Andy Schooler is back with his latest weekly tennis match-bets preview which this week focuses on the start of the Asian swing…
Aleksandar Vukic v Kyrian Jacquet
Having fallen into a soft-looking part of the draw, I quite fancy Vukic’s outright chances this week at massive odds.
If he’s to go deep, he’ll clearly have to see off Jacquet here but I feel he’s a decent price to do so.
It’s only a month since Vukic won his only previous meeting with Jacquet, claiming a 7-6 6-1 victory in Quebec City where he held serve throughout.
That decent serve has helped him win nine of his last 10 tie-breaks and that should stand him in good stead heading to China.
On hardcourts, Jacquet has only one top-100 win since January, while his last match brought a defeat to the world number 524 in US Open qualifying.
Jaime Faria v Terence Atmane
I think Faria is an interesting outsider on this week’s first-round coupon.
Better known for his exploits on clay, Faria has been playing well on the hardcourts and beat Ben Shelton in Cincinnati prior to the US Open.
Once in New York, he took a set off Carlos Alcaraz, while he was back in action last weekend when easing to victory in the Davis Cup and helping Portugal beat El Salvador.
Conveniently, that tie was played on outdoor hard, while it was also in pretty intense heat – the mercury was well above 30C, which is exactly what is forecast in Hangzhou.
With his big serve, Atmane likes a quicker court more than Faria but Hangzhou is played on a medium-paced GreenSet surface and is the slower of this week’s two events.
In any case, confidence must be low right now with the Frenchman on a run of 12 defeats in his last 18 matches.
Faria at odds-against looks worth a go.
Juncheng Shang v Adrian Mannarino
For a long shot this week, let’s try Mannarino.
He’s certainly not in great form but as I’ve written on these pages in the past, he plays his best tennis on the faster surfaces and conditions in Chengdu, where altitude is in play, are some of the quickest on the ATP Tour.
His willingness to come to the net should serve him well here and he’ll be up against a Chinese player under pressure from the home crowd.
Shang won this title two years ago but isn’t in anything like the sort of form he was then. In fact, he’s lost seven of his last nine matches – a run disrupted by a lengthy injury absence.
To be honest, he’s had some tough draws since his return and is the right favourite here, but this isn’t a match to be taken lightly and the upset should not be ruled out.
ATP Chengdu & Hangzhou: R1 Best Bets
Vukic to beat Jacquet @ 1.76 with kwiff
Faria to beat Atmane @ 2.1 with kwiff
Mannarino to beat Shang @ 2.7 with kwiff
