Cometh the grass, Cometh Matteo Berrettini! The 28-year-old Italian has been struggling with injuries and lack of form over the last few years. Someone who was among the Top 10 a few years ago is currently ranked 65th in the world. However, he has always looked a completely different player on grass courts. The finalist of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships started the grass court swing in style! He reached the finals in Stuttgart just a few days ago and now he’s looking for a QF spot at the Halle Open.

Matteo Berrettini will take on America’s Marcos Giron in the R16 at the OWL Arena on Thursday (June 20). The Italian hasn’t played much this season but still has managed to grab a title and reach the finals on two occasions of his previous tournaments. On the other hand, Marcos Giron has reached one final, one SF, and one QF this year. It’ll be interesting to see who takes the first step forward to the QF of the Halle Open this year.

Matteo Berrettini vs Marcos Giron: Preview

Berrettini defeated another American, Alex Michelsen in the R32 by 7-6(5),6-2. He hammered thirteen aces against the teenager and committed just a single double fault in the entire match. The Italian tennis star won 81% of his first serve and 56% of his second serve. He successfully converted three out of his four breakpoints in that match against Michelsen.

Matteo Berrettini has hit a total of 99 aces this season and has committed just 19 double faults. He has won 91% of his service games and 22% of his return games so far. Grass courts are his happy hunting ground, surely the numbers are going to get even better from here on this year.

Marcos Giron on the other hand is entering this contest after defeating the current world number six, Andrey Rublev by 6-4,7-6(5). How are his numbers compared to the former world number six? Well, let us first look at the numbers from his previous match. Giron hit eight aces in the R32 match and committed just a single double fault. He won 77% of his first serve and 55% of his second serve. However, the American tennis star could only convert two of his six breakpoints in that match.

Now if we take a look at his numbers from this season, Marcos Giron has hit 116 aces so far this season and has committed 34 double faults. He has won 80% of his service games and just 22% of his return games.

Berrettini vs Giron: Head-to-head

Both the players have met each other only once in their careers so far. It was in the R32 of the 2020 Paris Masters and in that match, Marcos Giron defeated Matteo Berrettini by 7-6(3),6(0)-7,7-5. Looking at the stats from that match, Berrettini hit fourteen aces and committed six double faults against the American. Marcos Giron on the other hand, hit eight aces and committed just three double faults. He won 66% of his first serve and 54% of his second serve while it was 80% and 55% respectively for Berrettini. The Italian converted just one out of his eight breakpoints, but Marcos Giron successfully converted two out of his four breakpoints in that match.

Prediction: Berrettini to win in three sets

Matteo Berrettini is in better form as compared to Marco Giron at the moment and this is one factor that will keep him ahead in this contest. The other big factor will definitely be the surface! If we look at their win-loss record this season, Berrettini has recorded 10-4 compared to just 13-15 by Giron. The Italian tennis star’s best record in this tournament came in 2019 when he reached the SF, but for the American, it was reaching the QF in 2021.

Marcos Giron is a solid baseliner with a strong forehand. On the other hand, Matteo Berrettini is known for his aggressive style of play. He is in fact one of the fastest servers on the Tour and has an equally powerful forehand. However, his backhand is comparatively a bit weaker but he can disguise his opponents with his incredible drop shots. So, looking at their form, playing style, and records on this surface, Matteo Berrettini clearly has an edge in this intriguing contest.