ATP 250 Chengdu 1/16-Finals
Mpetshi Perricard – Sun: Time TBA
H2H: first meeting
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has lost four straight matches. The last match he won was over a month ago in Washington, when he won against Ruusuvuori in straight sets. Since then, Giovanni has struggled with his form. His last match was at the US Open, where he lost against Etcheverry in straight sets in the first round. After winning his maiden title in Lyon, Giovanni had some solid results on the grass courts as well. Mpetshi Perricard is lurking around the top 50 in the rankings. He needs a solid result on these faster courts here in Asia, to get back into the top 50.
Fajing Sun has lost three of his last five matches. Two weeks ago in Shanghai, Sun lost in the first round of the challenger tournament against Barrios Vera in straight sets. A week before that, Sun reached the quarterfinals in Zhangjiagang, also at the challenger tour level. The young Chinese man has spent the last couple of months playing in China, preparing for the upcoming Asian Swing. He was granted a wild card here, so we can expect the crowd to support him.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Mpetshi is the big favorite in this matchup. We believe that he is a way better player than Sun at this moment. Giovanni loves to play on the fast courts such as this one, so we expect him to dominate from the very start, and win this match easily.
That being said, Giovanni winning in straight sets is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard winning 2-0 @1.50 @bet365
Safiullin – Fognini: Time TBA
H2H: first meeting
Roman Safiullin has won three of his last five matches. His last match was at the US Open, where he lost against Arnaldi in the second round of the tournament. Before that, Roman won the challenger title in Cary. Roman is lurking around the top 50 in the rankings, so he is hoping for a decent result here, to get back into the top 50. So far this season, Safiullin has not had any remarkable results.
Fabio Fognini has won three of his last five matches. The last match he played was at the US Open, where he lost against Machac in the first round of the tournament. Fognini struggled this season, and could not do much at the highest level, so he went back to the challenger tour level, where he had some decent results. Fabio loves to play on the clay courts. He usually underperformed on the fast courts such as this one.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Safiullin is the big favorite in this matchup. Fabio is far away from his prime days, and we believe that he will have no answer to Roman’s game. Safiullin loves to play under these conditions, so we expect him to dominate against Fabio from the very start.
That being said, Safiullin winning in straight sets is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Roman Safiullin winning 2-0 @1.83 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
