Damian Kayat previews Jannik Sinner vs Richard Gasquet and Alex Zverev vs Dominic Thiem in selected round of 32 matches of the Halle Open, on the 20th of June 2023.
2023 ATP Tour
ATP 500 Series
Halle Open
Gerry Weber Stadion (Outdoor Grass)
Selected Round of 32 Matches – 20th June
Jannik Sinner 2/13 | Richard Gasquet 15/4
This could prove to be a fascinating clash between two players at opposite ends of their careers. 21-year-old Jannik Sinner has gone somewhat under the radar in recent years. His rise hasn’t been quite as meteoric as that of Garfia or Rudd.
But the powerful Italian has reached the quarterfinal stage of all four Grand Slams. And he has been quietly amassing a very good 2023 campaign. He agonizingly fell in five sets to Tsitsipas Aussie Open 4th round. But he won his 7th career title in Montpelier before reaching the finals in Rotterdam and Miami (where he lost to Medvedev on both occasions).
His form has been affected in recent weeks by niggles (he was unceremonious dumped out of the 2nd round of the French Open). He was also surprised by Ruusuvuori in last week’s Rosmalen event. He will be looking for a swift improvement as he attempts to win his maiden grass-court title.
27-year-old Frenchman Richard Gasquet is certainly in the twilight of an accomplished career. The man with the sweetest backhand in tennis won his 16th career title in Auckland earlier this season.
He still has the ability to play at a very high level. He just lacks the physicality to win consistently (which is to be expected at his age). He tends to prefer shorter points, using his serve to dominate proceedings. He will be fully aware that Sinner is one of the best athletes on tour and he will likely be engaged in some formidable rallies.
He will be looking to keep the points short. Gasquet has an excellent record on grass. He has reached two Wimbledon semi-finals. He has also competed in four grass-court finals throughout his career. And we saw a glimpse of that grass-court expertise in Stuttgart last week.
He took down Tsitsipas in three sets in arguably his biggest win of the season (it was also his 600th career victory on tour). Can he pull off a similarly striking up set here?
Verdict: Gasquet to win the match 15/4
Sinner won their only previous meeting in straight sets at this year’s Indian Wells Masters. But the grass will certainly offer a bit more opportunity for the French Open. Expect him to use that backhand slice to good effect. Sinner hasn’t looked great on grass and I honestly think that Gasquet could produce an upset here.
Alex Zverev 2/17 | Dominic Thiem 21/5
Hometown hero Alex Zverev will be making his first grass-court appearance following his excellent semi-final run at the French Open. The controversial Zverev seems to have regained some of his best from following his horror injury at last year’s French Open.
His semi-final run in Paris was preceded by a semi-final run in Geneva. Zverev is a two-time Halle finalist though I find it surprising that he is still yet to win a grass-court tile. You would think that his huge serve and forehand would make him an ideal candidate for this surface.
He has remarkably never gone beyond the 4th round at Wimbledon. I have always thought his movement looks a bit labored on the grass. He often loses his footing and tends to lose his rhythm.
But he had a grim determination in Paris and I’m sure he will be hugely motivated to finally make an impression at this year’s 3rd Major. A good run here could be the platform he needs.
It’s kind of crazy to think that these two competed in a US Open final in 2020. Thiem won that Slam and looked set to be one of the world’s leading players for the next decade.
But injury has utterly devastated the Austrian’s career. Victory over Filip Misolic at last year’s Salzburg Challenger was his first win of any kind in 14 months. And he has largely struggled this year. In truth, it has been painful to watch. But he formed picked up somewhat during the European hardcourt swing (he reached the quarterfinals in Estoril and Munich).
And this isn’t traditionally a surface that has been kind to the Austrian. He has never gone beyond the 4th round at Wimbledon (though he did win the Stuttgart title in 2018).
He has long take-backs off both wings and the ball does tend to rush him on grass. He will be looking to take advantage of his wildcard status and produce an upset win against an all-too-familiar foe.
Verdict: Thiem actually has a commanding 8-3 head-to-head record against the German.
This included his memorable five-set win the 2021 US Open final. This will actually be their first meeting on grass. I can’t look past a comfy win for the German. He is comfortable in this venue and seems to be regaining his best form. Thiem is in pretty awful form and he has never really been one for the idiosyncrasies of grass.
