ATP Antwerp Tournament, Round of 16, Thursday, 10/19/2023
Shortly before the 2023 tennis season comes to an end, the men are really getting going. In the most diverse venues is currently served, I now deal with the ATP tournament in Antwerp.
Why? Quite simply because not only stars from Germany and Austria are competing here, but two of them are now meeting each other directly and are raking in identical odds at Bet365!
In my Thiem Hanfmann tip, I therefore reveal why I see the number 5 seed in front!
The Antwerp tournament has been held regularly again since 2016, but we have not seen finalists from Germany and Austria since then. The current round of 16 includes both nations right away.
Dominic Thiem on one side, Yannick Hanfmann on the other, and our betting providers are completely overwhelmed as to who they should trust to win more here! Odds around 1.9 are in favor of both, so it’s expected to be a damn close affair.
The German (ranked 56) is exactly 30 places ahead of his opponent in the world rankings, so he should be slightly favored. This will be his second appearance here in Antwerp after 2021, but his first in the main draw.
In his 1st round, Hanfmann had to face Alexander Blockx, by no means a really tough opponent. The favorite won 6-4, 7-6, but he had a lot of work to do.
In any case, it was strong that he did not allow a break. The 31-year-old himself will know what he still has to improve in order to leave the court as a winner against Dominic Thiem.
After his very early exit at the US Open, which of course can happen against a Jannik Sinner, Hanfmann started his Asian Tour. In Beijing, he lost directly after surviving qualifying, but: with Carlos Alcaraz, the number 2 in the world was responsible for the defeat.
In Shanghai he finally lost in the second match against Christopher Eubanks, the defeat in three sets didn’t have to be. So, all in all, it’s hard to predict what his current form is.
Last year in Kitzbühel Hanfmann and Thiem met for the first and so far only time directly, the German triumphed then with 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Whether the Lower Austrian can now take revenge?
Thiem has quite good memories of Antwerp, because a year ago, when he made his debut here, he reached the semifinals. Especially his victories against Francisco Cerundolo and Hubert Hurkacz might still be remembered by his fans.
The start into the current tournament was relatively sluggish, against Luca Nardi he collected a 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, at least got a bit stronger from rally to rally after trailing.
Did he leave the recent disappointment from Bratislava behind him? There he was defeated by a certain Gabriel Diallo, which should not happen to him against such an opponent.
In Astana shortly before, he had appeared in the quarterfinals, but towards the end of this season, the Austrian no longer manages to keep his performance on a consistent track and to win regularly.
The 30-year-old missed the entire month of September with an injury, so apparently he is also lacking a bit of match rhythm. Thiem will have to use the momentum from the 1st round on Thursday, when he suddenly found his way into the match midway through the second set.
My Thiem Hempman Tip
Dominic Thiem and Yannick Hanfmann, they share a certain weakness: both don’t really know how to turn off the wobbles of the last months and still manage a consistent finish of this season!
Both had their problems at the start in Antwerp, but since Thiem only returned to the court at the beginning of October, I see a slight advantage for the German. Therefore, my tip is now also:
Hanfmann wins against Thiem!
