One of the busiest months on the tennis calendar will reach its climax this weekend as the ATP Geneva Open will look to crown a new champion. After that, it will be less than 24 hours until the first ball is struck in Paris for the second Grand Slam of the year. But, will Alexander Zverev’s last roll of the dice produce a lucky number or Nicolas Jarry will cap a fine of week of his career with a crowning moment of his maiden ATP title?
ATP Geneva Open Final Prediction: Alexander Zverev v Nicolas Jarry
Head-To-Head: Zverev 0-1 Jarry
Alexander Zverev
We are halfway through the year and Alexander Zverev is still seeking his first ATP title of 2019. And in a desperate last minute move, the German committed to play at 250-level tournament for the third time in the last two months.
The 22-year-old finished 2018 at a career-high ranking of World No.3 and signing off with a stunning victory over World No.1 Novak Djokovic at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals championship match. Zverev was widely expected to build on that splendid week in London when he set foot in Melbourne. However, things did not go as planned and he recorded his worst start to a season since 2015. Illness and niggling injuries contributed to early losses during the first quarter of the year, and his confidence was at an all-time low when he arrived in Madrid. His only significant result of the year was a runner-up finish in Acapulco.
The German has been notorious at stumbling at Majors, and considering his poor form, he will perhaps relish playing with little expectation and having the spotlight turned away in the next two weeks. But before Zverev can contemplate Paris and Roland Garros, he will set his eyes firmly on one man who handed him a chastening defeat in Barcelona.
Nicolas Jarry
Jarry- the man hailing from Santiago – has been on a roll this week in the southwest Switzerland. Dry conditions, a little bit of altitude and a clay-court Jarry said remind him of his childhood memories while growing up in his native Chile.
Jarry is only 23 and sports a huge presence on the small court in Geneva. His serve has been almost impregnable this week (broken only twice), and was terrific in dismissing Denis Kudla, Taro Daniel, and Radu Albot without dropping a set. The challenge will be vastly superior in the final on Saturday, but the Chilean has been here before and passed the Zverev test. After earning a spot in the main draw in Barcelona as a lucky loser, Jarry saved a match-point in the second round to thwart the German in three pulsating sets. Could it be a case of déjà vu which will propel Jarry to win his first ATP tour-level title?
Who will win?
Zverev’s last bid to find some form prior to Roland Garros might come back to haunt him especially if he stumbles yet again at another Grand Slam in two weeks time. But his focus will firmly rest towards capturing a confidence-boosting title win in Switzerland. Nicolas Jarry, on the other hand, has nothing to lose and will be buoyed by the German’s poor form off late.
However, the Chilean is very inexperienced at this stage of a tournament. His only previous final came in Sao Paulo last year, making this a potentially tight match. Judging by both these two players’ performances over the last five days, Jarry has been clinical and barely broke a sweat in attaining straight-sets wins in all his matches. Zverev ,meanwhile, struggled to impose himself against Bolivian Hugo Dellien. He was then pushed to three sets against Federico Delbonis in the semifinals. The German is feeling the pressure big time, and big-hitting Jarry is not the player you would want to face while searching for rhythm.
Prediction: Jarry in 3
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