Davis Cup – World Group Teams Men Qualifiers
Norway – Argentina: 30.01.2025 18:00 CEST
H2H: first meeting
Venue: Fjellhamar Arena, Oslo, Norway
Surface: hard, indoor
1st matchup:
Budkov Kjaer – Etcheverry
Nicolai is currently ranked outside the top 500. He plays at the ITF level, and this will be the biggest match of his young career. On the other hand, Etcheverry is a top-50 player with a lot of experience playing at the highest level. We expect Etcheverry to win this match easily and get Argentina’s first win.
2nd matchup:
Ruud – Navone
Both players are clay-court specialists. However, Casper Ruud has also had solid results on hard courts. On the other hand, Navone has never had remarkable results on fast courts like this. Mariano has no weapons for Casper’s game. With the help of the crowd, we expect Ruud to win this match and tie this meeting.
3rd matchup:
Durasovic/Ruud – Molteni/Zeballos
The Norwegians have played together in several Davis Cup matches already. However, it was usually at the lower level. They played two times last season and won both matches. On the other hand, Molteni and Zeballos played together in 2021 and 2022, winning a couple of titles. They are more experienced and also better doubles players than Durasovic and Ruud. We expect them to win and get the second win for Argentina.
4th matchup:
Ruud – Etcheverry
This will be the most interesting match between Argentina and Norway in this clash. Both players are clay-court specialists but also had decent results on fast courts. Ruud is the favorite in this match, considering his former results. Ruud had a solid start to the season, winning both matches in the United Cup under similar conditions as here. We expect him to win this match and tie this meeting.
5th matchup:
Budkov Kjaer – Navone
This will probably be the deciding matchup. As mentioned, Kjaer spent most of his career playing at the ITF level. Last week in Luxembourg, he played indoors at the ITF tournament on the hard courts. He reached the final, losing against Mikael Ymer in three sets. On the other hand, Navone struggled on fast courts throughout his career. However, he is more experienced than Kjaer playing at the highest level. We believe that his experience will be crucial in this match and that he will get the deciding win and seal the win for Argentina.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Argentina is the favorite in this matchup, and we agree. We believe that they will win 3-2 or 3-1. The most unpredictable match will be between Ruud and Etcheverry. However, even if Ruud wins, we still believe that Argentina will easily get three wins.
That being said, Argentina winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Argentina winning @1.53 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
