ATP tournament in Rotterdam, 1st round, Tuesday, 13.02.2024
In the Davis Cup, Germany managed a narrow victory against Hungary. Jan-Lennard Struff was in the thick of it, playing against Marton Fucsovics and Mate Valkusz. The Warstein native won his second singles match.
Now he’s back on the ATP points hunt, competing in the 500 tournament in Rotterdam. The 25th player in the world has a tough nut to crack to begin with. “Struffi” has to play Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who is one place above him in the world rankings.
The oddsmakers are expecting a close affair and see the Spaniard just ahead. I also expect a close match, but don’t expect a tie-break in this duel, my Davidovich Fokina Struff tip with betting provider Betano
Premiere! Davidovich Fokina and Struff will face each other for the first time on a tennis court on Tuesday. Who will grab the first win? Fokina at 1.78 odds? Or Struff, who is assigned a 2.05 by Winamax?
I’ll tell you how it is, this matchup is a 50-50 game up front, even if the sports betting community sees it a little differently. After all, 94 percent of Winamax customers are currently backing the Spaniard, who was last seen in the Marseille quarterfinals.
The percentage insight into what other bettors are backing is just one of many great features. In addition to the fact that no betting tax is payable when submitting a ticket, Winamax also impresses with a betting configurator for tennis odds
Last week, Fokina was on the road at the 250 tournament in Marseille, losing to the eventual tournament winner Ugo Humbert in two sets in the quarter-finals. The 24-year-old was more convincing in the previous rounds against Gregoire Barrere and Emil Ruusuvuori.
In Melbourne, the 24th player in the world was already eliminated in the second round; after his opening win against Constant Lestienne, he lost to Nuno Borges in three sets. He started the year at the United Cup, winning two singles matches for Spain against Hubert Hurkacz and Thiago Seyboth Wild.
Ruusuvuori, Hurkacz – Fokina has already cracked a few strong opponents in 2024. After his injury last summer, Struff’s game is still not running smoothly. But I definitely wouldn’t write him off on the fast indoor hard court conditions
In his career, he has won around 60 percent of all his matches. Fokina, on the other hand, can only boast a win rate of 43 percent in these conditions. Like Fokina, Struff’s exit from the tournament in Melbourne was sealed after two rounds.
A marathon match against Rinky Hijikata was immediately followed by the next match against Miomir Kecmanovic in round two, but this time the German lost in the decisive match tie-break. This was followed by the Davis Cup matches.
The 6-3, 7-5 defeat to Marton Fucsovics was a match of missed opportunities, as Struff had eleven break opportunities, none of which he was able to use. He was more efficient against Mate Valkusz afterwards
Because of the many break chances and the past results of Fokina, who only played out one tiebreak in his past eight indoor hard court matches, I find the bet for no 7-6 set outcome on Tuesday lucrative.
Top sportsbook Betano is serving up 1.65 odds for this market. In any case, Rotterdam has not been the place for either player to get their best tennis moments so far. Struff has only made the main draw twice, failing to reach the first round in 2020 and 2021.
Fokina also suffered two opening defeats in a row, while Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev were anything but run-of-the-mill competitors in 2022 and 2023. In his first appearance in 2021, he at least made it through to round two
My Davidovich Fokina Struff tip
Nine years and more than 200 indoor hard court matches separate Davidovich Fokina and Struff, who will meet for the first time in tennis history in Rotterdam. So far, neither the 24th nor the 25th player in the world has been able to make a mark in the Dutch port city.
Will Struff reach the second round for the first time? With his strong first serve, he is likely to get more free points than his opponent, who, however, is much more reliable in getting his first service over the net.
The Spaniard is currently in slightly better form, but is not playing on his favorite surface, so I think Struff has the advantage on the fast indoor hard court. A winner bet is definitely too tricky, a set win odds too low for both players.
Instead, I’m going for the odds that the tie-break won’t happen. After all, Fokina has only played one in the last eight indoor matches and Struff has also had a few break chances in his matches.
My Davidovich Fokina Struff tip: No tiebreak in the match
