They are two veterans of the tour but both their careers are close to hitting the wall. Simon, a former top 10 player, has a record this season that reads 11-20 while Seppi is at 15-15. He has lost 10 of his last 12 matches with his two wins coming against little known Nicolas Jarry and Maximilian Marterer. He has clearly lost his ability to counter punch and use his opponents pace. For a player with no weapons it leaves him both vulnerable and exposed. He can not dominate from the baseline and doesn’t have a serve which can earn him free points. Don’t be lured into his winning record against the Italian as all of those wins came when Simon was a genuine top 20 player. He is past his best and if he continues along his current, path retirement is imminent.
Best Bet: Seppi WIN ($2.50)
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Yannick Maden
Few have heard of Tsitsipitas but The Wolf says he is a name we will be hearing a lot more of. During the US Open series we saw the emergence of Denis Shapovalov and Wolfy says Tsitsipitas is part of the next wave of youngsters. A former junior world number 1, he is a junior Wimbledon Champion and made multiple Orange Bowl finals. He claimed his first Challenger Tour title just weeks ago and is a player on the rise. He will role into the main draw.
Best Bet: Sets Tsitsipas 2-0 ($1.75)
ATP St Petersburg Feature Previews
Marcos Baghdatis v Horacio Zeballos
Their only meeting 7 years ago was decided by multiple tiebreakers but The Wolf says we cannot use it as a gauge simply due to the fact that both of these men are at the tail end of their respective careers. When they are on they can still play some great tennis but their best tennis is now limited to small spurts rather than sets and matches. The faster indoor surface should favour Baghdatis and it is a surprise to see the Argentinemaking an appearance here. He plays over 75% of his tennis on clay and has less than a handful of matches in his career on a indoor surface. It gives Baghdatis a huge edge and one The Wolf feels he will take full advantage of.
Best Bet: Baghdatis WIN ($1.44)
Paolo Lorenzi v Damir Dzumhur
The Wolf really likes this matchup for Dzumhur as he is in career best form! He made the semis in Los Cabos before finishing runner up in a Challenger Tour even but what was most impressive was his run to the finals of the Winston Salem Open. He beat some very handy names that week including Simon, Zeballos and Edmund. He has shown that he can play well on all surfaces and he will have no problems adapting to the indoor conditions. He is far more consistent than Lorenzi and we should see him cover the game handicap with relative ease.
Best Bet: Dzumhur -2.5 ($1.85)
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