ATP 250 Chengdu 1/8-Finals
Zhou – Mannarino: 21.09.2024 Time TBA
H2H: first meeting
Yi Zhou has lost four of his last five matches. He was granted a wild card here in Chengdu. Tseng retired in the third set against Zhou here in Chengdu in the first round of the tournament. Zhou is outside the top 500 in the rankings. He is only 19 years old, and he has huge potential as well. Yi had his biggest results at the ITF level. He is slowly transitioning to the challenger tour level. Zhou spent most of this season playing at the ITF level in Asia. Those tournaments were important for him to prepare for his upcoming matches at the highest level.
Adrian Mannarino has won three of his last five matches. This has been the worst season for Mannarino, who had been struggling throughout the whole year. Mannarino is on the verge of dropping outside the top 50. Here in Chengdu, Adrian won his opening match against Atmane in three sets. After losing the first set through the tiebreak, Mannarino stepped up his level, and turned the match around.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Zhou is the big underdog in this matchup. Yi played solidly in his opening match against Tseng. He had the crowd on his side the whole time. We believe that he will be able to keep this match tight tomorrow.
That being said, Zhou covering the games handicap is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Yi Zhou +4.5 games handicap @1.80 @bet365
Safiullin – Shang: 21.09.2024 Time TBA
H2H: 0-1
Roman Safiullin has won three of his last five matches. Here in Chengdu, Safiullin won his opening match against Fognini in three tight sets. Safiullin was trailing 0-2 in the third set, but stayed calm and turned the match around. 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.
Juncheng Shang has won three of his last five matches. Here in Chengdu, Shang defeated Nishikori in the first round as we predicted. Shang is looking to get into the top 50 in the rankings, so he is hoping for a solid result in front of his own crowd. Shang has been consistent throughout the whole season. He is still only 19 years old, and with such talent, we believe that he will eventually become a top 10 player.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Shang is the slight favorite in this matchup. He showed great tennis in his opening match against Nishikori. On the other hand, Safiullin struggled against Fognini. We believe that Shang is one of the favorites to win the tournament, so we expect him to dominate against Safiullin.
That being said, Shang winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Juncheng Shang winning @1.57 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
