ATP 250 Eastbourne 1/16-Finals
Davidovich Fokina – Sonego: 25.06.2024 Time TBA
H2H: 0-1
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has lost four of his last five matches. Last week in London, Alejandro won his first round match against Alejandro Tabilo in three sets. It was overall a poor performance from the young Spaniard. That was also his first grass court tournament of the season. Besides winning the boys Wimbledon title in 2017, Fokina never had any success on grass at the professional level. Last year, Fokina skipped Eastbourne and played in Mallorca, where he lost in the first round against Pavel Kotov.
Lorenzo Sonego has lost three of his last five matches. Last week in Halle, Sonego lost in the second round against Alexander Zverev in two tight sets. Unlike Davidovich Fokina, Lorenzo had some success on grass. In 2019, Sonego won the title on grass court in Antalya. Last year in Eastbourne, Sonego lost against Zhang in straight sets. Looking at his game, his huge forehand and serve, Songo should perform well on grass.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, this should be a 50-50 match. Looking at their previous grass court results, we believe that Sonego is a better grass court player than Davidovich Fokina. Lorenzo has already won one match this season on grass, and looked perfect against Zverev in the second round.
That being said, Sonego winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Lorenzo Sonego winning @2.10 @bet365
Kecmanovic – Zhang: 25.06.2024 Time TBA
H2H: 2-0
Miomir Kecmanovic has lost four of his last five matches. The young Serbian is completely out of form, and is now outside the top 50 in the rankings. Last week, Kecmanovic lost against Sonego in the first round of the ATP Halle. Just a week before that in Hertogenbosch, Kecmanovic lost against Griekspoor yet again in the first round. So far this season, Kecmanovic has lost both of his matches on grass. Last year in Eastbourne, Kecmanovic lost in the quarterfinals against Barrere.
Zhizhen Zhang has won three of his last five matches. Last week in Halle, Zhang reached the semifinals where he lost against Jannik Sinner in two tight sets as we predicted. Zhang played a great tournament overall. En route to the semifinals, Zhang defeated Medvedev and Eubanks, who are both great grass court players. A week before that, Koepfer defeated Zhang in the first round of the ATP Stuttgart. Last year in Eastbourne, Zhang reached the quarterfinals where he lost against Cerundolo in straight sets.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, this should be another 50-50 game. Zhang should be confident coming into this match after his semifinal performance against Sinner. Kecmanovic is in bad form, and is yet to win a match on grass. Zhang is a better server than Miomir, so we believe that he will win many free points on his serve.
That being said, Zhang winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Zhizhen Zhang winning @2.00 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
