Gstaad 2022: Matteo Berrettini vs Richard Gasquet preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Swiss Open
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Matteo Berrettini vs Richard Gasquet.
Date: July 21, 2022.
Tournament: Swiss Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Gstaad, Switzerland.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Clay.
Prize money: €534,555.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Canada - TSN.
Matteo Berrettini vs Richard Gasquet preview
After a first-round bye, second seed Matteo Berrettini will take on Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the second round of the 2022 Swiss Open on Thursday.
Following a minor hand surgery after the Miami Open in March, Berrettini skipped the entire clay season. He returned to action for the grass swing and was off to a great start. The Italian won the very first tournament he competed in upon his comeback, claiming the Stuttgart Open title after defeating Andy Murray in the final.
Berrettini claimed his second title in a row at the Queen's Club Championships. The Italian was the runner-up at Wimbledon last year and, based on his form, was one of the frontrunners to win the title this time around. Unfortunately, he was forced to withdraw from the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.
Berrettini will now be aiming to win his very first match on clay this year in Gstaad.
Richard Gasquet was up against Roberto Carballes Baena in the first round. The Frenchman lost the first couple of games to start the match, but won the next three to take a 3-2 lead.
The duo remained on serve until the end, when Carballes Baena got broken while serving to stay in the set, handing the opening set to his opponent.
Gasquet was on the backfoot at the start of the second set, going down 3-1. He fought back by winning three games in a row once again to go 4-3 up. With Carballes Baena serving to stay in the match at 5-4, the Frenchman broke his serve for the final time to win 7-5, 6-4.
Through to the next round! 🙌
@richardgasquet1 defeats Roberto Carballes Baena 7-5 6-4 to advance in Gstaad!
@swissopengstaad | #swissopengstaad https://t.co/e1enIuefJh
A former Swiss Open champion, Gasquet will be hoping to replicate the form that carried him to the title here all the way back in 2006.
Matteo Berrettini vs Richard Gasquet head-to-head
Berrettini leads Gasquet 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2019 US Open in four sets.
Matteo Berrettini vs Richard Gasquet odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Matteo Berrettini vs Richard Gasquet prediction
Berrettini is currently on a nine-match winning streak. However, this will be the 26-year-old's first match on clay this year and Gasquet will likely have an opportunity to pull off an upset win. The Frenchman notably stunned Daniil Medvedev in Geneva earlier this year upon the Russian's return from surgery as well.
Gasquet played quite well in his opening round contest against Carballes Baena and utilized an array of tactics to bother his opponent. With perfectly timed drop shots and by alternating between slices and topspin forehands, he dictated the play for most of the contest.
His serving stats were quite good too, but he will need to be more judicious with respect to break points after going 4/13 against Carballes Baena.
Berrettini is a big server and if Gasquet doesn't make the most of his chances, he could be in big trouble. The Italian will look to pummel his forehand to turn points in his favor.
Given that he hasn't competed on clay at all this year, it's tough to predict how Berrettini will perform. But if he's able to go toe-to-toe with Gasquet until the end, he's likely to come out on top.
Pick: Matteo Berrettini to win in three sets.