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Tennis | Monday, May 22, 2023 8:38 AM

Monday Tennis Best Bet: WTA Strasbourg, Anna Lena Friedsam vs Shuai Zhang

Monday Tennis Best Bet: WTA Strasbourg, Anna Lena Friedsam vs Shuai Zhang
IMAGO / tennisphoto.de

Anna Lena Friedsam vs Shuai Zhang Best Bet: Monday, May 22nd

The redline week continued through the semifinals for Anhelina Kalinina, as she took down Veronika Kudermetova in yet another marathon match. Sadly, it likely cost her a chance at the title, as the Ukrainian was forced to retire just one game into the second set of the final against Elena Rybakina.

For the week ahead, we have plenty to choose from, with the WTA Tour having two events the week before the French Open in Rabat, Morocco and Strasbourg, France. There’s also French Open qualifying.

For Monday, let’s look into the match between Anna Lena Friedsam and Shuai Zhang in Strasbourg.

In this article:


Anna Lena Friedsam vs Shuai Zhang Preview

May 22nd, 13:00 (UK Time)

Tough first match back for Zhang, as Friedsam has been playing some decent tennis of late.

To complicate matters, Zhang has never been fond of playing on the slower red clay courts.

We’ve only seen the 34-year-old a handful of times since the hard-court swing in the Middle East in February and she hasn’t won a match since the last day of January indoors in Lyon, to boot.

It’s hard to justify a flat baller, who has always preferred and had more success on quick surfaces being given a 30-35% chance. Her flat style isn’t rewarded on higher-bouncing clay courts and her potential health issues of late make her a much less likely winner for me.

Then there’s Friedsam, who I didn’t consider much of a clay-court player either prior to the last several weeks.

The German has a strong serve and forehand combination, but she’s added some consistency this year, which has helped her find a better level on the red clay.

She pushed Paula Badosa to the brink after a pair of qualifying wins in Rome, and pushed a natural clay courter in the second round of qualifying in Madrid.

While not elite on the surface by any means, she’s in much better form and is more competent on the clay than Zhang.


Anna Lena Friedsam vs Shuai Zhang Best Bet

This ultimately comes down to the fact that I can’t let this match pass by with a handicap of under four games with a poor clay courter, having an awful season who is also struggling with physical issues.

Friedsam may not be the best player out there, but she’s certainly 4-to-4.5 games better than this iteration of Zhang on clay.

  • Selection: Friedsam -3.5 Games
  • Best Odds: 1.88 (Pinnacle)
  • Stakes: 4/10

Odds as at 2:00 am UK Time on May 22nd, 2023. Odds may now differ.


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