Marsel Ilhan - Jesper De Jong predictions and free betting tips [05/09/2023]

Witnessing a contest between tennis players from different generations always piques intrigue. Indeed, this could be the tagline for this article that narrates the game between Marcel Ilhan and Jesper De Jong. I conjecture tennis enthusiasts are familiar with the Turkish veteran, as well as the Dutch player who's currently in the second hundred in the rankings, although De Jong may resonate more with football themes.

Essentially, we must acquaint ourselves with both players' current capabilities, then scout for the right bet for their face-off.

Marcel Ilhan

The Turkish tennis player occupies the 1290th spot on the ATP table today, though he once prospered within the first hundred of the world ranking, naturally as a younger player. Ilhan played his first official game in 2002, which cumulates to over a thousand games, having clinched 23 titles, four of which were Challengers. However, he has yet to secure a "main" trophy.

Ilhan has been performing in futures this season, albeit unsuccessfully. Due to his far-flung ranking, he constantly has to go through qualifiers to enter the main grid of any tournament. Even for the domestic Challenger "wild card", it was allocated to him only for the qualifying matches since the organizers were unable to permit a player with nearly negligible points in the table to snag a spot in the 1/16 finals.

Certainly, the Turkish tennis player achieved sensational victories, defeating Humayun Sultanov, who the bookmakers pegged as the absolute favourite of the match. Also, Ilhan got past the American Omni Kumar, in what was an equal contest, yet Ilhan from Turkey was slightly more stable. These were all qualifying battles.

De Jong is significantly stronger than both of Marcel's opponents in the qualifying games, but such was the lots drawn. I presume Ilhan must go all out, showcasing his capabilities to the audience. Jesper is the second seed in this Challenger in Istanbul, meaning he'll certainly be nervous knowing that the stands will be rooting for Ilhan. A loss to the Dutchman won't be much of a blow for the Turkish tennis player, while De Jong, who's here with different goals likely associated with ambitions to win the trophy, would be more upset to fall out in the first round of the competition. We'll see what excitement the tennis players bring us. Hopefully, Ilhan hasn't drained all his energy in the qualifiers.

Jesper De Jong

The season is shaping up well for the Dutch tennis player. Jesper recently won a hard-court Challenger in Poland and cemented a title in the futures in spring. There were missed trophies too, such as the second clay courts Challenger in Rome where De Jong lost the finale to Sumit Nagal from India. At the beginning of the year, again on clay court, Jesper lost the decisive battle for the trophy to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in Tigre.

There were some local successes on the same dirt court, but the hard courts were what brought De Jong rewards. After the trophy in Grodzisk-Mazowiecki, the Dutch tennis player set off for the US Open, attempting to pass the qualifier. However, after a good match against American Tristan Boyer, something went amok with the (6:0) score, won by Jesper against Liam Brodie in the first set. Brodie managed to win twice (7:5) but could've played better had he exploited the loopholes in De Jong's game.

In Istanbul, the Netherlander is considered one of the key contenders for the trophy, so it appears that the match against Marcel Ilhan should be a cakewalk for De Jong. Jesper outclasses Ilhan in many aspects, so there's little room to expect the Turkish tennis player to find gaps in the game that might change the situation with the same odds before this game.

Match prediction

It's crucial for the Dutch tennis player to economise his tournament distance by defeating Ilhan without unnecessary exertion. Marcel might find his game in several match games but is likely to lose in two sets.