There were a number of upsets in the First Round matches that were completed on Tuesday and that has really opened up the tournament in Dubai where some valuable Ranking points can be earned.
With players like Andrey Rublev and Alex De Minaur already out, the door has opened and there won't be many left in the draw that won't believe that they can win the title and earn some positive momentum ahead of the back to back Masters events to be played in North America.
All of the Second Round matches have been scheduled for Wednesday and some selections can be read below.
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Karen Khachanov: Both of these players were able to win First Round matches on Monday in Dubai and that means they have a rare opportunity to earn some rest at a tournament that is set to conclude on Saturday.
It is a big opportunity for both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Karen Khachanov to build on solid opening wins, although there is also room for improvement as far as the consistency they have shown early in the 2025 season.
Being able to string the wins together is so important, but that has been an issue for both Tsitsipas and Khachanov and the point is underlined by the fact that they have earned just one Quarter Final spot between them. That was Stefanos Tsitsipas when having a decent enough run in Rotterdam, but even that was ended in a match he should have won and there is much for the two players to prove.
There has been very little wrong with the serving of the two players so far this season, but both can improve the returning numbers. Out of the two, Karen Khachanov has had a bit more success on the return of serve, but Stefanos Tsitsipas is looking after serve slightly better and something is going to have to give.
A real concern for both is that they have not exactly been facing top opponents in tournaments so far this season and have still not dominated as much as they would have wanted. At least Stefanos Tsitsipas is showing a bit more signs of positive form and the win over Lorenzo Sonego will have given him some confidence, which he can take into this match.
In nine previous meetings, Stefanos Tsitsipas has won eight and that will also not be lost on the pair.
In the First Round Karen Khachanov was able to snap a losing run against Daniel Evans, but the latter is not playing anywhere near the level that Stefanos Tsitsipas is still able to produce and that is going to be telling in this match.
The hard court matches are skewed 6-1 in favour of Stefanos Tsitsipas against Karen Khachanov and the World Number 11 has had a considerable advantage on the service numbers in those head to heads. That could be key in this Second Round match and Tsitsipas deserves the edge if he can maintain the standards that he has been producing behind that shot in 2025 and it will give the higher Ranked player a chance to edge to an important win.
Zizou Bergs - 2.5 games v Luca Nardi: There was a touch of fortune around Luca Nardi's win over Marton Fucsovics in the First Round having been dominated in terms of the number of Break Points played.
However, credit has to be given to the young Italian for playing the big points better than his opponent and it will have given Luca Nardi some belief to take into this Second Round match.
Beating a player that had held a win over him in 2025 will also have helped and Luca Nardi will bid to do the same again when facing Zizou Bergs in the Second Round. These two met in Auckland last mont and it ended in a routine win for Zizou Bergs, who has also been able to back that up with decent runs at events entered this season.
It is the key reason that Bergs began this tournament at his career best World Ranking mark and another couple of wins here would really see him begin to push into the top 50 in the World. That is important as it would mean direct entry into the big Masters events that will be played through the course of the year and the 25 year old looks to be developing quite well.
He is not always the most trustworthy of players, but Zizou Bergs has won nine of the ten matches played on the hard courts against opponents that entered the tournament with a lower World Ranking. The serve has remained a solid weapon in those matches, but most important is how effective Zizou Bergs has been on the return and that could be the key to winning this Second Round match.
Luca Nardi has played three matches in Dubai already so will be very comfortable with the conditions, while any player that has taken a set from someone as good as Carlos Alcaraz deserves his respect. The Italian does have a serve that will offer up chances and that is going to mean having to win those pressurised points as he did in the First Round, which can be a tough ask of anyone to maintain through the pressure that develops.
When they met in Auckland, Zizou Bergs had a considerable edge behind the serving numbers and that should be the case again in Dubai this week.
MY PICKS: Stefanos Tsitspas @ 1.83 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Zizou Bergs - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Weekly Update: 2-3, - 1.45 Units (5 Units Staked, - 29% Yield)
No comments:
Post a Comment