ATP Tournament in Bastad, 1st round, Tuesday, 18.07.2023
He is the best tennis player in Austria and wants to remain so for as long as possible! Sebastian Ofner has had successful months, and his second leg on clay should naturally bring positive results.
He is competing at the Swedish Open these days, but already at the start of the tournament the opponent is a very tough one and on top of that the favourite at Bet365. In my Ofner Etcheverry tip, I now reveal why I believe the underdog can win a set!
Successful Challenger, fantastic French Open, good performances also on grass and finally a brilliant return to the red clay? No question, Sebastian Ofner has been in a really good mood for months!
The 27-year-old has climbed to 58th in the world rankings, he has never been this good in the course of his career! Of course, the Austrian tennis fan remembers Roland Garros 2023 too fondly.
There, Ofner survived the qualifiers, then won against Maxime Cressy, Sebastian Korda and Fabio Fognini. It was not until the round of 16 against Stefanos Tsitsipas that the end came, the underdog had thrilled and surprised many at the same time.
As soon as he appeared on grass, he was back in the final in Ilkley, where he lost narrowly to Jason Kubler. Was it now a step backwards that he already had a ticket home after the first round of Wimbledon?
I wouldn’t put it quite like that, because you can lose 4-6, 4-6, 4-6 to Jiri Lehecka. A few days ago, Ofner returned to the clay at home in Salzburg, and how!
Seeded at position 3, he was one of the big favourites for the trophy right from the start and made it clear from round 1 that the title would only go through him. Only one set was lost, a 6-3, 6-2 win in the final against Lukas Neumayer left him deservedly jubilant.
This is Ofner’s first ever appearance at the Swedish Open, and he should have gathered enough motivation in the last few months. Another premiere: a duel against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Ofner may be the outsider with our betting providers, but with odds of 1.44 to 2.70 he should have good chances. His opponent cannot be called lucky in the draw, Tomas Martin Etcheverry is after all among the top 34 in the world.
The Argentine, 1.96 metres tall, is seeded sixth in Bastad and wants to confirm his reputation as one of the favourites. In Wimbledon, he didn’t make it to the big time, already losing to Stan Wawrinka in round 2.
It is not atypical for a man from South America that he prefers to be at home on red clay. At the French Open, he reached the quarter-finals, only losing 1:3 to Alexander Zverev.
His performance at the Bordeaux Challenger, where he lost the final, is also unforgettable. There is no question that Etcheverry is one of the most unpleasant opponents you can have in the 1st round.
My Ofner Etcheverry Tip
Sebastian Ofner has been in really good form for a few months now, getting great results on both clay and grass. He is now one of the best 60 players in the world, and his rise is not supposed to end here yet.
The best recent achievement was the tournament victory in Salzburg. With Tomas Martin Etcheverry, however, he has a really strong competitor at his side, who even reached the quarter-finals of the French Open on clay.
According to my analysis, I do see the Argentinian in front, but very, very slightly. Since Ofner is just too good for an outright defeat, I decide on the following tip:
Ofner snatches a set against Etcheverry!
