Wimbledon 2022: Carlos Alcaraz vs Tallon Griekspoor preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Carlos Alcaraz vs Tallon Griekspoor.
Date: June 29, 2022.
Tournament: Wimbledon 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 64).
Venue: London, United Kingdom.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: £40,350,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Tallon Griekspoor preview
Teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz will take on World No. 53 Tallon Griekspoor in the second round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday.
Alcaraz arrived at the All England Club having played just a couple of exhibition matches on grass, along with a taped-up elbow. Up against the dangerous Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round, the Spaniard had his work cut out for him.
Alcaraz dropped his serve early on in the opening set and the German held on to that lead to clinch the set. The second set was evenly balanced, but the teenager broke his opponent in the final game to win it.
In the first game of the third set, the Spaniard saved a couple of break points for a tough service hold. Alcaraz was broken later on, with Struff gaining the upper hand to lead 4-3. The German then served out the set after a couple of games.
The teenager held a break point in the second game of the fourth set, but failed to make the most of it. He had four more break points in the eighth game, but Struff dug deep for a gutsy hold of serve. Alcaraz eventually came out on top in the ensuing tie-break to bag the set and force a decider.
Both players were perfectly matched for most of the final set, but Struff was the one to blink first, and it cost him the match. The German had a game point in the ninth game, but hit a double fault.
Struff made some brilliant plays at the net throughout the match, but missed an easy volley on the next point. Another error after that gave the teenager the break he was looking for. Alcaraz easily served out the match in the next game to win 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4.
Teenage kicks 💥
@carlosalcaraz, the youngest man in the draw, secures a brilliant victory against Jan-Lennard Struff
#Wimbledon https://t.co/Z66hBU8qVq
Tallon Griekspoor faced a tough opponent in the first round as well, as he took on Fabio Fognini. A solitary break of serve towards the end of the first set was enough for the Italian to clinch the opener.
Griekspoor struck back by winning the second set to level the match. Fognini started the third set with a break of serve, but lost the next four games to fall behind. The Italian was unable to recover from this deficit and lost the set.
Griekspoor saved a break point in the eighth game of the fourth set and then immediately broke Fognini's serve in the next game to lead 5-4. He had to save a break point yet again, but served out the match to win 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. The victory was his first at Wimbledon.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Tallon Griekspoor head-to-head
This will be their first meeting on the tour, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Tallon Griekspoor odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Tallon Griekspoor prediction
Alcaraz is still inexperienced on grass, but he makes up for it with his fighting spirit. The teenager blasted 30 aces in his first-round win over Struff and hit 73 winners compared to 40 unforced errors.
Griekspoor's frequent forays to the net worked out well for him against Fognini as he won 75% of the points in which he did so. Struff did the same against Alcaraz to great effect, but the teenager came up with some brilliant passing shots in reply. The Dutchman will need to ensure his timing is perfect or else suffer the same fate as Struff.
Alcaraz has the edge when it comes to serving and baseline rallies. However, he went 2/14 on break points in the first round. He cannot afford to miss so many chances yet again. With first-round jitters behind him, the teenager is likely to put up a better performance against Griekspoor to oust him.
Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in four sets.