Those who have been following for many years may remember a large underdog play on Lesley Pattinama Kerkhova years ago in AO qualifying against Saschia Vickery. She is back again at another big price.
I have an incredibly high opinion of Clara Tauson, and I think I have made that clear for quite a while. Like many other players her age though, she does at times lack the consistency in her game at the top level, which is more than understandable. In this instance I have a very high opinion of the player, but a very low opinion of the price. I don’t feel as though Tauson should be sub $1.10 in WTA level matches, especially coming off her tournament win the other week and a lapse early in her match yesterday with Ekaterina Shalimova who has no form to speak of lately.
Kerkhove is one of those players that I will generally only get involved with at larger prices given her inconsistency. She can play a very attacking game, and one that doesn’t always go to plan. She has put together some decent performances over the last couple of weeks, beating Lin Zhu in straight sets, and losing to Martincova in three sets in WTA Dubai qualifying last week. She is also able to play with some freedom, having come from 0-6 0-2 down to Gorgodze yesterday before prevailing in three sets. Whilst indoor hard hasn’t always been a surface that has brought the most success for Kerkhove, the conditions overall do suit her more than the odds currently suggest.
Whilst I agree Tauson should be a hot favourite here, I cannot have Kerkhove at $8. She has lost a couple of times this year as a commanding favourite, and there Kerkhove does have the game to cause a fair amount of grief if things click. Tauson could run through this match and win convincingly, however I am playing the odds. Happy to take this larger price for 1.5 units.
Suggested Bet
1.5 units Kerkhove to defeat Tauson at $8 (+700) at Unibet & Bet365