Main draw action at the 2022 Geneva Open starts on Sunday with two first-round matches on the schedule. Kamil Majchrzak plays Alexander Bublik, while Tommy Paul will take on Tallon Griekspoor. Who do you think will advance?
Kamil Majchrzak vs Alexander Bublik
Head-to-head: 1-1
Alexander Bublik has been a bit of a rough watch this clay-court season, earning just one win against Stan Wawrinka in Monte Carlo. He’s on a four-match losing streak since and while the quality of the opposition has been pretty high for the most part, slower surfaces test the Kazakh’s patience to the extent that he often loses his motivation.
Kamil Majchrzak isn’t doing great right now either, going down in the final qualifying round at both Monte Carlo and Rome. The Pole’s career has followed this path where he has a few good results but then generally struggles to establish himself as an ATP Tour regular. Still, he covers the court extremely well and has the ability to make Bublik play one more ball. Along with the improved serve, this should be enough to make him a slight favorite here.
Prediction: Majchrzak in 3
Tommy Paul vs Tallon Griekspoor
Head-to-head: First meeting
Tallon Griekspoor hasn’t exactly followed up on his historic run of eight Challenger titles in a season, but the Dutchman had a solid campaign in Rome, scoring two wins in the qualifying and taking a set off Sebastian Baez. His serve and forehand are definitely ATP Tour-level weapons, but the form just isn’t quite the same as in 2021.
Meanwhile, it feels like Tommy Paul has been a little unlucky this clay-court season, running into some dangerous opponents early and wasting match points against Jannik Sinner. The American is a very competent player on the dirt though and he’s got the game to stand up to Griekspoor’s artillery.
Prediction: Paul in 3
Main Photo from Getty Images
