Home

Bookmakers

Bonuses

Wiki

Tips

News

Tips

Home
Tips
Tennis

Tennis predictions and free betting tips

Filter: by All

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Challenger Oeiras - R16

Total over (21,5) by games

Odds: 1.89Stake: 5/10

Bet

The American Alex Michelsen, seeking his super game on clay, managed to advance to the 1/16 finals in Oeiras despite doubts that the uncomfortable clay surface might benefit his opponent. Now, the player from the USA will face the renowned "clay-court specialist" Dennis Novak from Austria, who looked incredibly confident in his first-round match. However, he played half the match against Dan Added, who either got injured or decided to conserve energy for the Roland Garros qualifiers after trailing at (0:6; 0:1). Alex Michelsen If you read my article about the American's battle with Enrique Rocha, you probably understood that Michelsens entry into the Oeiras Challenger (4) was no surprise to me. It was a logical decision, especially since the lad is trying to get in shape for the French Open, where everyone will be heading, and judging by his ranking, he will make it directly to the main draw, bypassing the qualifiers. So, he must prepare for the Grand Slam on clay to avoid an early exit in the first round. Indeed, Michelsen hasnt been friendly with clay, having focused on hard courts last season. But he must learn to perform effectively on clay to avoid a first-round loss in Rome to the Russian Pavel Kotov (1:6; 1:6). He needs to know how to play on this slow surface. In the first round of the Oeiras tournament, the American defeated Enrique Rocha, playing moderately well. Although it was enough to mount a comeback and showcase decent stats on his serve, where his forehand was indeed powerful, he didnt produce any aces and gave away several break points. Facing the Austrian Novak will be a different level of tennis. Dennis wont relinquish initiative easily in simple situations, so Michelsen must play offensively. Improving his first serve will be crucial, requiring not only aces but also difficult receptions for the Austrian. Dennis Novak Those well-versed in tennis surely know about Dennis Novak and his capabilities in the ATP tour. Once hailed as the most talented tennis player from his country, Dennis is now seldom seen in the top-200 rankings. Last season, Dennis improved his game on the Challenger series, clinching his only title on hard in Nonthaburi, where he played excellent tennis in every match. His results thereafter were mixed, including a clay final at the Challenger in Bad Waltersdorf, where he lacked precision in the second set against Andrea Pellegrino. He also reached the semi-finals on hard courts in Alicante and had a chance to claim a title at the indoor tournament in Hamburg, but Ilya Marchenko was too good in the final. This year, Novak reached the quarter-finals twice in Nonthaburi, on clay in Ostrava, and here in Oeiras, where he lost to the Frenchman Valentin Royer. In the previous round of the ongoing Oeiras Challenger (4), the Austrian had an easy set against Dan Added, and then led in the second set before the Frenchman retired from the match, possibly due to injury. The match against Michelsen will be tough, where Novak must combine well and aim straight under the baseline to make the American defend and struggle to respond accurately. A good return of the Americans serves, especially his first serve, will be essential. Match Prediction: Alex Michelsen vs Dennis Novak I will bet on TO 21.5 games. The Austrian will have advantages in rallying, while Michelsen will strive to serve reliably and seize opportunities for attacking cross-court shots to prevent his opponent from expertly utilising his clay-court skills in this match.

15.05.2024

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

WTA Linz - QF

Ekaterina Alexandrova

Handicap2 by games (-2.5)

Odds: 1.79Stake: 5/10

win

+4.0

A grand women's tournament is taking place in Linz, on indoor hard courts. We are anticipating a rather curious battle of two Russians in the quarter-finals. Last year's winner of these competitions, Anastasia Potapova, defends her trophy. The semi-final pass will be contested against Ekaterina Alexandrova, who once often won indoor tournaments, albeit of low grade. Anastasia Potapova There was a strange calendar of games for Potapova in the past season, seeming as though she muted it, but could also have been preserving herself from injuries, of which she had plenty in 2023. Who knows, it could be anything. This year started for Anastasia in Brisbane, where the Russian once again received an injury, unable to finish the match with Elena Rybakina. Many questions arise about Potapova's conditions, it feels like her injuries are a result of incorrect work in the training process. Anastasia proceeded directly to the main grid of the Australian Open, where it seemed that she would surpass Kaja Juvan, but nothing worked out, the Slovenian tennis player was simply better prepared in all aspects. In Linz, Potapova had two matches against Italians. First, she had to deal with Sara Errani, who practically conceded her place in the 1/8 finals to the Russian, and then there was a straight battle with Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who insists on her own regime of play. Anastasia surrendered the 1st set to the Italian, then recovered from 1:3 in the 2nd game and went to a tie-breaker with two match points, and the 3rd set was a mistake contest from both sides. However, Potapova was slightly more reliable than Cocciaretto, particularly when she took the opponent's serve twice, but served cleverly on the match the second time. Such a scenario might not work with Alexandrova, especially as Ekaterina serves better with the 1st ball. Everything will depend again on the number of errors, the one who makes more "unforced" will concede. Ekaterina Alexandrova Alexandrova had a decent or even smooth last season. She won the grass tournament in Hertogenbosch, was in the final of a hard competition in Cleveland, conceding the title to Sara Sorribes Tormo and had local successes, so Ekaterina consolidated her position in the ranking, but hasn't yet made it into the top-20. This season began for Ekaterina with a failure in Brisbane, and then she had a good tournament in Adelaide, where she defeated Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals, but didn't manage to win the battle for the qualification into the finals with Alona Ostapenko. Alexandrova couldn't get past the first round in Melbourne, all because of a match against the troublesome opponent Laura Siegemund, who disrupted the pace of play unpredictably. In Linz, the Russian has played only one match against Jule Niemeier. The German's defensive tennis wasn't much of a problem for Ekaterina, so she won easily (6:3;6:0). Against Anastasia Potapova, Alexandrova needs to show a more attacking game than usual. If Ekaterina manages to take control of the initiative, I have no doubt that she will win this match. Head-to-Head In 2021, at the tournament in Ostrava, the girls didn't finish the qualifying match, where due to injury Ekaterina Alexandrova conceded to Anastasia Potapova. Match prediction: Anastasia Potapova - Ekaterina Alexandrova I will be backing Alexandrova with a negative handicap on games. It's just that stylistically, Potapova will lose to her compatriot in this match.

02.02.2024

213

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Brisbane - SF

Handicap1 by games (-2)

Odds: 1.84Stake: 5/10

win

+4.2

The ATP 250 semi-finals are kicking off in Brisbane. We begin with the clash between young Dane Holger Rune and Russia's Roman Safiullin. At first glance there is a firm favourite, with most considering the Viking as the contender for the final, and perhaps even the title, yet the well-forming Russian can put up a good game against the young Dane. Holger Rune Rune had an incredibly good run in 2022 and many believed he would continue his success into 2023, but the Dane only managed to lift a solitary clay court trophy in Munich and missed out on many other titles. Rune is beginning to gauge his capabilities and realises that his ambition to win Grand Slam titles or collect them like Djokovic or Cortese far outweigh his actual skills. The Dane's technique has yet to become unshakeable against trophy hunters. Last season, Rune reached the French Open quarter-finals, then lost in the finals of two prestigious clay-court competitions in Monte Carlo and Rome, unfortunately losing to Russian players on both occasions. There were numerous semi-finals he made it to, hence counting them isn't worth the trouble. In a nutshell, the Viking hovered around big titles last season, but managed to secure only one - at the clay-court ATP 250 tournament in Munich. The New Year started for Rune in Brisbane with hard-earned victories, even though he was almost the complete favourite in all matches. He struggled in a few sets against Max Purcell and Alexander Chevchenko, yet he performed admirably during the crucial sets. Against James Duckworth, his first serve wasn't up to par, but when it did land correctly, the Dane nearly always won the point, leaving only one break point for the Aussie which was in the opening game when Rune led 5:2 and served for the set. Safiullin skillfully rallies, trying to serve with power and spin, so Rune will have to pull amply to at least take the initiative in this match. Roman Safiullin In the previous season, Safiullin started to strive for major titles and unexpectedly stepped up, though many assumed he wouldn't accomplish much on the main tour while not fully realising his potential on minor tournaments. If anyone thought so, it was a misconception, because last season Roman reached the 1/16 finals on the clay Masters in Rome and Madrid, and even played in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, however, losing to Italian Janik Sinner (3:1 sets). Safiullin made it to his first hard-court final in Chengdu, where he could have easily defeated Alexander Zverev, but the German managed to recoup in time, trailing (6:7;0:2) during the match. In the current season, Safiullin is set to win his first main tour title and may even achieve success in Hong Kong. The draw of the tournament in China was enormously tough for Roman, however he defeated Ben Shelton, not showcasing his best statistics. His most incredible win was against Alexei Popyrin, who led 5:2 in the decisive set and had 5 match points, but still lost the tie-break (3:7) to Safiullin. The encounter with Matteo Arnaldi in the quarter-finals was easier for the Russian, nevertheless, a lot of long games drained Roman's energy, but he pulled through despite being extremely exhausted. Holger Rune is a challenging opponent, capable of playing aggressively, sometimes the Viking prefers a flatter game hitting powerfully. It will be tough for the Russian, who we are unsure has physically recovered after the series of intensely tough matches. Match forecast: Holger Rune - Roman Safiullin I'm backing the Dane in this one, who may not be showing superb tennis in Brisbane, but he certainly has recovered faster muscularly after his match against James Duckworth. Indeed, he is the favourite against Roman who only managed to defeat Popyrin on sheer will, and previously struggled against Shelton and spent a significant amount of energy to win against Arnaldi. This may leave the Russian scanty for the semi-final match against Rune.

