tennis | Tuesday, April 4, 2023 10:16 AM (Revised at: Tuesday, April 4, 2023 10:17 AM)

Tuesday Tennis Best Bet: ATP Estoril, Albert Ramos Vinolas vs Jurij Rodionov

Jon Reid

Albert Ramos Vinolas vs Jurij Rodionov Best Bet: Tuesday, April 4th

It took three sets, but Dimitar Kuzmanov did get the win over Hugo Grenier in Marrakech on Monday.

For Tuesday, we’ll shift our focus to the clay-court event in Estoril, and that match between Albert Ramos Vinolas and Jurij Rodionov.

In this article:

Albert Ramos Vinolas vs Jurij Rodionov Preview
Albert Ramos Vinolas vs Jurij Rodionov Best Bet

Albert Ramos Vinolas vs Jurij Rodionov Preview

April 4th, 15:00 (UK Time)

It’s been a rough start to 2023 for the veteran from Spain, with so much of the early stages of the campaign being played on hard courts.

He did manage to snag four wins during the South American clay-court swing in February, and there’s no doubt he’ll be happy to be back on the slower red clay for the next few months.

This event in particular is one I’m sure Ramos Vinolas is happy to be at. He won the tournament in 2021 and last season reached the semifinals, losing in three sets to the eventual champion.

Needless to say, the conditions suit his style. The low-altitude, seaside atmosphere rewards those that play consistent, planned-out tennis.

Able to prolong rallies with the best of them, the 35-year-old is poised for a potential breakthrough run for his 2023 season.

As for his opponent, Rodionov is certainly capable of playing across the different types of courts found on tour, but his success and play so far this year has been concentrated on hard courts.

In fact, he built up some form the last two weeks, but those weren’t just hard courts, but quicker ones, played indoors and one of the events was at altitude. Not exactly the same situation as Estoril.

He also appeared to lose a step as his semifinal run in Lille last week wore on. Fatigue concerns are certainly at play in this one.

Albert Ramos Vinolas vs Jurij Rodionov Best Bet

I’m happy to back Ramos Vinolas with a standard staking here on the handicap for those reasons.

With Rodionov yet to play on the dirt, having looked tired in his last match and Ramos Vinolas back in his ideal settings with success historically at this venue, I have this handicap in the 4.5 to 5-game range.

Rodionov is also someone who has a pretty explosive game, albeit a volatile and inconsistent one. With his game capable of producing lopsided set scores when he loses his range from the baseline, giving up a 4-game head start isn’t the worst case scenario by any means.