The 28-man field at the ATP Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune has been whittled down to two as Benjamin Bonzi and Tallon Griekspoor are set to square off for the title. We have seen high-level tennis all week long in the 27th edition of this ATP event, but one man is set to gain extreme confidence ahead of the first Slam of the season. Let’s get into the preview and prediction.
ATP Pune Finals Prediction
Benjamin Bonzi vs Tallon Griekspoor
Head-to-Head: Bonzi 1-0 Griekspoor
Neither Benjamin Bonzi nor Tallon Griekspoor was one of the eight-seeded players in this draw, making this final encounter all the more impressive. Bonzi’s path to the final included straight-set wins over Chun-Hsin Tseng, No. 3 seed Emil Ruusuvuori, and No. 6 seed Filip Krajinovic before being tested during his 7-6 6-7 6-1 semifinal victory over No. 2 seed Botic van de Zandschulp. Griekspoor bested No. 7 seed Jaume Munar and Marco Cecchinato in straight sets before a quarterfinal walkover against Marin Cilic. He then defeated No. 8 seed Aslan Karatsev in the semifinals. Bonzi has spent six hours and 55 minutes on the court this week compared to the Dutchman’s four hours and ten minutes. That said, fatigue should not be a factor for either player.
Bonzi and Griekspoor have met one time previously. The Frenchman got the better of the Dutchman 7-5 4-6 7-6 at a clay-court Challenger event back in 2018. These two owned the Challenger Tour back in 2021. Bonzi held a 50-13 record with six titles, and Griekspoor was 42-7 with eight titles. The two spent most of their efforts at the ATP level last season but have yet to make significant progress against the world’s best. This is the first tour-level final appearance for both players.
I expect nerves to play a factor for these 26-year-olds. The opportunity to raise an ATP Tour singles trophy is something they have been working a long time for and will likely bring nerves to the forefront. That said, both players should settle in and produce a very high-quality back-and-forth match. I trust the Frenchman more in crucial moments, and the variety he plays with will help keep Griekspoor off balance. On top of that, Bonzi would become the top-ranked Frenchman with a win. This is another reason to expect he will be extra motivated to capture this title.
Prediction: Bonzi in 3
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