05.01.2024

221

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Hong Kong - SF

1st set Over (10.5)

Odds: 3.61Stake: 5/10

lose

-5.0

In the second semi-final of the ATP 250 tournament in Hong Kong, there is perhaps a clear favourite and an unpredictable underdog. Andrey Rublev is racing towards a new title, disregarding the game difficulties that the Russian tennis player has faced in previous matches of the Asian competitions. He will be up against Chinese player Juncheng Shang, who has managed to win again as a player in the 2nd hundred in the ATP world rankings. Andrey Rublev No one is disregarding that Rublev is the favourite in the semi-final with Zhang and many consider him to be the main contender for the trophy in Hong Kong, yet the Russian is not showing super confident tennis. In the 1st round of the new year's competition, Andrey met with Brit Liam Broady and almost the entire match took place in such a mode that Rublev didn't have the initiative and simply aimed to outplay his opponent in power rallies. Yes, the Russian tennis player continues to hit powerfully with his forehands, plays wide but doesn't cope with the speeds which he himself sets. Rublev probably had an easier time with Arthur Fils as the opponent couldn't always handle Andrey's powerful crosses, yet the Frenchman won his set and then again started to lose in skill to the Russian, failing to achieve greater success after winning the game. Rublev is still emotional, and that hindered him last season from winning more titles than he was able to. In addition to this, Andrey often loses to many rivals among the top tens of the ATP world ranking and sometimes cannot overcome opponents that are too prepared and confident, for instance, last year he lost the final in Banya-Luka to Serbian Dusan Lajovic, and lost to Alexander Bublik in Halle. In the match with Zhizhen Zhang it will be not easy to play in such a style when you are trying to act in a forward style, attacking with every ball, surely there will again be mistakes from Rublev and this may mean swings in the match when the Russian leads in the score but could easily give away the set. Juncheng Shang For the Chinese player, reaching the semi-final of the ATP 250 tournament is already a super result, with which you can move forward up the career ladder. Of course, successes in Hong Kong do not mean that Juncheng Shang will continue to compete in main tournaments, perhaps he needs to return to the Challengers again and play there well, I believe that a couple of titles at the level of low-grade competitions would definitely be useful to him. Last season, Shang tried himself at various levels of tournaments, so the Chinese player couldn't win titles, but got experience performing in the status competitions. Juncheng played everywhere last year, showing good tennis, and now it's time to win trophies, and you can start with Hong Kong (250). At the current tournament, Zhang has played two intense matches, demonstrating very quality play, admitting mistakes, but also earning winners. Sometimes there were problems with the serve, but the Chinese adjusted it for combinations, which puzzled Frances Tiafoe who did not plan to play secondary roles against the Asian tennis player. Against Rublev, it is necessary to play in such a mode when power tennis comes to the fore, and you need to implement all your tactical designs in it. Most likely, Juncheng Shang will not be able to impose his game on the Russian and will try to simply return uncomfortable balls back to him, which will be quite acceptable to Rublev. Prediction for the match: Andrey Rublev - Juncheng Shang The sooner Rublev takes control, the easier this semi-final match will turn out for him. I will place a bet on the option of total under 10.5 games in the 1st set, where the Russian should catch the Chinese off guard with a good attack, particularly when receiving the opponent's serve, in order to comfortably take the starting game, and, subsequently win the match.

05.01.2024

224

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Challenger Nonthaburi - Final

Total over by games (21.5)

Odds: 1.93Stake: 5/10

Bet

In Nonthaburi, at a Challenger Series (75) tournament, the final is about to take place. Two tennis players who qualified for the main draw of the Thailand competition will take part. Lucas Pouille will face Valentin Vacherot. These players can be regarded as compatriots, because the Principality of Monaco and France are almost always associated with each other. Lucas Pouille We haven't seen really quality tennis from Pouille on a tournament distance for a long time, where he could vie for a trophy. The Frenchman hasn't won anything since 2019 and is barely noticeable even in lower-tier events. Last season, Lucas played on major occasions, and specifically in Nonthaburi, he got to participate in two consecutive competitions. Perhaps, Pouille was best seen at the French Open, where he passed the qualification and even beat Jurij Rodionov in the 1st round of the main draw, although he then lost to Cameron Norrie. The Frenchman has 10 trophies, half of which were won at "main" competitions, at his prime when Pouille could take 3 prestigious titles in one of the seasons. Currently, the Frenchman is far from those times and is ranked 329th in the ATP ranking. In Nonthaburi, Lucas had unchallenging matches, the only potential difficulty could be against Chen Chen from Taiwan, but Pouille carried out this qualification encounter flawlessly. Surprisingly, Lucas is having a strong performance in this Challenger, so, all that's left is to beat the Monegasque Valentin Vacherot on class again. I think this game will not hamper the Frenchman, who got his momentum at the beginning of the year, from taking the title after 5 years. Valentin Vacherot In 2022, the Monegasque won his only Challenger Series tournament right here in Nonthaburi. Vacherot's other victories are related exclusively to futures, where he still travels as a top 300 ATP ranking tennis player. By the way, if Valentin manages to win the trophy in Thailand, he will break his personal record for position in the table, passing the 250 mark, which for him specifically - would be a great success. Last season, Vacherot won two clay ITF tournaments, made it to the semi-finals of the "clay" Challenger Prague(5) and on hard in Temuco. Given his overall performance, such results are above average for the Monegasque, but obviously, they didn't significantly impact his ATP ranking. The guy is determined to improve his tennis, as he's 25 years old and at this age, one can easily reach a new level of mastery. In Nonthaburi, Valentin had a tough draw, starting with qualification, but he conducted almost all games on a "5" level. Even though there were three sets against Francesco Passaro, according to the statistics, Vacherot performed well and didn't fall short of the Italian in terms of gameplay. There was also a hard match versus Loren Lokoli, but in this case as well, Valentin found a way to beat the French tennis player in two sets. Lucas Pouille is in good shape and it's difficult to oppose him, nevertheless, Vacherot showed throughout the Challenger in Nonthaburi that he could easily be a contender for the competition title in Thailand. The Monegasque's serve has been good in this tournament - he successfully attacks both from the backhand and the forehand, sometimes conducting knowledgeable combinations. Match prediction: Lucas Pouille - Valentin Vacherot It's doubtful that Pouille will win easily again, especially when Vacherot, with his good first serve and an excellent game from the baseline shown in all matches of this tournament, will be acting against him. One might place a bet on the total over 21.5 games in the match, possibly, this final will go in three sets.

