Griekspoor's Endless Nightmare
It's starting to get really ugly now for Tallon...
0 wins and 6 losses since getting back on hardcourts. Facing Moutet, Taro Daniel, and Mannarino in his last three (Counterpunchers). And if that wasn't enough... now he has to face the ultimate disruptor - Brooksby. Griekspoor already had a complete no-show against him in Wimbledon earlier this year when they both came from deep runs in tournaments pre-slam (Brooksby in Eastbourne and Griekspoor in Mallorca). Brooksby is coming from a semifinal in Tokyo, handling the opening round against Trotter very nicely despite a short turnaround.
Brooksby can struggle in this kind of matchup (against Big Server / Attacking Baseliner), as we just witnessed it in his match against Fritz in Tokyo. It's this kind of player or a counterpuncher like Nishioka/Moutet (yes, especially lefty ones) that he struggles with. Well, the issue is that Griekspoor's level is nowhere near Fritz's at the moment, we know that. Being able to serve well is crucial against Brooksby, cause you don't want to get stuck in long rallies on your own serve against him. And you also have to be able to attack his serve, once again trying to shorten points before he can start to weave the famous "web". So, at least Griekspoor has the weapons with his serve and forehand to win this match. However, with the lack of confidence, he is more likely to pull the trigger at the wrong time without constructing points properly and this is something that Brooksby is really good at exploiting. And of course, we have to mention the conditions, Griekspoor really doesn't like the heat and humidity. At least that's a little bit offset by the fact that Brooksby is coming from a deep run in Tokyo and played on Thursday as well, even if many of the matches were quite short. Can we still find some value in the odds to fade Griekspoor one last time before returning ot European Indoor Hardcourt?
