Carlos Alcaraz reached the second round of the 2024 China Open with an impressive straight-sets win over fellow 21-year-old Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, which took 20 games to decide. 

Mpetshi Perricard is one of the ATP’s breakout stars having broken the Top 50 this season and known for his massive serve. It was clear that Alcaraz wouldn’t get plenty of chances to break, but when he did, he was clinical. The Spaniard converted his two break points in each set, while saving the two break points on his own serve.

The Frenchman was not helped by the fact that he compiled just seven aces to six double faults. But such is the presence of Alcaraz on the court, who reduced his serve to its human form.

Tallon Griekspoor, meanwhile, defeated Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets, taking two hours and 16 minutes in the process. In the victory, Griekspor hammered 13 aces to four double faults, and landed 60% of first serves. He won 79% first-serve points (46/58) and 55% second-serve points (21/38). He converted three of nine break points. Overall, he compiled 45 winners to 51 unforced errors. 

Carlos Alcaraz vs Tallon Griekspoor Head-To-Head

•Alcaraz leads Griekspoor 4-1 in their head-to-head, winning their most recent match at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Tallon Griekspoor Prediction

This has already been a prolific season for Carlos Alcaraz, regardless of what he can achieve in the remaining two months. Still, he is demanding improvement at the Asian swing, something that didn’t happen last year. This should be a good test for him, as Griekspoor is more than capable of making things very difficult in a baseline slugfest. But Alcaraz is a master of finding ways out of tight situations. I’ll back the second seed to reach the last eight in Beijing for the second time.