05.01.2024

215

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Hong Kong - QF

Roberto Bautista Agut

1st set Over (10.5)

Odds: 3.21Stake: 5/10

lose

-5.0

We're contemplating again about the quarter-finals of the competition in Hong Kong, where at this moment 6 contenders are known for advancing to the next round. Sebastian Ofner didn't make a sensation in his previous match with Jan-Lennard Struff, he simply demonstrated what he is capable of. Roberto Bautista-Agut, as we know, is a prime aficionado of ATP 250 tournaments, which he always intensively prepares for, to stake a claim for the title. The Spaniard is here for the award as well. Sebastian Ofner The Austrian is pleasing, showing tennis of a higher level than at the beginning of the previous season when his surname was associated exclusively with Challengers. Current Ofner's playing is suitable for aspiring to "main" titles and it's evident that he wants to achieve a more significant award because the level of "lower level tournaments" is passed by him. This is talked about by the finals of Challengers, on the most varied surfaces played by Sebastian last year, so now it's time to strive for something new, for example, the trophy in an ATP 250 competition. In Hong Kong, the Austrian had two dissimilar matches. With the American Mckenzie McDonald, Ofner didn't have to put in much effort, yet the game with Jan-Lennard Struff, which was an equal, compensated for it. Yet, upon detailed evaluation, of course, Sebastian showcased more reliable tennis, for instance, in the games on his serve, allowing the opponent only 6 break-points, while Ofner had twice as many himself. Sebastian is well prepared for the new season even though he awaits many difficult competitions ahead, as he now won't go to Challengers when his ranking position allows him to attend "main" tournaments. Sebastian Ofner's quarter-finals match in Hong Kong(250) will be against the sage Spaniard Roberto Bautista-Agut. The basic technical elements should work perfectly for Sebastian, but the main thing is how the Austrian tennis player will appear in the rallies because Roberto's main trump card has always been the ability to keep the ball in play and wisely translate it into attacking crosses. Roberto Bautista-Agut The Spaniard is no longer as self-assured as before, nonetheless, his physical form allows him to play in big competitions and somewhere even stake a claim for trophies. Last season, Bautista-Agut was virtually unnoticed, as he played little, and if he went somewhere, he often was unsuccessful. Despite a plethora of failures, in 2023, Roberto had two finals: in a hardcourt tournament in Adelaide(2) and on a clay challenger in Valencia. The semi-final of the grass-court in Halle(500) can be included in this too. Had he managed to win at least one trophy, surely this season wouldn't have turned out to be such a failure for the Spaniard. In Hong Kong, the Spaniard had two matches at his level, but the opponents were not too challenging. With the same Cherundolo there may have been minor difficulties, but Bautista-Agut solved them and Fabian Marozsan was good only at the beginning of the 2nd set. In the quarter-final with Ofner, the Spanish tennis player should show his skills in controlling the ball in play and demonstrating smart attacks when the cross lands in the right spot, causing inconvenience for the opponent's handling. Match prediction: Sebastian Ofner - Roberto Bautista-Agut I think, in the 1st set, the game will be equal and at least 11 games boys together will gather, and then everything exclusively depends on how the match will develop. Will Ofner be effective against a correct Bautista-Agut or will we see the victory of the Spanish tennis player on class again.

04.01.2024

236

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

WTA 125k Angers - R1

Total over by games (20.5)

Odds: 1.82Stake: 5/10

lose

-5.0

Hello everyone! The women's indoor Challenger 125K kicks off next week in Angers, on a hard surface with soft underpads. Naturally, we can't ignore such a tournament. We'll start with a prediction for a clash between two tennis players from the second hundred of the WTA world ranking. Estonian Kaia Kanepi will be playing for a ticket to the 1/8 finals with Chloe Paquet from France. Kaia Kanepi The Baltic tennis player works according to her usual schedule, for whom it is problematic to play many matches in one specific season. The reason is, Kaia often gets injured and understands that she needs to prepare exclusively for specific competitions. This year brought her a trophy in the clay futures in the Dutch city of Amstelveen, which became the 23rd in the career of the Estonian. Basically, that's all, and then there are losses everywhere, which are sometimes illogical, but still confirm that Kanepi's form depends on her individual state before each trip. After the US Open, the Baltic tennis player had only one tournament, which took place in Roanne. There, Kaia lost in the first round to Hungarian Dalma Galfi, although the starting set was taken by Kanepi, but she could not win the match. In the battle with Paquet, we can hope to see Kanepi's usual power play. If her serve goes well and there are fewer errors than in her failed matches, Kaia may triumph as the favourite. Chloe Paquet The French woman does not reach for the stars, sticking to her level of abilities. However, Chloe wants to win a Challenger, since futures came to her easily at times. Paquet won a clay ITF tournament in Cologne-Bellerive this year and was in three semi-finals, two of which were indoor futures. The French woman needs a bit more reliability in her game, so she often falls short in simple situations of crucial matches. Before going to Angers, Chloe took part in six similar hard surface tournaments. But, only in Bratislava she managed to reach the quarterfinals, often losing matches as a favourite, as we could see in Ortisei when Paquet lost in three sets to Renata Zamrichova, who is currently 768th in the WTA ranking. Perhaps it is quite fair that Chloe is not considered a main contender for the 1/8 finals, as Kanepi is a more masterful player. However, the Estonian is unpredictable, which means she can lose any meeting, including this one. Head-to-Head The girls played against each other on clay at the main Stuttgart tournament in qualifying, and then Kanepi easily beat Paquet in two sets with a score (6:2;6:1). Match forecast: Kaia Kanepi - Chloe Paquet I would go for a bet with a total of over 20.5 games. Surely the girls can play three sets in this match.

04.12.2023

261

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Challenger Brasilia - R16

Total over by games (22.5)

Odds: 1.83Stake: 5/10

win

+4.2

Once again, we're forecasting a 1/8 final match of the Challenger(100) in Braslia. I believe many will be interested in the duel involving Valentin Vacherot from Monaco, who'll be playing against the well-known Australian tennis player, Bernard Tomic. Valentin Vacherot Assessing Vacherot is quite problematic because his tennis sometimes yields decent results, but there are failures too, even in the futures, which is where the Monegasque often goes. If we review Valentin's performance this year, his unpredictability becomes quite an objective trait of his tennis personality. He has many failures, but there are also successes; Vacherot won two clay-court futures, although he could have taken all four finals. However, Vacherot has outgrown ITF competitions; he should have long ago improved his statistical indicators on Challenger series tournaments. Incidentally, he reached the semi-finals at one in Prague(5), losing to Ruben Mllegker. We're talking all about clay, but Vacherot has won more titles on hard courts than on sand - his only Challenger series trophy was won last year in Nonthaburi on a hard court, so Valentin has enough skills not to focus on one specific surface. In Braslia, the Monegasque had a too-easy 1/16 final match against a Jamaican tennis player, Blaze Bicknel, who's in the fifth hundred of the table. Initially, Vachero wasn't considered the absolute favourite of the match, but only gave up 2 games to his opponent. With Tomic, there won't be such a game, but nothing prevents Valentin from showing good and reliable tennis, no worse than in the previous match. The main thing is not to allow the Australian to hit powerfully into the open points, so he needs to control the space on his court half and serve well to maintain this statistical criterion too. Bernard Tomic Once upon a time, the Australian won titles on 'main' competitions, and now he performs exclusively at 'lower level tournaments', showing decent results in the ITF circuit, occasionally showing up at Challengers, albeit unsuccessfully. On hard courts, Tomic finds it easier to apply his technique and powerful first serves, so he almost always chooses hard courts. Nevertheless, the Australian has twice made it to the quarterfinals of clay court competitions. Essentially, apart from the recently won M15 future in Las Vegas, Tomic has no other achievements, and mini surges, such as quarterfinals in Palmas del Mare or in Tiburon at Challenger series tournaments, can be disregarded. In Braslia, the Australian needs to strive to show his best tennis, especially after a series of failures at 'indoor' competitions. In the first round of the current tournament, Tomic defeated American Oliver Crawford, who served less consistently in the first set, and in the second, he completely gave three breaks to the Australian, all through 'deuces'. In the 1/8 final, Bernard will play against Valentin Vachero, who is also well prepared for the competitions in Braslia. Once again, Tomic will have to use his powerful forehand - there'll certainly be moves to the net on his part and slice shots - a favourite activity of the Australian when he needs to slow down the rally. Match forecast: Valentin Vacherot - Bernard Tomic In this case, you should bet on the total over 22.5 games. There's a chance that the match will last three sets.

