tennis | Friday, October 21, 2022 7:44 AM

Friday Tennis Best Bet: ATP Antwerp, David Goffin vs Richard Gasquet

Jon Reid

David Goffin vs Richard Gasquet Best Bet: Friday, October 21st

A nice winner on Thursday’s men’s selection in the Swedish capital, as Alex de Minaur managed to use his incredible defending and matcha advantage, as well as potential fatigue for his American opponent to bring in a dominant straight sets victory.

For Friday, it’s the event in Antwerp, Belgium where one match catches the eye. A contest between two longtime fixtures on the ATP Tour in David Goffin and Richard Gasquet is the matchup I want to look into more.

In this article:

David Goffin vs Richard Gasquet Preview
David Goffin vs Richard Gasquet Best Bet

David Goffin vs Richard Gasquet Preview

October 21st, 18:00 UK Time

This could be a fun one, between two guys who have been on tour for over a decade, and who have squared off a few times as well.

In fact, both have a pretty aesthetically pleasing game to watch as well, with crisp groundstrokes that can generate sneaky amounts of pace, and consistent play from the baseline that doesn’t produce a steady stream of unforced errors.

Gasquet’s game is topspin heavy, with a well-known, silky-smooth one-handed backhand, while Goffin has a strong combination of movement, flat ball striking that can take time away from opponents, and rock-solid play.

For my money, this one is a very even matchup, especially considering the form of each man entering this quarterfinal.

It’s been a tough few months for the Belgian, who will need every bit of the home crowd support he can get.

This is the first event in his last five where he’s managed to win back–to-back matches – and even those weren’t the most impressive. His second-round contest was against Diego Schwartzman (who’s one of the few in poorer form than Goffin at the moment) and the first rounder was contested against Belgian’s brightest junior prospect in Gilles Arnaud Bailly. The caveat for that one? Goffin was a 6.5-game favourite. He narrowly won that match in three sets.

Enter Gasquet, who – since Winston Salem – seems to have discovered a second wind. His court coverage and durability in that event were stunning and this week he’s beaten a pair of big ball strikers from Switzerland in fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka and the young southpaw Dominic Stephan Stricker (the way his one-handed backhand held up in that one was particularly impressive).

David Goffin vs Richard Gasquet Best Bet

All things considered, I can’t let the price that has Goffin a sizable favourite pass in this one.

He’s in horrid form, doesn’t have a vastly superior game to Gasquet and we should see plenty of long rallies and close games, both things that would imply the match also ends up being a close one.

For me, that makes an underdog price of over 2.50 clear value.