a talented young player and has bags of potential, but it is unlikely that he will be able to sustain his level high enough to defeat the world number five. That is not to say that Zverev is unbeatable here, but his defense will likely be too much for Harris to handle, and I see the German winning in two tight sets. Alexander Zverev to win and advance to the Round of 16 here at the 2021 Cincinnati Open.