Alexander Zverev v. Tallon Griekspoor
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The German and the Dutchman got to know each other well in 2024. They played four times, including at Indian Wells, and Zverev won all four times. That may sound totally one-sided, but the end results are a little deceiving. Zverev won two of those matches in final-set tiebreakers, and the other two featured first-set sets that ended in breakers as well.
That may be because Zverev and Griekspoor, while they have different builds and demeanors, do similar things with the ball. They like to grind, with topspin forehands and two-handed backhands. While Zverev is ranked 41 spots ahead (No. 2 to No. 43), Griekspoor has shown that he can nearly match him at his own game. Last month in Dubai, he also showed that he can knock off a Top 10 opponent, when he beat Daniil Medvedev in Dubai.
While Zverev is the top seed, he may be vulnerable. He didn’t have a strong February in South America. Griekspoor led him late in their Roland Garros encounter last year, but couldn’t close. Might we see a similar ending on Friday? Winner: Zverev
