Xinhua/Li Mengxin – Photo by Icon Sport
Tomas Machac vs Jack Draper: ATP Geneva – First round
The rising stars of the world of tennis will face each other in the opening round of ATP Geneva.
Tomas Machac Profile
Tomas Machac is 45th in the ATP rankings, two spots lower than his career high. The player from the Czech Republic is 16-8 for the season and 2-1 on clay.
He is coming off a 6-0, 6-2 loss to Ben Shelton in the second round in Rome. At the start of the tournament, he defeated Emile Ruusuvuori in three sets.
Machac’s best results this season were the quarterfinals in Miami, where he lost to Jannik Sinner, and the one in Montpellier, where he lost to Hubert Hurkacz. Worth noting is Machac’s third round at the Australian Open.
This is his first appearance in Geneva.
Jack Draper Profile
Jack Draper is 40th in the ATP rankings, three spots lower than his career high. The Brit is 13-10 for the season and 4-4 in clay.
Draper is coming off a 7-5, 6-4 second-round loss to Daniil Medvedev in Rome. In the first match, he defeated Borna Coric.
Draper’s best result of the season came in the first week of the year, when he reached the final in Brisbane but lost to Jiri Lehecka. Draper also made it to the semifinals in Acapulco, where he lost to Alex de Minaur.
This is his first appearance in Geneva.
Head-to-Head Machac leads 2-0
- Machac vs Draper 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 (2023 Orleans Challenger, final)
- Machac vs Draper 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 (2021 Eckental Challenger, first round)
Prediction and Conclusion
Machac and Draper are two of the best players born after the year 2000, and they have already found a place among the top 50 players in the world. Machac has a better record for the season, but he won only two games in his last match against Shelton. Draper is not keen on playing on clay, but he, like most of the players this week, prepares for Roland Garros. Mahcac won both of their previous head-to-head matches, but both of them were pretty tight and went to the third set. However, Machac is still the better overall player, and that will be obvious on clay, so we go with him to win this match
