Alexander Zverev barely escaped against Tallon Griekspoor at the 2024 Roland Garros, and now, Holger Rune will challenge him.
The German entered the 2024 French Open as one of the players that many analysts thought could win the tournament. He won the Italian Open and has a good history in Paris, so there are many numbers backing him.
Beating Rafael Nadal in the first round certainly added to that assumption, but Griekspoor nearly shattered it. The Dutch player nearly ousted Zverev, leading 4-1 in the final set before the German mounted a majestic comeback.
Now, he'll have to face Rune, who is also a very capable clay player. The Dane plays a very aggressive style, which can cause some problems for Zverev, as the match against Griekspoor proved.
Head-to-head:
Zverev and Rune played against each other only once, and the Danish youngster easily won that match. It happened on clay in Munich in 2022, which is an event Rune won twice, so clearly, he likes it there.
The German played it a few times as well, but he hasn't had the best results there, at least recently. Stylistically, this is a very interesting matchup because Zverev has everything he needs to really counter Rune's play.
He also has the serve to keep his opponent out of rhythm, but if the Dane finds his best ball-striking, he can win. He can be a better shotmaker than Zverev, but he can also be very erratic.
| Alexander Zverev | Holger Rune | |
| 0 | H2H | 1 |
| 4 | Rank | 13 |
| 27 | Age | 21 |
| 31-9 | 2024 W/L | 22-11 |
| 425-186 | Career W/L | 116-73 |
Prediction:
With that in mind, I expect a pretty close match because the German player can be a bit fatigued, and Rune will use that to his advantage. Overall, I could see Zverev winning the match, as Rune might not be quite there yet.
Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in four sets.
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