28-year-old Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor enjoyed a humdrum 2024 campaign, accumulating a 33-30 record. The world no.46 started his season at the Aussie Open, going down to big-hitting Pole Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets.
ATP 250
Occitane Open
Arena Montpelier, Montpelier, France (Indoor Hardcourt)
Selected Round of 16 Matches- 30th January
Tallon Griekspoor (5) (34/100) vs Richard Gasquet (43/20)
28-year-old Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor enjoyed a humdrum 2024 campaign, accumulating a 33-30 record. The world no.46 started his season at the Aussie Open, going down to big-hitting Pole Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets. But he did manage to win his first tour-level match this week, taking down compatriot Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets. Griekspoor wasn’t at his best against his fellow countryman, relying on some big serving to bail him out in crucial situations (he served eight aces in the contest). Griekspoor has played some of his best tennis on indoor hardcourts, winning 24 indoor matches since the start of 2023. Still, he hasn’t reached an ATP final since 2023 and will be going up against the most celebrated player in the history of this event: Richard Gasquet.
Richard Gasquet will be banking on home comforts this week, looking to impress in the final stretch of his decorated career: he will be retiring after this year’s French Open. Gasquet is the most successful player in the history of this event, winning the title on four occasions (with a lifetime record of 29-9). He enjoyed a remarkable run between 2013 and 2018, winning the event three times and finishing runner-up on the other three occasions. So, this is possibly the one event where he could conceivably spring a surprise this season. He looked assured in his opener, dispatching a woefully out-of-form Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-2 (winning his first tour-level match of the season). Gasquet was particularly impressive on serve, winning a stunning 93% of his first-serve points. He understands these quick indoor conditions and will look to keep points concise. It’s probably for the best that he is retiring this year- he only managed a paltry 4-14 record last year. Could he spring a late-career surprise this week?
The Verdict: Griekspoor to win in straight sets at 19/20- This will be the first career meeting between these two. Sure, Gasquet does possess a 29-9 record in this event. But I think his breezy first-round win was more of an indictment of Mannarino’s recent form. Griekspoor is ten years Gasquet’s junior and should be able to wear the Frenchman down. His big serve and powerful forehand should be enough to placate Gasquet.
Arthur Rinderknech (7) (49/100) vs Nikoloz Basilashvili (31/20)
7th seeded Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech had a tough time in his Montpelier opener, overcoming fellow Frenchman Harold Mayot in three sets. He was somewhat erratic on serve, firing 16 aces whilst committing seven double faults. He had to scramble throughout the match, saving 14 of 16
break points. The entertaining Frenchman finished runner-up at the 2022 Adelaide International 2, reaching a career-high ranking of 42 later that season. But he has struggled with consistency these last two campaigns, bringing a four-match losing streak into this event. To be fair, he did push former US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe to four sets in their Aussie Open first-round clash. Rinderknech has become overly reliant on his strong serve and needs to iron out other areas of his game.
32-year-old Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili has endured a torrid time in recent years (both professionally and personally). Lest we forget, this is a guy who reached as high as 16 in the world, winning three ATP 500 titles and finishing runner-up at Indian Wells. But injuries prevented him from playing too much tennis in 2023 and 2024. He has also been a somewhat controversial figure off the court, facing match-fixing accusations and a long custody battle (that was mired in abuse allegations). He was cleared of the abuse charges in December and will be keen to reestablish a foothold on tour. He won a Challenger event in November and managed to get through qualifying at this year’s Aussie Open (losing to Mensik in a tough opening tie). He advanced via qualifying this week, taking down veteran Kazakh Kukushkin in his round of 32 clash (Kukushkin retired while trailing 5-0 in the 3rd set). Basilashvili showed some spark in that clash, hitting eight aces and delivering some thunderous groundstrokes. During the 2021 Aussie Open, the Georgian recorded the fastest average speed on both the forehand and backhand wings. It’s just a matter of consistency for the big-hitting (and occasionally one-dimensional) Georgian.
The Verdict: Basilashvili to win in straight sets at 34/10- Basilashvili leads the head-to-head 2-1. Having said that, Rinderkench won their most recent meeting, overcoming the Georgian in straight sets at the 2022 Moselle Open (their only previous indoor meeting). Rinderknech barely hung on in his opener, leaning on his serve to bail him out on multiple occasions. He has been poor for some time and Basilashvili has a much higher ceiling. The Georgian- though frustratingly mercurial- is one of the purest ball strikers on tour. He has humongous power and could dominate on these quick indoor surfaces.
