ATP Canberra Challenger (Bendigo)
Laaksonen vs Munar (Approx 11:00am AEDST)
The odds for Laaksonen already appear a little silly, and that is before you consider that Munar was one of the players highlighted in ‘Spot the Situation’ yesterday.
Laaksonen is certainly the more comfortable player on hardcourt out of this pairing, so I am a little surprised to see the odds for him today. He was very solid in his come from behind win against Otte yesterday, and will take a lot of confidence from his decent showings in Australia in the last 12 months (ie took De Minaur to 5 sets at the Australian Open).
As I mentioned yesterday, Munar is slated for Adelaide Qualifying which gets underway in less than 48 hours. Whilst he could win and still play tomorrow, I just don’t see any value in his odds in this particular match-up as well. Munar’s game is still evolving, and it is clear that his hardcourt game is still very much work in progress. Munar also came back from the brink against King yesterday, as he was able to grind him down and take control of the contest.
This match will rest largely on the racquet of Laaksonen. Given the form of both players yesterday, and Munar’s scheduling, this will be an interesting match. I felt the odds were more 50/50 without that information, so to have Laaksonen in excess of $2.50 is value. Happy to play for 2.5 units.