23.11.2023

244

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Challenger Yokohama - R16

1st set Over (10.5)

Odds: 3.8Stake: 5/10

lose

-5.0

Another intriguing Round of 16 match in Yokohama ought to grasp the attention of low-tier competition enthusiasts. Michael Mmoh will compete against Geoffrey Blancaneaux. I believe many know these names, but what should interest us is the readiness level of both tennis players for this specific match. Michael Mmoh When the American does win trophies, it's always on home courts, specifically standard or soft-hard ones, hence, only half of the facilities in Yokohama cater for Mmoh. Mmoh is indeed a very dodgy tennis player who shows promise in Challengers, but still his performance doesn't reach the "main" competition level. A testament to the above is Michael's performance schedule for this season, where he endeavoured to be effective in prestigious competitions, occasionally even beating several opponents in the main draw, which can be considered decent, but may not satisfy Mmoh himself. He has no achievements this year, but local successes will do for comparison with those tennis players who managed to find a couple of titles in "lower level tournaments". The American kicked off in Yokohama with a confident victory (6:1;6:2) against Moe Etchegari, who's currently out of shape. I suspect that a match-up with Blancaneaux would be far more challenging for Michael, as the opponent can do it all: spin, approach the net, and play flat shots off the "baseline". Mmoh should outclass his vis-a-vis based on skill, but I don't think the game will resemble the previous match against Etchegari, where everything went smoothly for the American. Geoffrey Blancaneaux The Frenchman thrives everywhere, all courts are crucial for his attempts to claim the trophy, and he adjusts to all sorts of surfaces hassle-free. What matters a lot is what Geoffrey is currently capable of. If his rally game is solid, success can be sought on clay, and when his attack is up to mark - hard courts will do. This season, Blancaneaux reached the semi-finals on indoor hard court Challenger tournaments and standard ones with higher ball bounce back, once each. He saw a final on clay in Tunisia where Geoffrey played well, but lost the final to Japanese Sho Shimabukuro. Essentially, the Frenchman's capabilities plateau, although he is able to achieve more, which would require systematic progress in acquiring skills to gradually grow as a tennis personality. In the Round of 32 competitions in Yokohama, Blancaneaux had a good match against Omar Jasika, which the Frenchman managed to win in three sets, featuring decent statistics of points won on the first ball, not to mention the fact that Geoffrey consistently served well, which is often his priority in numerous matches. Michael Mmoh always receives well, can return any ball, even the fastest ones from "first serves". What intrigues me are rallies where Blancaneaux will unlikely be too meticulous in holding onto the ball, presumptively steering most of the sequences towards swift attacks, which would prevent the Frenchman from losing ground to the American. Match prediction: Michael Mmoh - Geoffrey Blancaneaux I will place my bet on the 1st set total over 10.5, as an example, which seems suitable when both tennis players will strive to take off closer to the 10th game, and then everything depends on the consistency of Mmoh's and Blancaneaux's actions in the games on their own serves, as they will be of significant importance in this match.

22.11.2023

245

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Challenger Brasilia - R16

Handicap1 by games (-4.5)

Odds: 1.77Stake: 5/10

lose

-5.0

In the 1/8 final of the hard court Challenger series tournament in Brasilia, there are plenty of local tennis players, but no seeded ones, just "alternative" or "lucky losers". There's also a third contingency of Brazilians - regular participants, who have entered the main draw due to their ranking or have smashed their way through the qualifiers. In this scenario, Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva started the tournament from the 1/16 finals, although he often has to go through the qualifiers, since the guy only holds the 325th position in the ATP rankings. His second-round opponent of "The Century" in Brazil's capital will be Cristian Garin - the number one seed of this event. Overall, the favourite is known, it's just a question of who is better prepared for this particular match and the tournament as a whole. Cristian Garin Garin is getting back to basics, as he doesn't quite cut it at the "main" events, managing to win just a couple of matches in the main draw. Counting on a title victory seems like a far-fetched goal for Cristian at the moment. Interestingly, Garins tennis has been at its best on hard courts this season. The two American "thousand" tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami validate my argument, although Cristian has twice been in the quarterfinals of "main" competitions on clay. For a modest tennis player from the 2nd or 3rd hundred ranking achieving such results might be normal, but for Garin, they should definitely be unsatisfactory. In Brazil, the South American arrived after the Asian hard-court series, where he didn't get past the second round, perhaps his Challenger(100) entry resulted from these somewhat small successes. In the first round of this tournament, Garin played a warm-up match against Orlando Luz, who botched the first set and looked a bit better in the second one, but it was clear that the Brazilian lacked class. The match against Reis Da Silva would be more of a challenge, it would require a greater energy input to secure the victory, regardless, Garin is significantly superior to Joao in all aspects and looks more confident on high ball bounce courts. Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva The Brazilian tennis player has yet to win a Challenger, although he's long since stopped playing in ITF tournaments, where he secured three titles in his career. In the tournaments of the "hundred" level like the one in Brasilia, Reis Da Silva only had local successes, although this season he was on the verge of clinching his first clay Challenger trophy in Coquimbo, but tragically lost in a spectacular battle against Mateus Pucinelli De Almeida. Despite that, Joao is not considering going back to ITF tournaments. At the domestic Challenger in the country's capital, Reis Da Silva started with a victory over the Peruvian Gonzalo Bueno, who surpassed two Brazilians in the qualifiers but Joao turned out to be way stronger, even though he prefers clay surface. The match ended with two victorious tie-breaks by Reis Da Silva, who didn't serve extraordinarily well, yet looked much more convincing than Bueno in the rallies and was a tad more stable than the Peruvian tennis player. Cristian Garin is on a whole different level, for whom any challengers are a final frontier. It's key for Reis Da Silva to improve his serve, and not lose footwork-wise to the swift and skilled opposition. Match Forecast: Cristian Garin vs Joao Reis Da Silva I am betting on Garin's minus handicap in terms of games, given that Cristian will undoubtedly triumph in this match with relative ease.

22.11.2023

258

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Challenger Yokohama - R16

Total under by games (19.5)

Odds: 1.93Stake: 5/10

win

+4.7

The top seed of the Yokohama tournament is Yosuke Watanuki, who is the tournament favourite in his home country. In the second round of the current Challenger, the Japanese player will play against Frenchman Mathis Erhard, whose tennis so far seems to be better for the futures. Yosuke Watanuki Watanuki started showing truly solid tennis towards the end of the last season when he won two Challengers and then trained for progressing up the ranking. This season has not brought titles for Yosuke, but there are several semi-finals earlier this year and the Japanese player played in the main draw at three of four grand slams, as well as eagerly participated in various Masters. Even on clay, which doesn't suit him in Madrid, he passed the qualification and 1/64 finals. Watanuki also had finals this year, for example, he reached the deciding game for the trophy at the Challenger in Shanghai, but lost to the Australian Christopher O'Connell, and then Yosuke won the silver medal at the Asian Games, losing the gold to the Chinese Jcizhen Zhang. Yet, this calendar year cannot be considered unsuccessful for Watanuki. Although he wanted to win a trophy and didn't manage to, there are still Challengers where it is realistically possible to win a prize, for instance, here in Yokohama at his home competition. In the first round of the current tournament, Watanuki easily won against the Taiwanese Hsu Yu-Hui who didn't adjust his serve and could have caught the Japanese on a decline in the second set. Probably, the match against the French Erhard will be easier for Yosuke but the main thing is not to start serving somewhere into nowhere again, as on other parameters, the Japanese is much stronger than Mathis. Mathis Erhard The Frenchman specialises in clay and almost all the tournaments he participates in are on this surface. Challengers are too hard for Erhard, so he has to be content with futures where not only is it required to serve, but also find opportunities for self-realisation in order to freely seek his best tennis on more important series. This season Mathis was in six semi-finals and could take the ITF title twice, but key fights are not going well for him, even though last year the Frenchman won 5 futures. In Yokohama, Mathis didn't have good games in the qualification. At first, he barely defeated Hibiki Arimoto as an absolute favourite, and then lost to Naoki Nakagawa but managed to get into the main draw as a "lucky loser", where he defeated Colin Sinclair. In general, Erhard had three different matches and it's uncertain what the Frenchman can show to the Japanese Watanuki who is the main contender for the title in Yokohama. Perhaps, Mathis will have to play more efficiently on the reception because he's sure to lose in a serve battle. Personally, I am interested in whether the French player will be more interesting in the attack, or Watanuki with his powerful forehand and smart backhand will act more effectively. Match prediction: Yosuke Watanuki - Mathis Erhard The stake is simple - the total is under 19.5 games in the match. The Japanese is definitely stronger than the Frenchman, so he will be able to play this game without an extra set.

