Halle R2 previews and predictions: Zverev vs. Sonego, Bublik vs. Eubanks

Alexander Zverev is back in action following his French Open runner-up performance and he will face Lorenzo Sonego in the Halle second round on Wednesday. Alexander Bublik is going up against Chris Eubanks.

Lorenzo Sonego vs. (2) Alexander Zverev

Zverev and Sonego will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they battle for a quarterfinal spot at the Terra Wortmann Open on Wednesday. All three of their previous meetings have gone Zverev’s way, including via a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 decision earlier this season at the United Cup. That first set is the only one Sonego has ever taken off the German.

After making an impressive run to the French Open final (lost to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets), Zverev predictably withdrew from Stuttgart. It took him a set to find his footing in Halle but the second seed overcame compatriot Oscar Otte 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday. Although Sonego scraped past Miomir Kecmanovic in a pair of tiebreakers on Monday, the 57th-ranked Italian is still a horrendous 9-16 this year. All signs point to Zverev maintaining his dominance of this matchup.

Pick: Zverev in 2

Chris Eubanks vs. (7) Alexander Bublik

It will almost certainly be a classic grass-court contest with huge serves and few if any breaks when Bublik and Eubanks collide for the first time on Wednesday. Bublik is the defending champion in Halle and has twice finished runner-up in Newport. A massive chunk of Eubanks’ ranking points come from last summer’s exploits on the lawns–a title in Mallorca and a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon.

Every other surface has pretty much been a disaster for Eubanks since he left the All-England Club 11 months ago. The world No. 44 is 5-12 this season and can only hope that a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Pedro Martinez on Tuesday gets him going back in the right direction. Bublik eased past Max Purcell 7-6(1), 6-4, giving him 21 match victories on the year. This will likely come down to tiebreakers and/or a crucial break point here and there; Bublik is a much more confident player these days and that should show up in the pressure-packed moments.

Pick: Bublik in 3