ATP Rome 1/64-Finals
Draper – Coric: 09.05.2024 Time TBA
H2H: first meeting
Jack Draper has won three of his last five matches. Last week, Jack played in Madrid where he lost in the second round against Hurkacz in straight sets. Being a Brit, Draper played most of his career on the fast hard courts. He never had any remarkable results on the clay. This will be his first ATP tournament in Rome. Two weeks ago, Draper reached the quarterfinals in Munich where he lost against Fritz in three sets. So far this season, Draper has played only six matches on the clay and has an even 3-3 record.
Borna Coric is in terrible form at the moment. He has lost three of his last five matches. He dropped out of the top 50. With him being out of the top 50, the Croatians are without any top 50 outside players in a single competition for the first time since 2003. Two weeks ago, Borna played in Madrid where he lost against Zverev in the second round. However, the surface in Madrid was pretty fast, which was not ideal for his playing style. Last year in Rome, Coric reached the quarterfinals where he lost against Tsitsipas and has played overall a great tournament.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Coric will be a slight underdog in this matchup. This is just based on his current form. However, we believe that he is a better clay court player than Draper.
That being said, Coric winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Borna Coric winning @2.10 @bet365
McDonald – Karatsev: 09.05.2024 Time TBA
H2H: 2-1
Mackenzie McDonald played his last match at the beginning of this season at the Australian Open where he lost against Shang in five sets. Unfortunately, McDonald did not play almost any matches this season due to his medical condition. However, at his practice session, McDonald looked ready to go. The last match McDonald won on the clay court was in 2022 at the French Open. Being an American, McDonald rarely plays on the clay. Last year in Rome, McDonald lost against Cecchinato in straight sets in the first round.
Aslan Karatsev lost his first comeback match against Marozsan in straight sets as we predicted. Earlier this year, Karatsev underwent knee surgery after his injury in Brisbane. In his last match against Marozsan in Madrid, Karatsev looked healthy. He lost in two tight tiebreaks. The main problem was that he was really nervous and just could not close out the points. Last year at this time of the year, Karatsev reached the semifinals in Madrid.
Best Bet to Make
After being out for such a long time, Karatsev looked great in his first match. He will now face an opponent who had a similar problem this season. McDonald was out for a long time, and he would play his first match on his least favorite surface. We believe that Karatsev will dominate from the very start and win this match easily.
That being said, Karatsev winning in straight sets is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Karatsev to win 2-0 @1.83 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
