French Open 2022: Alexander Zverev vs Brandon Nakashima preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Alexander Zverev vs Brandon Nakashima.
Tournament: French Open 2022.
Date: 27 May 2022.
Round: Third round (Round of 32).
Venue: Paris, France.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Outdoor Clay.
Prize money: €21,256,800.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports and Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten.
Alexander Zverev vs Brandon Nakashima preview
Third seed Alexander Zverev will square off against World No. 75 Brandon Nakashima in the third round of the 2022 French Open on Friday.
After getting past Sebastian Ofner in the first round without breaking a sweat, Zverev almost saw his campaign in Paris come to an end in the second against Sebastian Baez. The World No. 36 came out of the gate swinging, breaking the German's serve in the very first game of the match. He secured another break to lead 5-1 before taking the opening set.
Baez rode his momentum to go up a double break in the second, leading 4-0 and almost breaking for the third time. Zverev, though, showed signs of a fightback by retrieving one of the breaks but was powerless to stop Baez from taking a two-set lead.
The World No. 3 stepped up his game, winning the next two sets to force a fifth. With momentum firmly on his side, it appeared as if Zverev was on the verge of a successful comeback. However, Baez broke to lead 4-2 but immediately conceded the advantage. With Zverev serving to stay in the match at 4-5, he saved a match point for a gutsy service hold.
He went on to break Beaz in the next game before serving out a 2-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-5 win. Zverev improved to 8-1 in five-set matches at Roland Garros, with his only loss coming against Stefanos Tsitsipas in last year's semifinals.
8-1 in five set matches at #RolandGarros https://t.co/T90UWn3mWh
Meanwhile, after needing five sets to get past Kamil Majchrzak in the first round, Brandon Nakashima had a much easier time against Tallon Griekspoor in the second. The first set was closely contested, with the American saving four set points in the tie-break before clinching the opener.
Nakashima trailed 3-1 in the second but won five of the next six games to take a two-set lead. From 2-2 in the third, the 20-year-old reeled off four straight games to win 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-2 and reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Alexander Zverev vs Brandon Nakashima head-to-head
Zverev won their only previous meeting at the 2020 US Open in four sets. So he leads the pair's head-to-head 1-0.
Alexander Zverev vs Brandon Nakashima odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Alexander Zverev vs Brandon Nakashima prediction
Zverev's powerful serve came in handy against Baez in the second round. Instead of hitting double faults or weak serves under pressure, he stayed solid when it mattered the most. His ground game was decent, and he did quite well at the net too, winning 61% of the points.
However, another slow start against Nakashima could lead to a quick exit for Zverev. The German needs to avoid being passive at the start and needs to assert himself on court.
Nakashima played a clean match in the second round, finishing with 25 winners and 14 unforced errros. His serve, while decent, lands him in trouble at times, which Zverev will look to exploit.
The American's movement is quite good, and his backhand could cause Zverev trouble. However, Nakashima has never beaten a top-10 player. So Zverev will fancy his chances of a comfortable win against his younger opponent.
Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in four sets.
Also Check Out :- French Open 2022 Results