ATP 250 Metz 1/8-Finals
Michelsen – Gasquet: 05.11.2024 18:00 CEST
H2H: first meeting
Alex Michelsen has lost three of his last five matches. Last week in Paris, Michelsen reached the second round, where he lost against Rinderknech in two tiebreaks. Here in Metz, Alex won his opening match against Mayot in straight sets. The American offered and saved nine breakpoints. Michelsen is looking for a solid result this week to get closer to the top 40 in the rankings.
Richard Gasquet has lost three of his last five matches. Last week in Paris, Richard lost his opening match against Bergs in straight sets. Here in Metz, Gasquet was granted a wild card. Here in Metz, Gasquet won his opening match against Monteiro in three tight sets as we predicted. After losing the first set, Gasquet stepped up his level, and turned the match around. Richard is 38 years old, and is no longer part of the top 100 in the rankings. Last year, around this time, Gasquet was injured that, and skipped this part of the season.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Michelsen is the favorite in this matchup, and we agree with that. As we already mentioned in our previous articles, Richard usually has enough energy for the opening match. However, after playing such a long match, we expected Gasquet to be exhausted, and to struggle against the young American.
That being said, Michelsen winning in straight sets is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Alex Michelsen winning 2-0 @1.75 @bet365
Moutet – Struff: 05.11.2024 19:30 CEST
H2H: 2-1
Corentin Moutet has won three of his last five matches. Last week in Paris, Moutet successfully qualified for the main-draw tournament. However, he failed in the opening main-draw round, losing against Shelton in three tight sets. Here in Metz, Nagal retired after trailing 0-4 against Moutet in the second set. After being 2-5 down in the first set, Moutet stepped up his level, and turned the set around.
Jan-Lennard Struff has lost three of his last five matches. Last week in Paris, Struff reached the second round, where he lost against Arthur Fils in straight sets. Before that tournament, Jan-Lennard was struggling with his form, and was on a 4-match losing streak. Here in Metz, Struff won his opening match against Shevchenko in three tight sets as we predicted. After losing the first set 3-6, Struff stepped up his level, and turned the match around. So far this season, Struff has had his biggest results on the clay courts. He won his maiden ATP title this season in Munich. During his last two appearances in Metz, Struff lost both times in the first round.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Struff is the slight favorite in this matchup. We believe that the German is a better player than Moutet under these conditions. We expect Jan-Lennard to dominate in this match, and win this match easily.
That being said, Struff winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Jan-Lennard Struff winning @1.57 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
