ATP Shenzhen / Chengdu: 1st Round

ATP Shenzhen Feature Previews

Alessandro Giannessi v Jeremy ChardyWe have seen very little of Chardy this year and he has been unable to find any sort of form as a result. He was competitive in losses to Berdych and Monfils at Wimbledon and the US Open respectively so don’t be quick to write him off. He has a great one two punch when he is on and looks to back up a big serve with a clean forehand winner. Giannessi, a lefty, is extremely weak on return especially when his backhand is attacked. He is easily stretched on that wing and ends up hitting more slice backhands than he should. The most concerning part is that he drops the ball short and that will be easy pickings for the Chardy forehand. Look for the Frenchman to post a confidence boosting win.
Best Bet: Chardy -3.5 ($1.85)

Dudi Sela v Matthew EbdenAussie Matt Edben made his maiden ATP Tour final earlier this year in Newport but it must be said that there have been very few other highlights around it. Sela has claimed multiple titles on the Challenger Tour and beat Ebden in the qualifiers at the Montreal Masters. Sela had good court craft but with Edben already winning two matches in the qualifiers we should see him dialed in a very competitive. 3 of the 5 sets they have contested have been decided by a breaker and with neither player having a dominant game there should again be nothing between them.
Best Bet: Over 22.5 games ($1.85)

ATP Chendgu Feature Previews

Jared Donaldson v Stefanos TsitsipasThe transition from the Challenger Tour to the main tour is never easy and Tsitsipas is finding out the difference in levels. He has been making plenty of noise at the Challengers and has even gone through the qualifiers and made the main draw of tour events a handful of time this year. The problem is that he is 0-6 in ATP Tour main draw matches and has won just 1 of 13 sets. The Wolf is shocked to see the price on offer for Donaldson! He has a winning record on tour and has posted some very impressive results including a quarter finals appearance at Masters Series level. Until Tsitsipas posts his first win on the main tour we will be fading him – especially at this price.
Best Bet: Donaldson WIN ($1.73)

Yuichi Sugita v Mate PavicSugita has been a late bloomer to say the least with 2017 yielding his maiden ATP title at the age of 29. He was a 3 time winner on the Challenger Tour earlier in the year and the run of results have allowed him to play excluviely on the main tour. He has wins this season over names like Gasquet, Carreno-Busta, Ferrer and Sock. This is Pavic’ first appearance on tour for over a year and despite battling his way through the qualifiers he will not be challenging Sugita here.
Best Bet: Sets Sugita 2-0 ($1.50)