Will Zverev also falter against Nakashima?

Tennis fans cannot complain about a lack of excitement in the men’s competition at the French Open 2022. Already in the first rounds, great comeback qualities were required from some top players to remain in the tournament. Germany’s number one, Alexander Zverev, already had one foot out of the tournament, but fought his way back. The third round will now see a duel between Alexander Zverev and Brandon Nakashima.

Just like Carlos Alcaraz (against his compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas), Alexander Zverev also had to fend off a match point in his duel with Argentina’s Sebastian Baez before he was able to convert his first match point after 3:39 playing time. The 20-year-old US player Nakashima had much less trouble in his second-round match against Tallon Griekspoor and won clearly in three sets.

Despite the clear success, the youngster from the USA is considered a clear underdog. For a favourite win by Zverev against Nakashima, betting odds of 1.10 are not even offered. Will Zverev stumble again? Or will the world number three get the expected clear victory this time?

Alexander Zverev – Statistics & current form

Alexander Zverev was still in excellent form against qualifier Sebastian Ofner and beat the Austrian in three sets. He started a Grand Slam tournament without losing a set for the fourth time in a row and for the 14th time in his career. But there was no sign of his strong form against the Argentine clay court specialist Sebastian Baez.

Comeback after 2:6 and 0:4

Zverev looked lethargic, listless and tired at the start of the match and was chased back and forth on court by the lively Baez. Zverev was completely lost and quickly trailed 2:6 and 0:4. At that point, the third round was a long way away, but he gradually fought his way back into the match. He gained more length in his game and certainly benefited from his opponent’s dwindling fitness.

Sets three and four were a clear affair for the German, but Baez gathered his strength once again in the decisive set. Zverev was trailing 2:4, had to fend off a match point at 4:5 to finally win the set and the match 7:5. He was overjoyed to still be in the tournament during the interview afterwards.

For his role as co-favourite for the title at the French Open 2022, he will definitely have to improve his performance. Especially in view of the tough draw in the top draw, an early five-set match is not necessarily ideal. And an outright victory is not necessarily to be expected in the third round either. Zverev has been in the third GS round 19 times so far, winning 13 of those matches, but only six times in three sets. Accordingly, a forecast for Zverev against Nakashima on the underdog +2.5 sets with odds of well over 2.00 is an exciting recommendation.

Brandon Nakashima – Statistics & current form

In the USA there is now an increasing trend of college tennis and a later entry onto the ATP Tour. Brandon Nakashima from California initially followed this path, but he decided to drop out of college after just one semester and immediately switch to the big tour. A decision he has certainly not regretted so far, at least from a sporting point of view. The 20-year-old US boy has already established himself in the world’s top 100 and is ranked 75th in the current world rankings.

First time in the third GS round

For a US American, the red clay courts are not necessarily the favourite surface now and while he has been in the main event at the three other GS tournaments, the 2022 French Open is his debut. And it will be his best ever performance at a Grand Slam tournament. He also showed comeback qualities against Poland’s Kamil Majchzrak and celebrated a victory after trailing 1:2 in the first set.

In the duel with Tallon Griekspoor he left nothing to be desired and against the world number 58 he was clearly superior from the beginning. 75 per cent points on first serve are a very strong value, especially on clay court, and enabled him to dictate the match from the start. By reaching the third GS round for the first time, Nakashima is already ranked 63rd in the live rankings and is only one place away from his career high (62 in November 2021).

Nakashima is certainly one of the youngsters who will break into the world’s elite in the coming years. His high-pressure game comes into its own even better on the fast courts, but he is gradually finding his feet on clay as well. Nakashima certainly brings the potential and quality to make the match tighter than it seems on paper.

Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima Direct comparison / H2H record

Head to Head: 1:0

The only time the two players have faced each other so far was at the US Open in 2020. Nakashima had home advantage and was able to challenge top player Zverev for long stretches of the match and even won the second set. As the match progressed, however, Zverev lived up to his role as favourite and won the third and fourth sets with ease.

Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima Tip

There is no question about the German being the clear favourite in this third-round match. Although after his weak performance in the second round against Baez there are a few doubts and therefore between Zverev and Nakashima it is not recommended to bet on a clear Zverev win.

Nakashima has nothing to lose and has already significantly exceeded his expectations by reaching a third GS round for the first time. The 20-year-old US boy can play with extreme pressure and also has a very high rate of winning points after the first service on clay.

One or the other possibility will also arise against Zverev and in this respect the bet on at least one set win for the outsider seems very likely between Alexander Zverev and Brandon Nakashima. Six units will be used as a stake for this.