22.11.2023

255

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Challenger Yokohama - R16

Total over by games (22.5)

Odds: 1.8Stake: 5/10

win

+4.0

Let's move forward to predicting matches of the 1/8 finals of the Yokohama Challenger. Let's kick off with the Asian head-to-head clash between two tennis athletes from the third hundred of the ATP world ranking. Yasutaka Uchiyama will go hit-to-hit against Soong Chang Heon. Yasutaka Uchiyama One could already consider Uchiyama as a veteran of tennis in Japan who's reached moderate heights. The challenger series has indeed become the limit of his abilities. So far in the current season, Yasutaka has not claimed any trophies as his readiness has always fluctuated. Until now, it is difficult to understand when the Japanese player arrives in good form at the tournament and when he can blow it in the very first match. As for local achievements of this year, I would highlight the semi-final at the Seoul Challenger, where we could witness Uchiyama's top-level games in the currently ongoing season. That's pretty much it. Although he reached the quarterfinals in the Busan follow up to the mini-success in the South Korean capital, he met a more savvy opponent there - Max Purcell. Uchiyama arrived at Yokohama following a series of misfortunes where the maximum that Yasutaka had achieved for the last 4-plus months, starting from the quarterfinal at Bloomfield, was a few second-rounds at the Challengers. This clearly indicates a gaming crisis for Uchiyama. In this ongoing Challenger in one of the largest cities in Japan, Uchiyama already pocketed two wins in the qualification rounds, one of them was a warm-up match, and the second one against the Korean Yun-Seong Chun was a strenuous match with two tie-breaks. He also won a main draw match against a fellow countryman, whose ranking position is surprising- 1760th. For some reason, Masamiti Imamura received a "wild card" while Uchiyama had to go through qualifications. The next opponent for Yasutaka will be the younger Korean, Soong Chang Heon. In principle, the guys are equal in terms of skill level, but Uchiyama attacks a bit more intelligently if his technique is up and running. Heon, on the other hand, can be protective too or be as good as his opponent in "long draws" the Korean is fast and does almost everything speed-based. Soong Chang Heon Heon dropped out of the Futuresc, and rightfully so, as he self-realised there, whereas Challengers are a novel material for the South Korean tennis player. This year Soong Chang tried even to venture into "main" competitions a few times, but he didn't make it past the qualifications. Really, the Challengers seem to be quite a roadblock for him too-his maximum in the current season were semi-finals in Nonthaburi, Rome, and Tallahassee. Additionally, the lad put on a good display at the Asian Games where he again fell short of the finals, succumbing to fellow countryman Yasuke Watanuki. In Yokohama, the Japanese player got a start from the main draw, outscoring Yurii Rodionov in the 1/16 finals. Both guys served inconsistently but Heon won both sets on tie-breaks, during the second of which he recovered from 1:5. Later, the Austrian had four set points which Soong Chang saved and made use of his match point. The match with Uchiyama won't be any easier than the previous one, but stylistically it feels more comfortable because with the Japanese one can accelerate combinations and move the ball in different ways, as he pleases. Something Rodionov, who's in a constant hunt for his main attacking cross in every game, didn't allow to happen. Head-to-head In 2018, Soong Chang Heon beat Yasutaka Uchiyama at the Seoul Challenger without missing out on the third set. However, the Japanese managed to take revenge at last year's tournament in Nonthaburi, winning with a score of 2:0 in parties in the match. Predictions for the match: Yasutaka Uchiyama - Soong Chang Heon I'm interested in a bet with the total over 22.5 games. The tennis players are likely to play out three sets, which isn't surprising if you look at the line of odds offered to us by bookmakers, where there's no match favourite.

21.11.2023

228

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Challenger Yokohama - R16

Odds: 2.19Stake: 5/10

Bet

It's always fascinating to watch the clash between the Australian school of tennis and the wholly Asian assembly of players, regardless of their country of origin. Marc Polmans was once regarded as the top talent of his generation, but now he is a humble representative of the second hundred rankings. As for his opponent - Yuta Shimizu, he still can't win a Challenger series tournament, something that can't be said for the Aussie, who has thrice been champion of similar competitions. Marc Polmans Everyone knows that Polmans is talented, swift and wildly unstable. If the Australian had accustomed himself to systematic movement up the career ladder, he'd be winning Challengers much more frequently and afterward trying himself in "main" tournaments, where Mark sporadically appears, predominantly in grand slams. The current season has brought the Australian a clay futures trophy, as well as two Challenger finals in which Polmans encountered opponents who perfectly matched with hard surfaces and were excellently prepared. The Australian himself is capable of making a splendid run through the whole bracket, but things tend to go awry in crucial matches - as was the case in the final of the Sydney Challenger, where Daniel Taro perfectly received, served well, and Polmans was committing unforced errors, showing poor court positioning during rallies, often trapped by the Japanese player in open space. In Yokohama, Mark had a no-issues match against Cem Ilkel, who lost (1:6;0:6), playing reluctantly. I think that the match against Shimizu will be of a different nature, where even if Yuta loses his momentum, he won't gift Polmans the victory. The speed and prompt decision-making will become key parameters of this match, so the Aussie must understand that if he starts committing foolish errors, the Japanese player will surely take full advantage of them. Yuta Shimizu For the Japanese player, there's only hard court and nothing more, because other surfaces are not suitable for his technique. Perhaps, in "indoor" competitions you can see Yuta, but even here lately this Asian tennis player does not often perform. This season, Shimizu won a modest futures, but he could have taken several Challenger trophies, however, the Japanese player blew the finals. It was not a shame to lose to Michelsen, but giving two consecutive sets to Benoit Paire (0:6;2:6) after winning the opening set (6:3) - that was a failure. In Yokohama, in the 1/16 finals, the Japanese player defeated Jason Jung, who was struggling to accumulate points on his serve, albeit his serve execution percentage was better than Shimizu's. In the second round, Shimizu will play against Polmans. It's crucial for Yuta not to become inhibited, but to play at his usual pace, yet the Australian definitely doesn't plan on giving away the initiative, something the Japanese must understand. Head to Head Last year, the players faced each other for the first time - at the Sydney Challenger, where Marc Polmans won in three sets, and this season met twice, where both Polmans and Shimizu won one match each, but the Japanese won his match without any struggles - 2:0. Match prediction: Marc Polmans - Yuta Shimizu Shimizu will exhibit diverse and quick tennis and importantly, he'll be disrupting Polmans' serve, which isn't always effective for the Australian. I'm betting on Yuta, especially with a good odds above two.

