ATP Tournament in Halle, Round of 16, Thursday, 16.06.2022
Winning in superior fashion, then losing again to blatant outsiders – when will the performances of the number 1, Daniil Medvedev, finally settle down again at a consistently high level? The Russian is not even allowed to take part in Wimbledon, but still wants to compete in the current tournaments with motivation.
In Halle, the 26-year-old mastered the opening round with aplomb, now he wants to reach the quarter-finals as well.
Read my Medvedev Ivashka betting recommendation here!
While the top stars are currently preparing for Wimbledon, Daniil Medvedev knows: He is not allowed to compete here anyway. Will he nevertheless participate in the ATP tournament in Halle with ultimate consistency? Medvedev is not exactly in his best shape.
Nevertheless, he grabbed the top spot in the world rankings a few days ago. All he needed was a hard-fought place in the final in Hertogenbosch, where he completely lost the final 4-6, 1-6 to underdog Tim van Rijthoven.
It was all the more surprising to see the Russian’s sovereignty in Halle. With David Goffin, he was not presented with an easy opponent in the first round, but Medvedev did not show any weakness at 6-3, 6-2.
He only allowed his rival two break chances, both of which he managed to fend off. The world No. 1 won over 70% of the points on both his first and second serves, which was the key to his success.
Now he meets a player who crossed his path only a few days ago in the Netherlands. He won 7-6 (8), 6-4 against Ilja Ivaschka in the quarter-finals at Hertogenbosch, and it couldn’t have been much closer.
In 2021 and 2018, two duels took place that had one thing in common with the most recent one: they were hard-fought until the last rally. Once Medvedev won 7-5, 6-4, the other time Ivashka won 7-6, 6-4.
The Russian would like to decide the match faster this time, and he has the bookmakers on his side. Bet365 clearly favours him anyway, so if you want to grab the bonus, you would have to go for a 2:0, which brings an approximate 1,50.
So Ilya Ivashka knows exactly how to perform against Ivashka. The 28-year-old shares Medvedev’s fate, because: As a Belarusian, he too has to forgo serving at Wimbledon.
Lately he made a big move in the world rankings, is now ranked 42nd. In his opener in Halle, he had to unleash a lot more energy than Medvedev did.
He had to push his limits against Jan-Lennard Struff, but in the end he came through 3-6, 6-3, 7-6. In an almost completely even match, Struff actually recorded the slightly better scores, but in the decisive moments Ivashka was on the spot.
Since Monte Carlo more than two months ago, the Belarusian has only been eliminated twice without a third set, so most of his matches go into “extra time”. If he leaves without a third set, the fans have twice been treated to more than 22.5 games.
My Medvedev Ivashka tip
It is also extremely difficult for us to correctly assess Daniil Medvedev’s current performances. After Wimbledon, it is not possible for the world No. 1, so it will be all the more exciting to see whether he is still motivated enough
The performances in Hertogenbosch were mixed, but the performance in Halle against David Goffin was all the stronger for it. Medvedev knows how well Ilya Ivashka can fight. The outsider is also top after trailing, made it difficult for Medvedev in every match. Therefore, my tip is:
Win Medvedev & Over 21,5 Games!
