Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor and France’s Benjamin Bonzi, the 2023 ATP Tata Open Maharashtra’s singles finalists, have so much in commonplace. They’re each 26, climbed to a career-high score of 44 remaining yr, are taking part in for the primary time at Pune’s ATP 250 match and of their maiden ATP last on Saturday.
Here’s the place the overlap will get extra attention-grabbing. Bonzi had gained six titles at the ATP Challenger circuit in 2021. Only one guy had extra that season—Griekspoor (a file 8).
“It’s funny I’m playing against Tallon, he beat me on that Challenger year. It was crazy,” Bonzi said.
Crazy, but also a culmination of the consistency at the Challenger level—a rung below the ATP tour—that has landed them both on the cusp of a maiden ATP title. Griekspoor, the world No 95, swatted aside 8th seed Aslan Karatsev 7-6(4), 6-1 in the semi-final on Friday before the 60th-ranked Bonzi battled past second seed and world No 35 Botic van de Zandschulp 7- 6(5), 6-7(5), 6-1.
It’s no coincidence that both will have a crack at the biggest title of their respective careers a little over 12 months after their launchpad runs in 2021. Griekspoor scripted a single-season record for most Challenger titles that year, finishing up with eight final triumphs, 25 consecutive wins and an overall 42-7 win-loss record. Bonzi had two titles fewer but eight more match wins that season and, along with Griekspoor, broke into the world’s top-50 in 2022.
“Playing a bunch of matches at the Challengers, having that great run, it gives you some kind of belief that you can do the same even at the ATP,” Griekspoor said. “Because the difference in level is not that big. If you can do well at the Challengers, you can do well at the ATP too.”
Like Griekspoor has executed within the season-opening match, and in his semi-final an afternoon after Marin Cilic gave him a walkover. After ekeing out the primary set in a tiebreaker, Gierkspoor was once helped by means of the unraveling of Karatsev in the second one. The 59th-ranked Russian, armed with probably the most aces this week, dished out 3 double faults in the second one sport to be damaged within the serve and the thoughts, as his racquet-smashing act mirrored quickly after.
Gierkspoor stored it cast from his finish, additionally blending it up with the backhand slices and heavy forehand spins to “give him some different heights of the ball”. Pulling off go back winners off first serves now, the Dutchman fittingly completed the second-set drubbing together with his eleventh ace.
Bonzi had 10 of them in opposition to van de Zandschulp, probably the greatest returners this event. The Frenchman was once pulled again and right into a tiebreaker by means of the Thirty fifth-ranked Dutchman within the first two units once you have early breaks in each. With the 2021 US Open quarter-finalist suffering a little bit bodily within the 3rd set, Bonzi ensured his early edge—he additionally were given the double wreck this time—reached its logical finish.
Bonzi has additionally taken down third seed Emil Ruusuvuori and sixth seed Filip Krajinovic alongside the way in which in Pune. These large wins on the upper stage, he reckoned, would not have been imaginable with out that consistent grind at the Challenger excursion two years in the past.
“It’s tough, but you have to go through this if you want to be in the top 100, if you want to be able to play bigger tournaments,” he stated. “That’s the pass to go to the high level.”
The move that has now earned him, and Gierkspoor, their first price ticket to an ATP last.