21.11.2023

231

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

WTA 125k Colina - R1

Odds: 1.67Stake: 5/10

Bet

This week sees the Womens WTA 125 Challenger on clay in the city of Colina. It's precisely the matches of this tournament that we'll ponder on in the upcoming publications. Let's start with the clash of two European tennis players from the second hundred of the WTA world ranking. Anna Bondr is set to face Sara Bejlek. Anna Bondr Clay is the preferred surface of the Hungarian tennis player, hence, it's no surprise that she travelled to South America for such an important tournament, where she's expected to showcase tennis on par with the 125K Challenger series standards. This year, Anna has performed strongly on the clay surface, even in high-level tournaments. For instance, in Parma and Lausanne, the Hungarian tennis player reached the semi-finals. It's worth noting her performances at the Rome Masters, where Bondr went through the qualifiers and managed to win in two main draw matches. Coming to titles, Anna has won a clay futures tournament in Montreux this season, but throughout the tournament, Bondr didn't have a single serious match as all her opponents were weaker. Colina (125) is a rather interesting Challenger, attracting average tennis players, and occasionally stars, who seek to find their best performance in such competitions. Bondr is in form, but Bejlek also looks good, hence, its intriguing to see whether Anna will overcome her opponent, who may be young but is highly talented, in the first round. Sara Bejlek It's not reasonable to expect significant achievements from a 17-year-old Czech player, although there are tennis players who can win even high-profile tournaments at her age. Bejlek is gradually improving her technique, having played almost the entire season on clay, but its worth noting some of her smaller achievements related to hard courts as well. For example, at the Australian Open, the Czech player smartly passed the qualification, being the underdog in all qualifying clashes. At the French Open, she managed to replicate her Melbourne feat, but obviously lost in the main draw, and deservedly so. Her career is just starting and is so far associated with futures or those Challengers, where competition is slightly more interesting, especially since she's learnt to win ITF tournaments. In the 1/16 final of the tournament in Colina, the Czech player will face Anna Bondr, who's technically sound and judicious when playing on clay. Bejlek can offer high speeds to the Hungarian player, but I think that Bondar's ability to spin the balls, place them precisely and act correctly during a rally of 7-10 hits, will demonstrate her class advantage over Sara, who will impose her tennis, but I believe it will not be more efficient than Anna's potential. Match forecast: Anna Bondr - Sara Bejlek I'll wager on Bondr, as I believe she should win based on her experience and her technical level being considerably higher than the young Czech tennis players.

13.11.2023

276

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Sofia - R1

Handicap1 by games (-2)

Odds: 1.58Stake: 5/10

win

+2.9

In the 1/16 finals of the tournament in Sofia on hard court, Jack Draper of Great Britain will compete against Maximilian Marterer of Germany. We place a bet on Draper's victory, with a handicap of -2.5 games. Jack Draper 21-year-old Jack, who ranks 91st in the world standings, previously won at the Challenger in Bergamo. There, he defeated Maestrelli with a score of 6:4, 6:4, Vavassori 6:3, 6:4, Harris 6:2, 6:3, Nakashima 6:1, 3:6, 7:5 and Goffin 1:6, 7:6 (7:3), 6:3. Earlier in Tokyo, he fell to De Minaur, reached the quarterfinals at the Challenger in Mouilleron-le-Captif, and made it to the final in Orleans. At the US Open, Draper celebrated victories over Albot, Hurkacz and Mmoh but conceded to Rublev. He overcame Borges in Winston-Salem but was defeated by Griekspoor, and advanced to the quarterfinals at the Challenger in Winnipeg In Lyon, the player also reached the quarterfinals, with victories over Muller and Kecmanovic, but suffered defeat to Cerundolo. This tournament was Draper's first after a month and a half hiatus. In early April, he played at the tournament in Monte Carlo, where he defeated Baes but lost to Hurkacz, got to the 1/8 finals in Indian Wells and reached the semifinals in Adelaide. In the rest of the season's tournaments, Jack was unable to advance past the second round. Maximilian Marterer The 28-year-old player, who currently ranks 105th in the world rankings, previously participated in the Challenger in Ismaning, where he reached the finals. There, he overcame Girtz, Zhuk, Paulson, and Klein, but then lost to Bellier. In Antwerp, he reached the semifinals, overcoming Gasquet (6:3, 6:4), Borges (6:3, 7:6 (7:3)), and Gaston (6:3, 6:2) but was later defeated by Bublik (4:6, 4:6). Maximilian previously suffered a defeat in Malaga from Janvier in the first round, and in Alicante and Tulln an der Donau Challengers he reached the semifinals. Prior to this, Marterer lost in three out of his last four matches: at the US Open he failed to advance beyond qualification, losing to Klein; in Luedenscheid, he lost to Aidukovich; and in Hamburg, he won against Moelleker but was defeated by Zverev. Earlier in Amersfoort, the tennis player won the title, defeating Diaz (6:3, 6:4), Menshik (6:3, 7:6(7:3)), Girtz (6:1, 6:2), Moelleker (6:4, 7:6(7:5)) and Droge (6:4, 6:2). However, he lost in the first round of the Braunschweig Challenger to Agamemnon with a score of 6:3, 6:7 (5:7), 4:6. In early June at Wimbledon, Maximilian reached the third round, defeating Gojo and Mmoh but fell to Bublik. Prior to Wimbledon, Marterer was on a streak of four defeats, including losses to Karatsev in Halle's qualifying match, Kovalik in the first round of the Heilbronn Challenger, and Addad at the French Open qualification. Earlier, Maximilian withdrew from the Tunes Challenger's quarterfinals due to injury but managed to defeat Tabilo and Rincon before that. This season, Maximilian Marterer did not go beyond the second round in other championships, with the exception of the Challenger in Koblenz and the championship in Pune, where he reached the quarterfinals. Head-to-head The athletes met earlier in 2022 at the Challenger in Cherbourg on hard court. The match ended in Draper's victory with a score of 6:4, 6:2. Match prediction Draper - Marterer Both players are in good form, but Draper, I believe, has a better chance of success. Last year he defeated Marterer in two sets, and I presume a similar outcome for the upcoming match.

06.11.2023

248

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Sofia - R1

Roberto Bautista Agut

At the 1/16 finals of the tournament in Sofia on hardcourt, Roberto Bautista-Agut from Spain will face off against Alexei Popyrin from Australia. I'm placing my bet on Popyrin's victory. Roberto Bautista-Agut The 35-year-old Roberto, who occupies the 66th spot in the global rankings, previously took part in the Paris tournament where he successfully defeated Lehetchka with a 6:4, 6:2 score, but fell to Gurkachu with a 3:6, 2:6. The tennis player suffered defeats in seven out of his past eight matches. At the Basel tournament, he was defeated by Van de Zandschulp with a score of 5:7, 7:6 (7:3), 2:6, in Stockholm by Imer with a score of 4:6, 4:6. In Malaga, he triumphed over Bai with a score of 6:4, 6:3, but then fell to Harris 5:7, 4:6. At the Gstaad tournament, Roberto was defeated by Kachine 6:7 (4:7), 6:7 (3:7), and at Wimbledon by Safiullin 6:2, 6:7 (7:9), 7:6 (7:4), 4:6, 5:7. At the Budlals Challenge tournament, he was also defeated by Musetti with a score of 6:7 (1:7), 4:6. In June, Roberto reached the semi-finals of the Halle tournament, where he beat Vavassori 6:3, 6:4, Nakasima 7:5, 7:6 (7:2), and Medvedev 7:5, 7:6 (7:3), but then he fell to Rublev 3:6, 4:6. At the French Open, he was able to overcome Wu Yibing, but lost in the next match to Varillas. In other tournaments, Roberto wasn't able to pass the second round, with the exceptions being the Australian Open and the Adelaide tournament. At the Australian Open, he reached the 1/8 finals by defeating Souza, Holt, and Murray, but then lost to Paul. In Adelaide, the tennis player reached the finals by defeating Hase, Davidovich Fokina, and Kokkinakis, but eventually lost the final match to Kwon Sun Woo. Alexei Popyrin The 24-year-old Alexei, who holds the 39th spot in the world rankings, approaches the tournament with three consecutive defeats. In Paris, he lost to Harri 5:7, 6:7 (6:8), in Vienna to Rublev 6:7 (5:7), 4:6. In Tokyo, he reached the quarterfinals, defeating Khachanov 6:4, 6:2 and Garin 4:6, 7:6 (7:3), 6:2, but lost to Mochizuki 5:7, 6:2, 5:7. Prior to these matches, the tennis player experienced a series of defeats and lost four consecutive matches. In Shanghai, Astana, and the US Open, he suffered first-round losses to Arnaldi 6:4, 3:6, 4:6, Korda 6:7 (5:7), 7:6 (7:4), 4:6 and Stricker with a score of 3:6, 4:6, 6:3, 3:6. In Cincinnati, Popyrin reached the quarterfinals by defeating Altmayer 6:7 (5:7), 6:4, 6:4, Harris (who had to withdraw midway through the match), and Rousuvori 6:2, 1:6, 6:3. However, he was later defeated by Hurkacz with a score of 1:6, 6:7 (8:10). In July, Popyrin won the tournament in Umag, passing Bonzi, Offner, Priezmich, Arnaldi, and Wawrinka. Prior to this, Alexei suffered defeats in nine out of twelve matches. He lost to Stricker at Wimbledon, Ruud in Herlingham, Thompson in London, Sevilla at the Surbiton Challenger, and Karatsev at the French Open. In May, in Rome, Popyrin successfully passed the qualifications by defeating Bonadio and Pellegrino. In the main draw of the tournament, he defeated O'Connell, Oje-Aliassim, and Safiullin before losing to Rune. At the Madrid Masters, Alexei was unable to overcome the first round, suffering a defeat to Gali. However, he successfully qualified for the Monaco tournament, where he defeated Pera and Koprivo, as well as Lajovic in the main draw. In the rest of the season tournaments, he was unable to secure more than two consecutive victories. Head-to-Head The athletes have not previously played against each other. Prediction for the Bautista-Agut - Popyrin Match Popyrin has a greater chance of winning, despite his recent defeats, as they were against stronger opponents. I'm betting on the Australian's victory.

