The grasscourt season gets under way at ATP Stuttgart Open and Den Bosch this week so Andy Schooler’s regular Monday column returns to bring you the best first-round bets.
Top Tennis Tips: ATP Stuttgart Open 2026 Preview
For an underdog this week, I think Atmane has plenty of upside. His big serve should be a weapon on the grass and win him plenty of cheap points. That was certainly the case in some of his Challenger Tour matches on the surface last season – for example, he served 20 aces in his defeat in Edgbaston.
ATP Stuttgart Open: Tommy Paul v Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Stuttgart’s grass is slick and low-bouncing – conditions here are some of the fastest on the ATP Tour. With that in mind, this could be a good week for Mpetshi Perricard, who has arguably the biggest serve in the game right now. Capable of cranking it up well over 140mph, the Frenchman should be tough to break this week and, if that is the case, his 2026 tie-break record of 12-5 suggests he should win matches in Stuttgart.
If he is to enjoy a decent run, he will, of course, have to first take down fifth seed Paul but that’s something he’s already done this season, beating him in Brisbane back in January in what were also pretty quick conditions.As was the case that day, this match could well come down to a handful of key points but I don’t think that’s reflected in the market – back the underdog here.
Roberto Bautista Agut v Marcos Giron (Tue)
While I wouldn’t go so far as to call Bautista Agut a grasscourt natural, he is certainly experienced and his tour-level record of 55-27 on the surface is not to be sniffed at. And having announced his intention to retire at the end of the season, I’m pretty sure he’ll be fully motivated to give the grass one last go over the next few weeks.
He’s won an ATP title on this surface and is a former Wimbledon semi-finalist. While both of those feats came some time ago, go back 12 months and he was playing in the Queen’s semi-finals after beating Jakub Mensik and Holger Rune. Giron is no mug himself on grass, having won the title in Newport in 2024, but his record against RBA is worrying for a player going off at 1.57.
The Spaniard has won all three meetings in straight sets, the most recent of which came last season in Hamburg. Admittedly, none was played on grass but I’m happy to back RBA here at odds-against.
ATP Stuttgart Open & ‘s-Hertogenbosch: R1 Best Bets
Mpetshi Perricard to beat Paul @ 2.6 with kwiff
Bautista Agut to beat Giron @ 2.05 with kwiff
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