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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Alexander Zverev vs Jordan Thompson
Date: October 16, 2023
Tournament: Japan Open Tennis Championships 2023
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $2,013,940
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Alexander Zverev vs Jordan Thompson preview
Third seed Alexander Zverev will play against Jordan Thompson in the first round of the 2023 Japan Open.
Zverev endured some tough results upon his return to the ATP tour after an injury hiatus. However, he has been on a song since his semifinal finish at the French Open. The German won his first title since the 2021 ATP Finals at the Hamburg Open in July.
Zverev then reached the semifinals in Cincinnati and the quarterfinals of the US Open. He kicked off the Asian swing with a title-winning run at the Chengdu Open. The following week, he made it to the last four of the China Open, but lost to rival Daniil Medvedev.
Zverev's momentum came to an abrupt halt with a straight-sets defeat to Roman Safiullin in the second round of the Shanghai Masters. He'll now be trying to get back on track after last week's disappointing result.
Thompson reached his second ATP Final in singles at the Libema Open in June, but lost to Tallon Griekspoor. Aside from that, quarterfinals in Newport, Washington and Chengdu have been his best results this season.
Thompson's most recent tournament was the Shanghai Masters as well. He faced qualifier Terence Atmane in the first round and was the favorite to win, but slumped to a surprise three-set defeat.
Alexander Zverev vs Jordan Thompson head-to-head
Zverev leads Thompson 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2017 Citi Open in three sets.
Alexander Zverev vs Jordan Thompson odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Alexander Zverev vs Jordan Thompson prediction
Zverev's currently seventh in the race to the ATP Finals and is fighting for one of the four remaining spots. He lost an opportunity to solidify his position with an early exit from the Shanghai Masters. The German will be eager to make up for lost ground with a good run in Tokyo.
Thompson's 2-16 record against top 10 players has exposed his limited tactics against quality opposition. Following his first win over a top 10 player back in 2017, he finally managed to score another win earlier this season.
Thompson defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Indian Wells Masters in three sets to notch up his second career win over a top 10 player. While he does manage to make his matches against them fairly close, he's unable to take his game to that next level to score a win over them consistently.
Zverev's early loss last week was possibly the exception given his form. The German's game has held up quite well in recent weeks and he should be able to make it past Thompson.
Pick: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.
