tennis | Friday, February 3, 2023 8:21 AM (Revised at: Friday, February 3, 2023 9:11 AM)

Friday Tennis Best Bet: ATP Challenger Koblenz, Alexandre Muller vs Zdenek Kolar

Jon Reid

Alexandre Muller vs Zdenek Kolar Best Bet: Friday, February 3rd

Impressive stuff from Maximilian Marterer sunk Thursday’s best bet in Koblenz.

Friday, we’ll finish the week at the same event we’ve been following all week, as we take a look at the match between Alexandre Muller and Zdenek Kolar.

In this article:

Alexandre Muller vs Zdenek Kolar Preview
Alexandre Muller vs Zdenek Kolar Best Bet

Alexandre Muller vs Zdenek Kolar Preview

February 3rd, 12:00 (UK Time)

In what has ended up being a wide open top half of the Koblenz Challenger main draw, Friday presents a great opportunity for both Muller and Kolar to reach the semifinals of an indoor hard court event – something I’m not sure either would have anticipated entering the week.

From a betting perspective, I’ll look to back the Frenchman in this one, as he checks a lot of boxes in this matchup. For starters, he’s a more accomplished hard courter and is the far more comfortable player in indoor conditions.

Secondly, his first serve is far more potent and should generate many more free points than his counterpart’s in this one.

Finally, I’m far more convinced by his route to this point than I am by Kolar’s. He came through an incredibly tough battle with the tall, big-serving Jan Choinski last round, battling back from several breaks of serve down in the third and deciding set, despite Choinski playing some inspired, consistent tennis. Prior to that, he took out a talented youngster with solid weapons, Max Hans Rehberg.

Kolar, on the other hand, beat a one-dimensional Antoine Bellier – who would really prefer the courts to be much quicker, as his rally tolerance leaves a lot to be desired – and Zhizhen Zhang, who dominated him in the opening set, before completely collapsing and losing his feel on return. I’d much rather back the Frenchman here, even if it means giving up a few games to start.

Alexandre Muller vs Zdenek Kolar Best Bet

The handicap at -3 games isn’t quite high enough for me. I’m still not convinced by the Czech’s win over Zhang in the last round, and I think we have an opportunity to exploit an overreaction in the betting markets as a result.

I’m fine taking a strong position to back Muller in this one, as his rally tolerance should offset Kolar’s primary strength, while his surface edge and better history on hard courts