tennis | Thursday, December 29, 2022 8:59 AM

Friday Tennis Best Bet: ATP United Cup, Dan Evans vs Jason Kubler

Jon Reid

Dan Evans vs Jason Kubler Best Bet: Friday, December 30th

For Friday’s men’s match, we’ll look to the tie between Great Britain and Australia, as Dan Evans and Jason Kubler go toe-to-toe in what could be one of the more entertaining matches of the day.

Let’s take a look at what should be a rather close affair.

In this article:

Dan Evans vs Jason Kubler Preview
Dan Evans vs Jason Kubler Best Bet

Dan Evans vs Jason Kubler Preview

December 30th, 9:30 (UK Time)

We should see a packed house for this one, with the host country of Australia being involved, and the match taking place during the night session.

It would be nothing less than either player deserves, with both being extremely hard workers and more than willing to play marathon points and matches to get the job done.

I’d classify these two similarly, with Kubler and Evans both being very workmanlike in their demeanour on the court, both being rock solid from the baseline and both being undervalued in terms of how sneaky the pace on their shots would be.

The tennis world is well aware that both these guys can grind out matches with the best of them. I think both have a bit more pop in their first serves and forehands than they’re given credit for as well, and it has led to Evans vaulting up the rankings and into the top 30 in the world, while the injury-plagued Kubler is right on the border of the top-100 after a nice run of form last spring and through Wimbledon. Had Wimbledon’s points counted, he’d be inside the top 100 comfortably.

Statistically, these two are fairly similar as well. Their first serves landed, first serve points won, second serve points won, total points won, hold of serve rate and break of serve rate were all within a few percentage points of one another on hard courts in the 2022 season, and I don’t see much separating these guys when it comes to the eye test.

Dan Evans vs Jason Kubler Bet Bet

I can understand why the market has made Evans the favourite here, as he’s been more reliable physically, Kubler’s form tailed off at the end of last year and Evans is a bit better at the net, adding a dimension to his game the Aussie doesn’t have (though I do think the early money on Kubler was warranted).

That said, I’m not looking at picking a side in this one. With both being so similar, the crowd at Kubler’s back and such a statistical dead heat in important metrics on hard courts a season ago and undervalued serves for both in quicker conditions, I’m happy to back this one to be lengthy and possibly need a decider.