Alexander Zverev vs Jordan Thompson: 2023 Japan Open Tokyo - Preview & Prediction

15/10/2023 10:30 | by Evita Mueller

Alexander Zverev will take part in the Japan Open, and his first test will be Jordan Thompson, a player he's familiar with.

Alexander Zverev had some really solid weeks in Asia, winning a trophy in Chengdu before putting together a good run at the China Open as well. He didn't play well in Shanghai as he was fatigued, but he should return to form at the Japan Open following a good week of rest.

Jordan Thompson will be a tricky challenge as the Australian is capable of producing a really good level, especially on hard courts, but can he beat the German? Let's find out.

Head-to-head:

They played two matches so far on the ATP Tour, and Zverev won both. That in itself is not a huge surprise, but it's also not a good indicator, as the most recent one happened six years ago in 2017. A lot has happened since then, and while Zverev is a far better player than back then, so is Thompson.

I'd argue that the Australian actually improved more than Zverev did. That last match was played on hard courts while the other one happened on clay courts.

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Prediction:

So what might happen here? Well, anything but Zverev winning would be a major surprise. We don't even have to analyze the matchup that much, we can simply look at their respective results recently.

The German has had far better results and is actually a bad matchup for Thompson. Very few players can hit through Zverev's defensive prowess, and Thompson is certainly not one of them.

He tends to get frustrated pretty quickly in rallies as well, which doesn't bode well for his chances here. After all, the previous matchups are a really good indicator, and Zverev won both matches so far, so back Zverev to get it done.

Predicition: Alexander Zverev to win in two sets.

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