ATP 250 Hangzhou 1/16-Finals
Karatsev – Bellucci: Time TBA
H2H: first meeting
Aslan Karatsev has won three of his last five matches. His last match was at the US Open, where he failed to qualify in the final qualifying round against Bu. Karatsev is coming back from an injury, and is still trying to find his best form. He is currently outside the top 100, but we know that his level is definitely higher. So far this season, Karatsev has played only 17 matches, and has a losing 5-12 record. Last year around this time, Aslan played great tennis. He reached the semifinals in Zhuhai and played the final in Tokyo.
Mattia Bellucci has won four of her last five matches. His last match was at the US Open, where he reached the second round of the main-draw, losing against O’Connell in four tight sets. Mattia is on the verge of getting into the top 100 in the rankings. So far this season, Bellucci has spent most of his time playing at the challenger tour level. His biggest results were on the hard courts.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Bellucci will be a slight favorite in this matchup. We believe that Bellucci is in better form right now than Karatsev. We expect Mattia to dominate from the very start, and win this match easily.
That being said, Bellucci winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Mattia Bellucci winning @1.60 @bet365
Marterer – Nishioka: Time TBA
H2H: 0-1
Maximilian Marterer has lost three of his last five matches. His last match was in the Davis Cup against the USA, where he lost his singles match against Nakashima in straight sets. Maximilian is currently lurking around the top 100. This has been one of the worst seasons for the German. His biggest result was at the challenger tournament in Bonn, where he lost in the final against Dellien. So far this season, Maximilian has not won a single main-draw match on the hard courts.
Yoshihito Nishioka has won three of his last five matches. Last week in the Davis Cup, Nishioka won both of his matches in easy straight sets. Nishioka was not consistent at all this season, which led to him being outside the top 50. His biggest result was in Atlanta, where he won the title, winning against Thompson in the final. Besides that, Nishioka did not have any remarkable results. Last year around this time, Nishioka reached the final in Zhuhai, where he lost against Khachanov in straight sets.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Nishioka is the favorite in this matchup, and we agree with that. Marterer underperformed this season, especially on the hard courts. On the other hand, Nishioka had his biggest result on the hard court. Nishioka loves to play in Asia. We expect him to dominate from the very start, and win against the German easily.
That being said, Nishioka winning in straight sets is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Yoshihito Nishioka winning 2-0 @2.10 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
