ATP United Cup semifinals
Shevchenko – Hurkacz: 04.01.2025 00:30 CEST
H2H: 0-3
Alexander Shevchenko has won three of his last five matches. Shevchenko started this season’s United Cup by losing his first match against Carreno-Busta in easy straight sets. After that, Alexander stepped up his level and won consecutive matches. In his second match, Shevchenko upset Tsitsipas in straight sets. A young Kazakh was a better player throughout the match and dominated from the start. After that, against Masur, Alexander lost the first set 6-7. In the second and deciding set, Shevchenko dominated and won comfortably.
Hubert Hurkacz has lost four of his last five matches. It was not the beginning of the season he was hoping for. He lost the first two matches here in Australia against Ruud and Machac. Yesterday, Hurkacz won in straight sets against Harris but struggled again on the court. Luckily for him, Hubert saved all three breakpoints and was a better player under pressure. Hurkacz had a roller-coaster season last year and hopes to regain his best form and get closer to the top 10 in the rankings.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Shevchenko is the underdog in this matchup, but we disagree. Hurkacz is out of form and has been struggling throughout this tournament. On the other hand, Shevchenko has been playing well lately, so we expect him to keep this match tight.
That said, Shevchenko covering the games handicap is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Alexander Shevchenko +3.5 games handicap @1.83 @bet365
Fritz – Machac: 04.01.2025 09:00 CEST
H2H: 1-0
Taylor Fritz has won three of his last five matches. At the United Cup, Taylor lost his opening match against Auger-Aliassime in three tight sets. In his second match representing the USA, Fritz dominated against Coric, winning in comfortable straight sets. After that, Taylor once again won straight sets against China. This time, it was against Zhang, who had no answer for Taylor’s serve. Fritz offered no breakpoints and was unplayable.
Tomas Machac has lost three of his last five matches and his first United Cup match as well. After fighting for almost three hours, Tomas lost against Casper Ruud in three tight sets. In his second match representing the Czech Republic, Machac won against Hurkacz in three tight sets. Today, Machac had his easiest match in the tournament against Italy. He ended up defeating Cobolli in straight sets within an hour. He needed to get the job done fast to rest for his upcoming match against Fritz.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Taylor is the favorite in this match. Both players had an excellent 2024 season. We expect a very tight match that could go either way. Machac showed his best tennis in his last match, so we expect him to be fully confident tomorrow against Taylor.
That being said, Machac covering the games handicap is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Tomas Machac +2.5 games handicap @2.00 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
