The BOSS Open continues this week as Denis Shapovalov faces Matteo Berrettini and Richard Gasquet faces Brandon Nakashima.
2024 ATP Tour
ATP 250 Series
BOSS Open
Tennis Club Weissenhof
Selected Ro 16 matches – 13 June
Denis Shapovalov 99/100 | Matteo Berrettini 79/100
This is a pretty glamourous round of 16 clash that could have easily been a Grand Slam quarter-final in years past. It feels like a lifetime ago when a fresh-faced Denis Shapovalov shocked the world with victory over Nadal at the 2017 Canadian Open.
After that, much was expected of the big-hitting lefty, and he appeared to be on a decent trajectory for some time (highlighted by a run to the 2021 Wimbledon semi-finals). But loss of form and injury issues have seen him careen outside the world’s top 100.
He hasn’t reached a final since late 2022 and he was forced to miss the end of the 2023 season due to a knee issue. And he has really struggled to find his feet this season, improving his tour-level record to a meagre 10-14 with a tight straight-sets win over Matteo Martineau.
He should get slightly better purchase off the grass, collecting some cheap points with that massive lefty delivery. He reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last season in his last performance of true quality.
But his movement has been dodgy this season, resulting in more unforced errors than usual from his racquet.
Big-serving Italian Matteo Berrettini has cultivated a wonderful Grand Slam repertoire over the years, reaching the quarter-final stage or better in six Slams (most notably finishing runner-up at Wimbledon in 2021). But injuries have just been the bane of his existence.
He suffered a right ankle problem at last year’s US Open that saw him sidelined for six months. He returned to action in pretty resounding fashion earlier this year, reaching a Challenger final in Phoenix before winning a title in Marrakech.
He missed much of the remainder of the clay-court season, focusing all his energy on preparation for the grass-court swing. Berrettini has been one of the preeminent grass-court players in recent seasons, winning four grass-court titles to go with that wonderful 2021 Wimbledon run. He has twice won in Stuttgart, last capturing the title here two years ago.
He looked understandably rusty in his opener, relying on that megawatt serve to bail him out against Safiullin. He notched 26 aces and just one double fault in a pristine serving display that covered up some of the cracks in his game.
But this is grass, and a formidable serve goes a long way out there (just ask a certain Goran Ivanisevic).
The Verdict: Berrettini to win in straight sets 18/10
Shapovalov has won both of their previous matches (though their last meeting came five years ago). I just can’t see a world where Shapovalov negotiates his way around that Berrettini serve.
The Italian had to dig deep against 8th seed Romain Safiullin and will be feeling the impact of that marathon. But Shapovalov is in pretty dreary form, losing in the first match of last week’s Surbiton Trophy.
Richard Gasquet 21/10 | Brandon Nakashima 36/100
I have to wonder what masochistic urge propels Richard Gasquet forward. The 37-year-old former World No.7 has been in absolutely abysmal form for some time now, going 3-9 in tour-level matches this season (whilst also losing a stickful of matches in Challengers and qualifiers).
His race is clearly run but he appears dead-set on going out on his own terms. And it all looks a little sad. His route to the round of 16 clash has been about as chaotic as his recent form.
He lost to compatriot Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the last round of qualifying but progressed as a lucky loser to the round of 32. He then received a bye after losing to Roland Garros finalist Alex Zverev understandably decided to withdraw from his home open.
Gasquet will look to draw inspiration from a grass-court back catalogue that includes two Wimbledon semi-finals and three other titles. Curiously, he actually reached the final of this event back in 2008 when it was still played on clay.
22-year-old Brandon Nakashima hasn’t exactly been magnificent this season (he came into this event with a tour-level record of 6-7 this year).
But he has shone on the Challenger circuit, reaching the semi-final stage or better in five events. He crucially played well at last week’s Surbiton Trophy, winning three matches before going out to Riedl in three sets.
Nakashima has shown a fondness for grass in the past, reaching the 4th round of Wimbledon in 2022. He actually pushed eventual runner-up Nick Kyrgios to five sets in a classic round of 16 clash. He just saw off a seriously out-of-form Christopher Eubanks in his opener and he will be confident of reaching just his 2nd tour-level quarter-final of the season.
The Verdict: Nakashima to win in three sets 51/20
These two share the tour-level head-to-head spoils at one win apiece (though Nakashima did win when they met on the Challenger Circuit last year).
I think that Gasquet will try his hardest to take advantage of the massive break he has received this week. He has really solid grass-court credentials and this is the surface where he could spring a surprise.
But Nakashima should wear him out with his intense physicality and excellent foot movement.