06.11.2023

275

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Metz - R1

Total over by games (22)

Odds: 1.64Stake: 5/10

win

+3.2

In the 1/16 finals of the Metz tournament on hard court, Marcos Giron from the USA will face Lorenzo Sonego of Italy. My wager is on total over. Marcos Giron 30-year-old Marcos, holding the 59th spot in the world ranking, previously made it through the Paris tournament qualification by defeating Kepfer 7:6 (7:5), 6:3 and Lajovic 7:5, 5:7, 7:6 (7:4), only to subsequently give in to Humbert 4:6, 3:6. Earlier in Basel, he suffered defeat from Humbert 3:6, 6:4, 6:7 (3:7), yet reached the semi-finals in Tokyo. There he managed to overcome Nishioka 7:6 (16:14), 4:6, 6:1, Ruud 6:3, 6:4, and Auger-Aliassime 6:1, 6:4 but gave in to Shelton 7:6 (7:2), 6:7 (5:7), 4:6. In the tournaments at Shanghai, Astana, and Chengdu, Giron could make it to the second round by defeating Galan, Wawrinka, and Bublik, but then lost to Sinner, Thiem, and Rinderknecht. The preceding series of matches was tough for Giron, with him succumbing in four consecutive games. In the US Open, he lost to Davidovich Fokina, in Winston-Salem - to Mmoh, and in Cincinnati, he could not get a pass to the main draw, losing to Schwartzman. In Toronto, Marcos reached the third round where he triumphed over Ruusuvuori and Rune, only to subsequently lose to Paul; furthermore, he suffered four defeats in five games at the end of June. In tournaments in Washington, Mallorca, and Halle, he could not clear the first round, submitting to Albot, Pella, and Medvedev; yet at Wimbledon he claimed a victory against Dellien, only to lose to Fucsovics. In early June, at the French Open, Marcos reached the third round overcoming Medjedovic and Lehecka, but then lost to Harris, and in all other tournaments he has not managed to win more than two consecutive matches. Lorenzo Sonego 28-year-old Lorenzo Sonego, occupying 46th place in the world rankings, previously failed to qualify for the Paris tournament and lost to Thiem. Before that, in Vienna and Stockholm, he managed to beat Cerundolo 6:4, 5:7, 6:2 and Lajovic 4:6, 6:3, 6:4 but lost to Sinner 2:6, 4:6, and Koto 4:6, 5:7, yet in Shanghai made it to the third tour, where he defeated Sekulic and Tiafoe, but succumbed to Harris. In the Davis Cup, Sonego managed to overcome Imer and Harris, yet suffered defeat from Galarneau; at the US Open he beat Moreno De Alboran, but lost the subsequent match to Sinner. In the Umag tournament, he reached the semi-finals defeating Cecchinato and Munar, but then lost to Wawrinka. Lorenzo had a tough time earlier, losing six out of eight matches; in Gstaad he lost to Ramos, in Wimbledon - to Berrettini, in Eastbourne to Zhang; while in tournaments in Halle and Stuttgart, he claimed victories over Karatsev and Berrettini respectively, but then lost to Sinner and O'Connell in the second rounds. At the French Open, Sonego displayed good play, reaching the 1/8 finals. He bested Shelton, Humbert and Rublev, but suffered defeat from Khachanov. In May at the Rome tournament he claimed victories over Chardy and Nishioka, but lost to Tsitsipas, and in Miami at the end of March, made it to the 1/8 finals overcoming Thiem, Evans and Tiafoe, but eventually lost to Cerundolo. In other tournaments this season, the tennis player was unable to claim more than two victories. Head-to-head The athletes have not previously played against each other. Match forecast for Giron - Sonego Sonego is currently not particularly stable, frequently losing in the last month, and HGiron, on the other hand, previously reached the semi-finals in Tokyo, but was ousted in the first round of two tournaments afterwards. There is no clear favourite in the upcoming match, so my bet is on total over.

05.11.2023

249

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Metz - R1

Odds: 1.88Stake: 5/10

Bet

In the round of 32 at the hard court tournament in Metz, Richard Gasquet of France will face off with Japan's Yosuke Watanuki. Our bet is a victory for Watanuki. Richard Gasquet A 37-year-old Richard, standing at 68th place in the world rankings, is starting this tournament on a five-match losing streak. In Paris, he was defeated by Paul 6:0, 2:6, 6:7 (6:8), in Brest, he lost to Nakashima 1:6, 4:6, in Antwerp - Marterer 3:6, 4:6, in Shanghai - Zhang 1:6, 2:6, and in Orleans, he made it to the semifinals, triumphing over Herbert, Eimer, and Feri, only to ultimately lose to Mahach. Earlier in Saint-Tropez, Gasquet was defeated by Zeppieri, he overcame Mari and Giron in Rennes but fell short against Bonzi, while at the US Open he lost to Marozan. In Winston-Salem, Richard reached the quarterfinals having defeated Huesler and Nakashima but subsequently lost to Korda. Prior to this tournament, the tennis pro had a spell of misfortune with four defeats in the last five matches, losing his initial matches in Cincinnati and Hamburg to Mannarino 4:6, 3:6 and Altmaier 5:7, 4:6 respectively, although he triumphed over Rune 6:2, 6:3 at the Hopman Cup only to lose to Ridley 6:3, 3:6, 8:10. In mid-July, Gasquet reached the final at the Challenger in San Benedetto, but previously had a four-match losing streak. At Wimbledon, he was defeated by Moutet 3:6, 5:7, 5:7, in Mallorca by Thompson 3:6, 4:6, and in Halle he lost to Sinner 3:6, 7:5, 2:6. Earlier in Stuttgart, Richard reached the quarterfinals, however, he didn't get past the first round at the French Open. In May, Gasquet participated in the Challenger in Bordeaux and reached the semifinals, beating Kokkinakis and Mikael Ymer, but he was defeated by Humbert. This tournament marked the first one where Gasquet managed to secure two consecutive victories since the start of January. Back in January, he claimed a title at the tournament in Auckland on a hard court. Yosuke Watanuki 25-year-old Yosuke Watanuki, holding the 72nd spot in the world rankings, couldn't advance through the qualifiers of the Paris tournament before. Here he faced off with Mpeshi-Pericar, winning 6:4, 6:7 (8:10), 6:3, but later lost to Nishioka 4:6, 4:6, suffered a defeat from Ruud 6:7 (6:8), 3:6 in Tokyo, and overcame Shan 7:6 (9:7), 4:6, 6:4 in Shanghai, only to succumb to Fritz 6:7 (2:7), 7:6 (8:6), 4:6. At the Asian Games, the player reached the final, trouncing Alharasi, Ramanathan, Evishev and Hon, but then lost to Zhang. Watanuki also made it to the final of the Shanghai Challenger, defeating Bolt, Galax, Li, and Shan, and eventually lost to O'Connell. At the US Open, Watanuki left the tournament in the first round by conceding to Mannarino, in the Stanford Challenger he reached the semifinals, overcoming Johnson, Moreno De Alboran and Duckworth, but was forced to withdraw from the match against Lestienne. Previously in Washington, Yosuke secured victories against Wu Yibing and Auger-Aliassime, however, he was defeated by Humbert in the next round. Moreover, Watanuki made it through Wimbledon qualifications by beating Hon and Celikbilek, but then lost to Novak, and in the tournament's main draw, he defeated Huesler but was defeated by Zverev. At the season's onset, Yosuke reached the semifinals at the Challenger in Canberra, where he triumphed over Van Ash, Rodionov, and Gombos, but then lost to Fucsovics. In February, he showed good play at the Monterrey tournament, reaching the semifinals. However, he failed to get past the second round in the rest of the season's tournaments. Head-to-Head The athletes have not previously played against each other. Prediction for the Gasquet-Watanuki match Watanuki displays more consistency, while Gasquet has lost his last 5 matches; I think he won't be able to resist his younger opponent.

