Canadian tennis star Denis Shapovalov returned to the Tour earlier this year after missing out on the second half of the last season due to a knee injury. But he has looked far from his best in his previous tournaments this year. However, he has got off to a winning start in Geneva by clinching a victory against Argentina’s Federico Coria in his R32 match. Shapovalov will now face the Dutchman, Tallon Griekspoor in the R16 clash of the 2024 Geneva Open. Griekspoor, on the other hand, will enter into this contest after his recent victory against America’s Christopher Eubanks in the R32 of this tournament. He fought till the end to seal the deal against the American. Can he showcase a similar brand of tennis against Shapovalov?

Denis Shapovalov vs Tallon Griekspoor: Preview

Shapovalov couldn’t make his presence felt in his previous tournaments this year. But in his first match at the Geneva Open, he dominated his opponent and secured a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Coria. In that match, he hit one ace and committed two double faults. His first serve win percentage was 71% but it dropped to 63% on the second serve. He converted five out of his seven breakpoints in that match against the Argentinian. Denis Shapovalov has hit 139 aces so far this season and has committed 117 double faults.

He has won 81% of his service games and 18% of his return games this year. Shapovalov is a proven player on the men’s tour, in fact, he reached the number 10 spot in the men’s singles ranking in 2020. But currently, he is ranked 126 in singles. Can he get back to the Top 100 this year? But before that, he needs to overcome this Dutch challenge in Geneva.

Tallon Griekspoor had a decent start to his season this year and he reached the SF of ATP Rotterdam. But he has failed to continue his winning momentum in the rest of the season so far. However, in Geneva, he started his campaign with a win against Chris Eubank by a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 margin. He hit four aces and committed three double faults in the entire match. His first serve win percentage was around 72% while it was just around 69% on the second serve.

Griekspoor converted just two out of his seven breakpoints against Eubanks. However, his overall stats from this season have been quite impressive. Tallon Griekspoor has hit a total of 205 aces this season and committed just 64 double faults. He has won 82% of his service games compared to just 13% of his return games this year. The one who takes the half chances and converts those into winners will have the edge in this enticing contest. But who has the edge in the H2H?

Shapovalov vs Griekspoor: Head-to-Head

Both of them haven’t met each other earlier on the tour, so currently, their H2H scoreline is 0-0. But they’re two of the most talented players from their respective nations and this is what makes this contest more interesting. Both Denis Shapovalov and Tallon Griekspoor are hungry to get a good result from their Geneva campaign. But who will be the winner in the clash between the left-handed Shapovalov versus the right-handed Griekspoor?

Prediction: Griekspoor to win this match against the former number 10

Tallon Griekspoor currently has a win-loss record of 14-11. Whereas, Denis Shapovalov has a record of just 9-12. However, the Canadian tennis star reached the finals of this tournament in 2021. But Griekspoor’s best result came at the 2022 Geneva Open where he reached the QF. So, this match may well go a bit deeper than expected!

Griekspoor possesses a formidable serve with a strong baseline game. He has some real venom behind groundstrokes and also has a good court coverage ability. On the other hand, Shapovalov plays an aggressive brand of tennis with some high-risk shots. He has some of the strongest groundstrokes on the Tour.

Denis Shapovalov has the ability to play one-handed backhand shot but his signature shot is his leaping backhand. However, he needs to put a check on his unforced errors to make this contest more intriguing against Griekspoor. But if we look at the overall form of both these players in this season, the Dutchman looks slightly ahead of the Canadian at the moment.