Daniil Medvedev vs Mattia Bellucci: Preview
The 2023 champion, Daniil Medvedev, is all set to face the qualifier from Italy, Mattia Bellucci, in the R16 of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. After facing an early exit from the 2025 AO, Medvedev is now looking quite desperate to reach the QF in Rotterdam for the fourth time in his sixth appearance at the event. He has already sealed a victory in the first match, while his opponent, Bellucci, is currently on a three-match winning streak in this tournament! The 23-year-old Italian has never beaten any Top 20 player in his career. Can he change his fortunes in Rotterdam?
Daniil Medvedev had started the 2024 season in an emphatic manner by reaching the final of the 2024 AO. However, he had to face defeat at the hands of Jannik Sinner at that time. After that, Medvedev even managed to reach the final of the Indian Wells Masters, but even there, another rising star, Carlos Alcaraz, stood up as a major blockade to his title triumph! Not only that, Daniil Medvedev even reached the SF of the Miami Open, Wimbledon Championships, and the China Open, but unfortunately for the Russian, he failed to deliver when it mattered the most. Even at the 2024 US Open, we saw a similar fate featuring the former world number one. Medvedev was defeated by the young American, Learner Tien, in the second round of the AO.
However, his three-set victory over Stan Wawrinka would perhaps give him a bit of confidence before entering this match. Can he outclass the Italian in the next match? Talking about his opponent in the R16, Mattia Bellucci looked quite impressive in the Challenger events last year. He reached the finals of the Challenger Cary, US, and the Challenger Olbia, IT. Apart from that, Bellucci even made it to the QF at the Atlanta Open, but he was defeated by France’s Arthur Rinderknech in that match in a three-set thriller. He will be entering this match against Medvedev following his 6-3,6-2 win over the Dutchman Mees Rottgering in the R32.
Medvedev vs Bellucci: Head-to-Head
Daniil Medvedev has never played against Mattia Bellucci in his career before. So, this will be their first meeting and hence, the H2H record is at 0-0. There is a lot at stake for Medvedev in this tournament. For example, if he can go on to seal the title this week, it’ll be his first since the 2023 ATP Masters 1000 in Rome. Interestingly, it’d also be the first time that the former world number one has won the same even twice, after his previous 20 titles have all come at different tournaments. To reach that stage, he first needs to overcome this Italian hurdle! Can he beat Mattia Bellucci?
Prediction: Medvedev to win in straight sets
Well, there are no strong reasons as such to put Daniil Medvedev as the second favorite in this R16 clash. Although he had a disappointing outing at the 2025 AO and we saw him struggle against some lesser-known players, still we shouldn’t rule out his potential to deliver on big occasions. His vast experience on the Tour may turn out to be a little too heavy for the relatively newcomer. So, we’re picking Medvedev as the probable winner in this match.
Apart from that, if we take a look at their numbers from the 2024 season, Daniil Medvedev (7) had a win-loss record of 44-20. However, Mattia Bellucci (92) had a win-loss record of just 6-8 on the main Tour, while it was 23-25 in the Challengers. Considering all these factors, we feel it’d be really tough for the Italian to stop Medvedev in this match.
Talking about their playing styles, Mattia Bellucci is a left-handed player who is known for his intelligent point construction, ability to extend rallies, and tricky cross-court game, making him a really tough opponent for right-handed players. He can use his slice and serve quite effectively against the right-handers. However, his game lacks dominant weapons like a huge serve or powerful forehand, which can make him a bit vulnerable against aggressive players who love dictating the play with big shots.
Daniil Medvedev on the other hand is more like a counterpunch with a powerful serve in his armory. Medvedev loves hitting long, flat groundstrokes and often tends to wear down his opponents with lengthy baseline rallies. His biggest strength is his ability to play consistently and Daniil Medvedev has one of the best backhands on the Tour. However, his forehands are comparatively on the weaker side., but is it enough to rule out his chance against someone like Bellucci? Not really!