05.11.2023

303

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Paris - R1

Felix Auger Aliassime

Handicap1 by games (-2)

Odds: 1.64Stake: 5/10

win

+3.2

In the 1/32 finals of the tournament in Paris on the hard court, Felix Auger-Aliassime from Canada will play against Jan-Lennard Struff from Germany. Our bet goes for Auger-Aliassime's win with a handicap of -2.5 games. Felix Auger-Aliassime 23-year-old Felix, who ranks 19th in the world tennis rankings, previously participated in the tournament in Basel, where he claimed the title. He secured victories against Riedle with a score of 6:3, 6:2, Van de Zandschulp 6:4, 6:2, Shevchenko 7:6 (7:2), 3:6, 7:6 (7:1), Rune 6:3, 6:2 and Hurkacz 7:6 (7:3), 7:6 (7:5). In Tokyo, the tennis player reached the quarterfinals, defeating Vukic with a score of 7:6 (7:3), 6:7 (2:7), 6:2 and Ofner with a score of 6:4, 6:1, but lost to Hiron in the final with a score of 1:6, 4:6. In the tournaments in Shanghai, Beijing, and the U.S. Open, Felix failed to proceed past the first round, suffering defeats from Fucsovics, Rune, and McDonald respectively. In Cincinnati, he prevailed over Berrettini but later lost to Mannarino; in Toronto, he lost to Pearsall; in Washington, he was defeated by Watanuki. At Wimbledon, he was prevailed over by Mmoh. At the puzzle challenge, the tennis player lost to Schwartzman and Rublev, although he later won against Davidovich Fokina. In the French Open, he was eliminated after the first round, losing to Fognini. In Lyon, he managed a win against Yamas Ruiz, but had to withdraw from the match against Fils. The current season has been complicated for Felix due to an injury that sidelined him for a whole month. After returning to the court, he lost to Lajovic in Madrid and Popyrin in Rome. Auger-Aliassime also reached the quarterfinals at tournaments in Indian Wells and Rotterdam, the semi-finals in Doha, and the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. Jan-Lennard Struff 33-year-old Jan-Lennard, who is ranked 27th in the world tennis rankings, earlier participated in the tournament in Basel, where he won against Eubanks with the score 7:6 (9:7), 6:4, but lost to Hurkacz 1:6, 4:6. Struff's prior performances have been marked by misfortunes as he lost four out of his last five matches. In Antwerp, he lost to Gaston 7:5, 6:7 (5:7), 6:7 (11:13), in Shanghai - to Arnaldi 3:6, 6:3, 4:6, in Beijing - to Ruud 6:7 (5:7), 3:6. In Zhuhai, he won against Garin 6:3, 1:6, 6:4, but then lost to Nishioka 4:6, 5:7. Prior to this, Jan-Lennard was absent from the tournaments for three months, but he returned in June in Halle, where he won against Safiullin, but lost to Bublik. In Stuttgart, the tennis player reached the final, defeating Zhang, Paul, Gasquet, and Hurkacz, but lost to Tiafo. In the French Open, Struff failed to pass the first round, losing to Lehecka. At the Challenger in Bordeaux, he made it to the semifinals, defeating Jakke and Moutet, but then lost to Etcheverry. In early May, Jan-Lennard demonstrated confident play in Madrid, where he won victories over Sonego, Shelton, Lajovic, Tsitsipas, and Karatsev. However, he lost to Alcaraz in the final. In April, the tennis player reached the quarterfinals at the tournament in Monte Carlo, and the semi-finals at the Challengers in Phoenix, Manama, and Canberra. Head to Head The sportsmen met twice before, with their encounters resulting in a 1:1 tie. Prediction of the match Auger-Aliassime - Struff Auger-Aliassime just recently clinched the title at the tournament in Basel and is in good form, while Struff is yet to recover from an injury and often loses. The bet is for Felix's victory.

31.10.2023

271

Tobiloba Jimoh

Expert

Tennis

ATP Challenger Ismaning - R1

Handicap2 by games (-3)

Odds: 1.6Stake: 5/10

win

+3.0

In Ismaning, a Challenger is taking place on the carpet surface, a relic from bygone types of surfaces, now unsuitable for prestigious competitions. For lower-tier tournaments, however, it suits just fine. The match I aim to dissect in detail for you is rather interesting to observe precisely on this specific surface, favoured by many tennis players. Mick Geerts will compete against Maximilian Marterer. Mick Geerts Although I haven't paid rapt attention to the Belgian player, I did get a chance to watch his performances in the middle of this season, where he managed to reach the semifinals of an indoor tournament in Lille, delivering three sound duels, the semi-final lost to Max Purcell was not disastrous. Aside from the French local success, there's an achievement, precisely the M25 trophy in Bagnres-de-Bigorre, where Geerts made it to the finals without any hitches and the deciding battle with the Frenchman Tristan Lamasine was a bona fide title contest. Somewhere along the way, Mick had some successes and failures, yet the Belgians' instability isn't surprising as he's always unpredictable. In the first round of the Ismaning Challenger, he awaits an interesting game against the German left-hander Marterer. Maximilian enjoys operating from the ad court, creating difficulties for opponents in the rally. Geerts lacks steady baseline tennis, meaning Marterer will be seeking ways to disturb the Belgian's game. Maximilian Marterer The German player is improving, competing well in both Challenger series and even prestigious tournaments. Already in Pune at the start of the season, Marterer proved he could perform commendably on the main tour leg, managing to pass the qualifications and win two matches under the main draw. Afterwards, a lapse for Maximilian, followed by Wimbledon where the German player passed all three qualifying rounds and won two main draw matches, succumbing only to Alexander Bublik in the 1/16 finals. Subsequently, triumph in the clay Challenger in Amersfoort, Marterer was outstanding; semi-finals on the same surface in the Austrian Tulln and semi-final on hard court in Alicante. Maximillian's successful run continued in Antwerp at ATP 250 where he again excelled with a series of wins. He was then outplayed in the semifinals by Bublik, who is becoming a tough adversary for Maximilian. The German Challenger is an opportunity for Marterer to demonstrate how much stronger his game has become in terms of results. If he manages to grab the title on the carpet surface, it indicates that it's time to be more effective in minor tournaments and gradually transition to a new level. In the first round, Marterer will face Geerts, who will definitely be less confident if Maximilian shows tennis of good quality similar to the Antwerp performance. Head-to-Head In this year's triumphant Challenger series tournament in Amersfoort on clay, the German won confidently. Match forecast: Mick Geerts - Maximilian Marterer I will bet on the total under in match games. I believe Maximilian will repeat the success of the previous match with the Belgian player.

31.10.2023

276