tennis | Friday, January 27, 2023 9:46 AM

Friday Tennis Bonus Best Bet: ATP Challenger Concepcion, Alejandro Tabilo vs Timofey Skatov

Jon Reid

Alejandro Tabilo vs Timofey Skatov Best Bet: Friday, January 27th

It’s a bonus article Friday for tennis best bets. With the women’s final selection being a hedge play geared primarily to those who have Elena Rybakina outright positions open, a second play for all is in the cards!

For our bonus best bet, we head to the Challenger circuit and the event in Concepcion, Chile to preview the match between Alejandro Tabilo and Timofey Skatov.

In this article:

Alejandro Tabilo vs Timofey Skatov Preview
Alejandro Tabilo vs Timofey Skatov Best Bet

Alejandro Tabilo vs Timofey Skatov Preview

January 27th, 19:30 (UK Time)

This match will serve as a good warmup for what’s coming next week for Skatov. Playing the Chilean in Concepcion won’t be a fun task, and the Kazakh will have to do so again next week, as Kazakhstan is in Chile for Davis Cup qualifying as well.

Besides the support from the home crowd that Tabilo is sure to enjoy on Friday evening, he’s also the much better player in this contest for my money.

Skatov may be on his preferred surface, and it’s admirable how much work he’s put in to add some aggression to his forehand wing to go with his consistent play from the baseline, but he’s just outmatched in a few too many ways for my liking by his 25-year-old opponent.

For starters, Tabilo should have a much easier time backing up his serve on a consistent basis. He has more power, more kick and his height advantage of 13cm over his counterpart in this one, makes that kick even more effective should it bounce up and out of Skatov’s preferred strike zone.

Then there’s the fact that Tabilo’s lefty game should serve him very well against Skatov. The Kazakh has improved his forehand wing considerably in the last few years, but his backhand still leaves plenty to be desired. With Tabilo hitting his bigger and spin-heavy forehand crosscourt into that stroke of Skatov, the diminutive righty could really struggle.

Alejandro Tabilo vs Timofey Skatov Best Bet

Overall, I’d call myself a fan of Skatov’s game on a macro level, especially on clay and at Challenger Tour events.

In this particular matchup, however, I think he’s in for a long day, in a tough matchup, against someone that is much closer to being tour-level ready on the surface and going up against what is likely to be a relatively hostile crowd.

I’ll take Tabilo to win here at a price in the 1.60 range.