Damien Kayat previews Hubert Hurkacz vs Tallon Griekspoor and Stan Wawrinka vs Thanasi Kokkinakis in selected round 2 matches of the French Open, on the 31st of May 2023.
2023 ATP Tour
Grand Slam Tennis
French Open
Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France (Outdoor Clay)
Selected 2nd Round Matches – 31st May
Hubert Hurkacz 38/100 | Tallon Griekspoor 2/1
This should be an exciting clash between two players who faced real first-round scares this week. It is also fascinating because neither one of these players would count themselves as a clay-court specialist.
13th seed Hurkacz faced a really gutsy challenge from Belgian baseliner David Goffin. The Pole barely survived that nearly four-hour baseline slugfest, advancing to the 2nd round of the French Open for just the 3rd time in six appearances.
Having said that, Hurkacz reached the 4th round here last year to record his best ever Roland Garros finish. The 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist reached the 4th round at this year’s Aussie Open but is still yet to fully convince at Grand Slam level.
He won his 6th career title in Marseille earlier this year and he comes into this encounter with a 18-11 record for the year (4-4 on clay). He can appear a bit one-dimensional on clay, always opting to flatten out his formidable groundstrokes. But he has amazing athleticism and always stands a puncher’s chance with that solid serve.
26-year-old Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor survived a potentially embarrassing first-round scare against qualifier Pedro Martinez. He trailed 2-4 in the 4th set and showed remarkable resilience to see out the match.
Like Hurkacz, Griekspoor isn’t considered a clay-court afficionado. However, he won six consecutive clay-court titles in a record-breaking Challenger campaign in 2021. He actually has a very similar game to Hurkacz.
He is an aggressive baseliner who chews up the court. He also tends to hit the ball quite flat and can dominate on serve on his day. He won his maiden ATP Tour title at this year’s Maharashtra Open before reaching the semi-finals of the Rotterdam Open (his home tournament).
He is 3-3 in completed clay-court matches this year and will need to raise his level as he meets a six-time ATP Tour winner.
Verdict: Hurkacz to win in five sets at 7/2
This will be the first career meeting between these two. I think this could prove to be a mini classic in the early stages of this tournament. Both of the players are Energizer Bunny types who chew up the ground. I think the Pole will prevail due to the greater power of his groundstrokes. But don’t be surprised if this one goes all the way.
Stan Wawrinka 87/100 | Thanasi Kokkinakis 10/11
This could prove to be an intriguing clash. And lots of that comes down to firebrand Nick Kyrgios. He once taunted Wawrinka about an alleged tryst between Kokkinakis and the Swiss star’s ex-girlfriend.
Whatever the truth of that, it certainly adds a bit of flavour to proceedings. Wawrinka nearly blew a two-set lead against lefty Albert Ramos-Vinolas, ultimately prevailing in five sets to extend his head-to-head dominance over the Spaniard to 8-0.
That victory took the 38-year-old’s 2023 record to 13-10. Does he have it in his ageing legs to recover from that epic encounter? To be fair, that win was the 30th five-set victory of Wawrinka’s career (only Djokovic and Cilic have more five-set wins amongst active players).
And Wawrinka has been an absolute warrior on clay throughout his career, winning seven titles and lifting this trophy in 2015. He also reached a further final and semi-final in this great tournament. Does he have it in him to make one more meaningful run in Paris?
Enigmatic Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis has never really fulfilled his massive potential. He suffered terrible injury-plagued seasons in 2016 and 2019 which massively affected his development.
Last year he seemed to come into his own a bit, winning his maiden singles title in Adelaide. He followed that up with a memorable Aussie Open doubles success alongside the aforementioned Nick Kyrgios. Primarily regarded as a hardcourt expert, Kokkinakis’ 3rd round run here in 2015 stills stands as his best Grand Slam finish.
And he looked imperious in his first-round match against the more fancied Dan Evans, soundly beating the Brit in straight-sets. It was the type of routine win that could awaken something in the talented Aussie. He served brilliantly and spent substantially less time on court than his 38-year-old rival.
Verdict: Wawrinka to win in four (16/5)
This will be the first career meeting between these two. This really hinges on Wawrinka’s powers of recovery. He has been an ironman of men’s tennis and has thrived in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of five-set tennis. He still looks in incredible shape and I expect him to survive this test with ease. He is a far more complete player than Kokkinakis, able to mix up his attack with a variety of slices and angles. I think Kokkinakis will need to serve immaculately just to keep his head above water.
