Olympics 2021: Alexander Zverev vs Jeremy Chardy preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (4) Alexander Zverev [GER] vs Jeremy Chardy [FRA]

Date: 29 July 2021

Tournament: Olympics 2021

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Ariake Tennis Park, Tokyo, Japan

Category: Olympic Games

Surface: Outdoor hard

Match timing: Approx. 7 pm local time, 3.30 pm IST, 10 am GMT, 6 am ET

Live telecast: USA - NBC & Peacock TV | UK - BBC TV | India - Sony Liv

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Alexander Zverev vs Jeremy Chardy preview

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev appears to be a man on a mission at the Tokyo Olympics. The 24-year-old is yet to drop a set in the competition and moved into the quarterfinals by beating Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 7-6(5).

Zverev was tested by the Georgian in the third round, but raised his level in the decisive moments to seal a win.

Last 8 bound@AlexZverev defeats Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4 7-6(5) and awaits the winner of Chardy-Broady in the #Tokyo2020 QFs#Tennis | #Olympics pic.twitter.com/1w7LoqH983

— ITF (@ITFTennis) July 28, 2021

Zverev has won 30 of his 41 matches this year and has collected titles in Acapulco and Madrid. The German has also fared well in the Majors, reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, semifinals at Roland Garros and fourth round at Wimbledon.

He has carried that form into the Olympics, where he is gunning for a podium finish at the very least.

Zverev's next opponent, Jeremy Chardy, has had a much more complicated path to the quarterfinals. Chardy was forced to work hard against Aslan Karatsev in the second round and Great Britain's Liam Broady in the third but managed to pull through on both occasions in three sets.

Vintage Chardy 🍷Cheered on by #FRA compatriot Ugo Humbert, @jimchardy joins him in the #Tokyo2020 quarter-finals after downing Liam Broady 7-6(3) 4-6 6-1#Tennis | #Olympics pic.twitter.com/T05btg70ul

— ITF (@ITFTennis) July 28, 2021

Chardy has blown hot and cold this year; he's won 19 matches and lost 16. Moreover, the Frenchman hasn't won more than three matches at any competition this year, so he'll have his task cut out against his younger opponent on Thursday.

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Alexander Zverev vs Jeremy Chardy head-to-head

Alexander Zverev leads the head-to-head against Jeremy Chardy 4-1. Since losing the pair's first clash in Kuala Lumpur in 2015, the German has reeled off four straight wins. But Chardy did take Zverev to five sets at the Australian Open in 2019 and forced two tiebreakers in their meeting in Shanghai later that year.

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Alexander Zverev vs Jeremy Chardy prediction

Jeremy Chardy

Although Jeremy Chardy has a decent all-court game, he doesn't possess the firepower to overwhelm a player of Alexander Zverev's caliber.

Zverev is one of the biggest servers on tour and has put on a serving clinic in Tokyo. The German has won a high percentage of his first-serve points and has committed just one double fault all week.

If he continues to serve like he has thus far in the Japanese capital, the 24-year-old should have little trouble seeing off Chardy.

Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.