The Swiss Open Gstaad continues this week as top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas faces Fabio Fognini as Tomas Etcheverry goes up against Jan-Lennard Struff. Damien Kayat previews.
2024 ATP Tour – ATP 250
Swiss Open Gstaad
Roy Emerson Arena
Selected QF matches – 19 July
Stefanos Tsitsipas 1/9 | Fabio Fognini 52/10
People need to get thicker skin. Greek star Tsitsipas has caused a ‘stir’ with recent Instagram posts, where he jokingly chides girlfriend Paula Badosa about her fitness and calls her a ‘hippo’.
Sure, this doesn’t sound great out of context. But it was just playful banter between two ultra-fit athletes. In any event, Tsitsipas will be using this event to finetune his clay-court game ahead of the rapidly approaching Paris Olympics.
The Greek is coming off a really disappointing grass-court swing and he will be hoping that a return to his favourite surface can pay rich dividends. He looked a bit shaky in his opener, surviving a tight first-set tiebreak to eventually overcome Medjedovic in straight sets.
But Tsitsipas is a seasoned clay-court aficionado who will only grow as the tournament progresses. He was exceptional on the sticky stuff earlier this year, winning in Monte-Carlo before adding a runner-up finish in Barcelona. Victory in this tournament will be just what the doctor ordered ahead of Paris.
Next up for Tsitsipas is grizzled Italian veteran Fabio Fognini. A former Monte Carlo Masters champion, Fognini always had the ability to shock on the biggest stages.
But at 37 years of age, the chances of him taking down a bona fide Grand Slam contender have grown much slimmer. He has battled with injuries and poor form throughout the season.
But he did reach the quarter-finals at the Grand Prix Hassan II. And he just showed up surprisingly well at SW19, eventually going down in five sets to Bautista Agut in the third round. And he should be pretty comfortable in these environs, winning the title here back in 2018. He started this week in impressive fashion, downing Frenchman Droguet in straight sets.
He was made to dig deep against Viralles, coming back from a set down to take the match. Fognini can be a very tricky operator, using a variety of drop-shots to unsettle his opponents. Could he turn back the hands of time to cause a real upset here?
The Verdict: Tsitsipas to win in three 29/10
Tsitsipas has utterly dominated this rivalry 4-0 (only dropping one set to Fognini in the process). I just think this venue will give Fognini some confidence.
The higher altitude means that he can really go for broke on that forehand wing, eliminating some of the more protracted rallies. He really has nothing to lose out there and can essentially treat this like a glorified exhibition match.
A loss for Tsitsipas could prove catastrophic to his gold medal chances. Maybe a three-set win for Tsitsipas provides the best value. I just think that the mercurial Fognini always has it in him to steal a set on clay (even against the best).
Tomas Etcheverry 5/4 | Jan-Lennard Struff 62/100
24-year-old Argentine Tomas Etcheveerry came into this tournament in pretty dire form, winning just one of his last five competitive matches. The big-hitting Argentine – who reminds me so much of fellow countryman Juan Martin del Potro – needs a solid week to help boost his confidence ahead of the Olympics.
But he impressed in his opener, taking down a much more in-form Van de Zandschulp in three sets. Etcheverry has proven himself to be an excellent clay-court operator over the last few seasons.
He reached the quarterfinals at last year’s French Open and backed that up with semifinal runs in Houston and Barcelona this year. He also finished runner-up in Geneva and he will feel confident of doing well in these conditions.
Blessed with a solid serve and thunderous forehand, the Argentine has the weaponry to truly penetrate these courts.
34-year-old Jan Lennard Struff is arguably playing the best tennis of his career this season. Sure, he did manage to achieve the unthinkable last year, becoming the first lucky loser in history to reach a Masters 1000 final in Madrid. B
ut his results have been much more consistent this season (he hasn’t lost a first-round match since February). He won his maiden ATP Tour title on the Munich clay-courts and he just reached the third round in back-to-back slams.
The ultra-aggressive Struff doesn’t allow his opponents to breathe, backing up a booming serve with solid volleying and a terrific double-handed backhand.
He hasn’t been at his fluent best this week, with his serve bailing him out in four back-to-back tiebreaks. The high altitude allows the ball to pierce the air and Struff’s dynamic serve is a big plus.
The Verdict: Struff to win in straight sets 15/10
This will be their first-ever tour-level meeting (though Etcheverry eased past Struff in the Bordeaux Challenger last season). I just think these two are at slightly different places at present.
Etcheverry has been struggling with consistency while Struff has collected 24 wins this year. Struff’s big serve has been exemplary thus far and I think that will once again be a huge factor.
