The first round brought us little success in terms of our accumulators, with 3 successful picks (Popyrin, Musetti, Korda) and 5 losses (Chardy, Vesely, Querrey 2-0, Johnson, Kwon). The second round sees the 32 seeded players begin their campaigns, and we at Serving Up Clutch believe there to be good value selections available.
Bautista Agut to beat Harris 4/9
After a disappointing start to the year, the ever consistent Spaniard is back in form, beating Opelka, Bublik, Thiem and Rublev on his way to the final in Doha. Harris is also in good form, having reached the final in Dubai as a qualifier. The quantity of tennis that he has played recently (this will be his 10th match in 14 days) won’t help him here, as Bautista Agut will make him work hard in every rally. In addition to this, Bautista Agut will enjoy the pace that Harris puts into his groundstrokes, making him firm favourite here.
Bublik to beat Djere 4/9
Bublik has enjoyed a great start to the year, having reached two finals already on the ATP Tour in Antalya and Singapore (both hard court). Having seen him play, his motivation levels have been excellent, which have usually been the reason he hasn’t won more matches in the past, as opposed to his actual tennis ability. Djere secured a 3 set win against Vesely, who didn’t look fully fit for the duration. Whilst the clay court specialist was consistent throughout, Bublik will offer a much sterner test, especially behind serve.
Evans to beat Tiafoe 4/5
Evans has been playing some great tennis this year, having won his maiden ATP title in Melbourne, beating Auger-Aliassime, Chardy and Coric along the way. His draws since then have not been kind, losing in 3 sets in his last two matches to Federer in Doha and Karatsev in Dubai (who went on to win the event). Tiafoe has been in ok form recently (7 wins 7 losses in 2021), opting to play the clay court swing in South America, falling in round 2 in both events. He will not enjoy this match up, as a player who enjoys rhythm which Evans will not give him. Evans is one of the best players on the tour in terms of providing variety, and his low slice will cause Tiafoe problems. This is reflected in the head to head, which Evans leads 3-1 (all on hard), and I expect him to get his fourth win tonight.
Hurkacz to beat Kudla 4/9
Hurkacz started the year in fine fashion, lifting the title in Delray Beach. His form since has been average, however his last two wins, straight sets against Mannarino and Gasquet, shows that he is getting back to near his best. Kudla did not have to do anything spectacular to beat Chardy in round one here, after the Frenchman put in an awful performance. Hurkacz should offer him a much more difficult challenge here, and advance to round 3.
Four fold: 4.42/1
Serving Up Clutch 