Francesco Passaro 🇮🇹 vs Jérôme Kym 🇨🇭

ATP Gstaad – Round of 16
Clay (Altitude) | Thursday, 18 July

🎾 Francesco Passaro 🇮🇹 vs Jérôme Kym 🇨🇭

🧠 Form & Context

Francesco Passaro
🎯 Clay-court pedigree: A quintessential clay-courter with a heavy forehand and strong movement, Passaro is enjoying a quietly strong stretch, compiling a 20–9 record on clay in 2025.
🚀 Altitude boost: Qualified for Gstaad and has already won three matches this week, including a clean straight-sets victory over Arthur Rinderknech. Gstaad’s conditions let his flatter shots penetrate more than usual.
🩹 Fitness note: Retired twice earlier this summer but has shown no signs of physical discomfort so far this week.
📍 Opportunity window: Still hunting his first ATP title, but altitude clay suits him well (SFs in Perugia, Sassuolo) and this is a big opportunity to bank key ranking points.

Jérôme Kym
🎢 Home-crowd hero: The Swiss wildcard scored an emotional R1 win over Hemery in a tense 7–5 decider. This is his third ATP main draw of 2025.
🇨🇭 Big-serving weaponry: At 1.98m, Kym brings serious firepower, and his backhand return has notably improved—evident in his SF run at Modena earlier this month.
⚒️ Still developing: His clay record (12–8) is solid, but most wins have come at the Challenger level. Against tour-level grinders, his point construction can still unravel.
🏔️ Altitude boost: The conditions help his serve pop and shorten rallies—this is his best-ever chance at a tour-level QF.

🔍 Match Breakdown

This is a serve-versus-grind dynamic with altitude thrown in. Kym has the tools to make this a shootout, especially if he starts fast and rides crowd energy. His first serve and aggressive backhand return are key levers.

But Passaro has key advantages:

• Clay-court endurance: He’s more seasoned in long rallies and can exploit Kym’s defensive footwork.
• Tactical IQ: Passaro can absorb pace and draw errors from Kym’s more volatile forehand wing.
• Match rhythm: Already with three wins in altitude this week, he enters with a feel for conditions and a confidence edge.

If Kym serves lights out, he’s a live underdog. But if the rallies lengthen or the match stretches past 90 minutes, Passaro’s rhythm and clay grind likely take over.

🔮 Prediction

This could become a crowd-pleasing battle, especially if Kym rides early momentum. But Passaro’s superior clay-court toolkit and match sharpness give him the edge—assuming his fitness holds.

🧩 Projected result: Passaro in 3 sets, with at least one tiebreak.
Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ – moderate edge; back Passaro pre-match or live after Set 1 if even.