Washington, D.C. final preview and prediction: Zverev vs. de Minaur

Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur will be squaring off for the second time in their careers when they battle for the Citi Open title on Sunday afternoon. Their only previous encounter came earlier this season during Davis Cup first-round action, when Zverev held off de Minaur 7-5, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) in Australia.

Both players have been outstanding throughout the 2018 campaign, with de Minaur breaking onto the ATP scene for the first time and Zverev cementing his status as one of the best players in the world. The latter registers at third in the rankings with titles this year in Munich and Madrid plus a runner-up performance in Miami. Zverev has improved to 40-11 this season with Washington, D.C. victories over Malek Jaziri, Mischa Zverev, Kei Nishikori, and Stefanos Tsitsipas–dropping just one set to Nishikori in the process.

“Winning the first time feels amazing,” said the defending champion of this tournament. “But coming back here, (there is) a little bit of pressure on your shoulders to defend your title. I’ve got another tough match ahead of me. But if I will be able to [retain my title], it’d be an amazing feeling…. It shows that mentally, you’re also quite strong and you’re improving. It’s not easy to come into a week where you have a big title to defend.”

De Minaur is through to his second final of 2018 following defeats of Vasek Pospisil, Steve Johnson, Hyeon Chung, and Andrey Rublev (he also got a walkover from Andy Murray). The 19-year-old Aussie has required three sets three times and he even recovered from a 6-2 deficit in the second-set tiebreaker against Rublev on Saturday night, saving all four match points before eventually prevailing 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-4.

“I’m incredibly proud of myself,” de Minaur assured. “I dug deep. I just couldn’t see myself going any further. But I kept pushing myself, kept trying every single point and managed to turn that around. That’s probably the best win of my career.

“I really owe it all the crowd. I’m not from here, but I honestly felt like this was my home crowd. It was amazing. Every single corner I was in, they were in my ear encouraging me and firing me up. I really thank them.”

De Minaur will need all the energy he can get from the fans on Sunday, because he has to be fatigued. And even with the underdog at 100 percent, Zverev would be a considerable favorite as one of the most in-form players on tour and as the defending champ who obviously feels comfortable in this setting.