Popko vs Rinderknech (Approx 06:30pm AEST)
I was a little surprised to see these two players sitting at near identical odds, as I had a strong leaning towards a particular player on first look.
It has been a big 12 months for Arthur Rinderknech, moving from 360th in the world in October last year to now sitting just outside the Top 160. It can be a little hard to place his clay form, as early in 2019 he was edging his way into some Challenger clay tournaments as an ITF player. There has been a significant improvement in the overall form and consistency of the Frenchman, and he has a fantastic opportunity to build on his ranking significantly as any points earned is a bonus for the rest of 2020 under the new system. I have really liked what I have seen from Rinderknech this week, beating Hugo Grenier 6-4 6-1 and Daniel Masur 6-3 6-3. The most impressive part of the win over Masur was his composure. After trailing 0-3 early, he was able to reel off 9 consecutive games, not facing another break point for the rest of the match. He looked a touch outgunned by Otte last week, so I am not too worried about that result given his form this week and his opponent in Popko being a better match-up overall.
After an extended run on the US Exhibition circuit during the tour suspension, Dmitry Popko has looked solid in his two wins here in Prague this week. He was the beneficiary of a horror serving performance from Otte in the second round, with the German only putting 42% of first serves into play and struggling behind his second ball. Popko was able to get the better hand of Yannick Maden in the third round on the back of a 78% first serve percentage, with Maden fading away after a tight first set. The wins are solid, however I just don’t quite have the confidence level in his game from what I have seen this week compared to Rinderknech.
As a result, I have Rinderknech as value here in this one. The $1.90 (-111) price looks solid, and I am happy to get involved here for a 1 unit selection.
Suggested Bet
1 unit Rinderknech to defeat Popko at $1.90 (-111) at Bet365.
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