ATP 250 Eastbourne 1/16-Finals
Navone – Nishikori: 25.06.2024 Time TBA
H2H: first meeting
Mariano Navone has lost four of his last five matches. Last week in London, Navone stood no chance against Jack Draper. Navone is a great clay court specialist, but he can not play his best tennis on faster surfaces. This is a breakthrough season for Navone, who made it into the top 30 in the rankings. So far in his young career, Navone has played only two matches on grass, and lost both of them. Being an Argentinian, Navone spent most of his time playing on slow clay courts. Looking at his hard court results, Mariano won last time on a hard court in 2020. He is obviously struggling on fast surfaces, so expect him to drop in the rankings.
Kei Nishikori has lost three of his last five matches. The last competitive match Nishikori played was at the French Open where he retired mid-match against Ben Shelton in the second round. Unfortunately, the injuries have ruined his respectable career. So far this season, Nishikori has played only three matches, and lost two of them. The last time he played on grass was in 2021 at Wimbledon. Kei used to be a very solid grass court player. In 2019, Nihiskori reached the Wimbledon quarterfinal where he lost against Roger Federer.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Nishikori is just a slight favorite in this matchup. Even though he is out of form, and constantly injured, Kei is still a way better grass court player than Navone. He is still capable of playing at least one solid match in the tournament.
That being said, Nishikori winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Kei Nishikori winning @1.57 @bet365
Norrie – Ruusuvuori: 25.06.2024 Time TBA
H2H: 1-1
Cameron Norrie has lost four of his last five matches. Last week in London, Norrie lost against Milos Raonic in three tight sets. Before that, Norrie was upset by Pinnington Jones at the challenger tournament in Nottingham. Norrie is on the verge of getting out of the top 50 in the rankings. He needs to start winning if he wants to stay at the top. Last year, Norrie lost in the second round at Wimbledon, losing against Eubanks in four sets.
Emil Ruusuvuori has lost four out of the last five matches. The young Finn is in terrible form. Now that the clay court season is over, we believe that Emil will get back to his winning runs. The last match he played was three weeks ago in Surbiton. Ruusuvuori lost there in the first round against Shimabukuro. Last year in Eastbourne, Emil lost in the first round against Barrere in three sets.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Norrie is the favorite in this matchup. Both players are out of form, and we believe that this will be a very tight match. Ruusuvuori can perform well on grass.
That being said, Ruusuvuori covering the games handicap is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Emil Ruusuvuori +2.5 games handicap @2.00 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
