tennis | Thursday, June 22, 2023 7:33 AM

Thursday Tennis Best Bet: WTA Birmingham, Emina Bektas vs Rebecca Marino

Jon Reid

Emina Bektas vs Rebecca Marino Best Bet: Thursday, June 22nd

Just a gut-wrenching loss with Sofia Kenin, who was the stronger player and much more well-rounded player throughout. She didn’t just win the opening set, but also led 4-2 and had a point for a double break lead in the deciding set before falling apart. Thankfully, the men’s article went the other way and covered the handicap despite losing the opening set to ensure it wasn’t a double loss day.

For Thursday, we’ll shift our focus to the event in Birmingham, England and look a bit more into the match between Emina Bektas and Rebecca Marino.

In this article:

Emina Bektas vs Rebecca Marino Preview
Emina Bektas vs Rebecca Marino Best Bet

Emina Bektas vs Rebecca Marino Preview

June 22nd, 11:00 (UK Time)

It’s been a revelation of a grass court season for the American, as she’s improved to 12-1 on grass during the 2023 season. Even removing her five wins on grass at a Japanese ITF – where the fields tend to be rather weak – Bektas is still an impressive 7-1.

Even yours truly thought her run in the Netherlands last week might have been a fluke, but the proof has been in the pudding regarding her play. While typically a fairly consistent baseliner, her compact service motion and contact point have made her extremely tough to return against. In fact, her winning percentage behind her first delivery has consistently been up above the 70% mark since the beginning of last week in Den Bosch.

I wouldn’t expect that to change in this matchup either. Not only is she once again on courts that should reward what she’s doing, but she’s taking on a tall, immobile player in Marino that has never been known for her return.

The Canadian is far more renowned for her impressive serve and big forehand than anything. It’s why she’s found some success on quicker courts in recent years. The problem is, with Bektas serving as well as she has been, the gap between the two in that department at the moment seems much smaller than it would have been prior to the commencement of the grass season.

Then there’s the fact that once we move into the actual rallies unless Marino can keep them all short with aggressive, powerful groundstrokes, Bektas should find more and more of an advantage the longer the points go.

Marino is also coming off a match that lasted over 2.5 hours on Wednesday, as she beat Xiyu Wang (as a lucky loser coming through qualifying) in three sets – her third match from three in Birmingham that has gone the distance.

It became apparent as the match dragged out as well. She faced more break points as the match progressed and generated fewer of her own (13 of her 18 chances came in the opening stanza). Those are both signs that she may have been feeling a bit leggy and lost some pace on her serve and was a step slower when on return.

Bektas should be primed to take advantage to the fullest on Thursday.

Emina Bektas vs Rebecca Marino Best Bet

There are just too many factors working against the Vancouver native in this one for me to believe she should only be a slight favourite.

From the matchup working against her to the time on the court on Wednesday and on the week overall not being ideal, as well as a subpar performance after the first set in her match on Wednesday, I think Bektas should be a much larger favourite here.

I’ve doubted her plenty so far this grass-court season, but I’ve seen enough now to be convinced that she feels comfortable on the surface and will back her to beat a potentially worn-down Marino on Thursday.

Selection: Bektas to win
Best Odds: 1.72 (Unibet)
Stakes: 5/10
Bonus: Bektas -4.5 Games at 3.10 odds with Unibet at 3.30 odds, using 1/10 stakes.

Odds as at 12:30 am UK Time on June 22nd, 2023. Odds may now differ.

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