ATP 250 Chengdu 1/16-Finals
Kotov – O’Connell: Time TBA
H2H: 1-1
Pavel Kotov has lost three of his last five matches. The Russian is lurking around the top 50. His last match was at the US Open, where he lost against Bergs in the first round of the tournament. So far this season, Pavel has struggled a little bit with the injuries, and did not perform well throughout the season. He has not had any remarkable results so far. Around this time last year, Kotov reached the 1/8-Finals in Chengdu where he lost against Zverev in three tight sets.
Christopher O’Connell has won five straight matches. Last week in Guangzhou, O’Connell won the challenger title, winning against Shimabukuro in the final. It was a great tournament preparation for the upcoming Asian swing. Christopher skipped a decent part of this season due to his injury. Besides winning this challenger title last week, Christopher did not have any remarkable results this season. Last year around this time, O’Connell reached the quarterfinals in Chengdu, when he lost against Dimitrov in straight sets.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, this should be a 50-50 match. Christopher showed great tennis last week, and should be fully confident coming into this match. On the other hand, Kotov is struggling with his form, and did not do much this season. We believe that O’Connell will dominate from the very start, and win this match.
That being said, Christopher winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Christopher O’Connell winning @1.73 @bet365
Daniel – Sonego: Time TBA
H2H: 1-1
Taro Daniel has lost four straight matches. His last win was over a month ago in Montreal, where he failed to qualify for the main-draw tournament. The last match he played was at the US Open, where he lost against Schoolkate in the first round of the match. Daniel struggled this season, and did not have any remarkable results, which led to him being almost outside the top 100. His biggest result was at the beginning of the season, when he reached the final in Auckland, losing against Tabilo in straight sets.
Lorenzo Sonego has won four of his last five matches. His last match was at the US Open, where he lost against Tommy Paul in the first round of the tournament. Just a week before the US Open, Lorenzo won the title in Winston-Salem. This was a much-needed win for Sonego, who needed to regain self-confidence. Lorenzo struggled throughout the whole season, on every surface, which led to him being outside the top 50. He even went back to the challenger tour level, to get some wins.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Lorenzo is the slight favorite in this matchup. Daniel usually performs well at the Asian tournaments. We believe that he will have a decent chance against Sonego tomorrow. Daniel has a huge serve, and on such a fast surface as this one, we believe that he will win his service games easily.
That being said, Daniel covering the games handicap is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Taro Daniel +3.5 games handicap @1.85 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
