ATP tournament in Sofia, 1st round, Tuesday, 07.11.2023
There are still a few serves left in this tennis season, but then it’s really over in 2023! From a German perspective, of course, it would be all the better if the men in black, red and gold could bring it to a conciliatory conclusion.
In Sofia, number 97 is on the pitch and has been handed a really tough opponent in the draw. The odds at Bet365 are correspondingly high, with the German trailing behind. In my Draper Marterer betting tip, however, I reveal why I think the underdog can take a set!
Every star on the ATP Tour currently has the goal of leaving 2023 satisfied. Maximilian Marterer should finish in the top 100, but a strong tournament in Sofia would be an advantage to secure this.
After his semi-final at the European Open, he traveled to his home tournament in Ismaning with confidence, hoping for the big win there. It wouldn’t have taken much for Marterer to actually win the title.
After four straight victories, the player who had been one of the favorites from the start as the number 2 seed found himself in the final. However, he was not on hand in the decisive moments, losing 6-7, 7-6, 6-7 to Antoine Bellier in an incredibly unfortunate defeat
This defeat naturally hurt the 28-year-old, as you don’t usually win many titles in front of your own fans. Will he now travel to Sofia with a corresponding amount of anger in his stomach or will he be unable to compensate for the disappointment?
The last time he played in the Bulgarian capital was five years ago, when he managed to reach the quarter-finals. He doesn’t have much experience with his opponent from the first round, last year he faced Jack Draper for the first time
In Cherbourg he lost 4-6, 2-6, this time he would like to cut a much better figure. Unfortunately, our bookmakers are rather pessimistic that this can work out, as the odds average 3.20 to 1.35.
According to the world rankings, Jack Draper is actually not that far away from Marterer, currently ranked 82nd. The Brit is 21 years old, or rather young, and serves left-handed like the German.
The US Open round of 16 finalist has subsequently traveled from Challenger to Challenger, polishing up his statistics here. He reached the final twice, even winning the final in Bergamo a few days ago against David Goffin
A great success, although it has to be said: Draper was seeded number one here, so a strong performance was to be expected. However, he had also shown what he was made of on a flying visit to Tokyo.
A 6-4, 6-7, 6-7 win against a certain Alex de Minaur is definitely a result to be proud of. Unlike Marterer, the 21-year-old is celebrating a premiere in Sofia, so has no history to fall back on
My Draper Marterer tip
Both Maximilian Marterer and Jack Draper have put in good performances in recent weeks, which have been crowned by appearances in the final. The Brit will probably be the leader, but in our eyes the lead is relatively small.
In my analysis, I was ultimately able to confirm that Draper has a little more potential, but could also be tired after his title win in Bergamo. I therefore believe in a very close game in which I don’t want to write off the German and I’m betting on him:
Marterer takes a set against Draper!
