tennis | Thursday, January 5, 2023 10:15 AM (Revised at: Friday, January 6, 2023 10:30 AM)

Friday Tennis Best Bet: ATP United Cup, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Matteo Berrettini

Jon Reid

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Matteo Berrettini Best Bet: Friday, January 6th

Rough go with Maximilian Marterer who was never really in it against Botic van de Zandschulp who came away with a relatively simple victory.

For Friday, it’s off to the United Cup and the tie between Greece and Italy, and a battle of big-serving heavyweights in Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini.

In this article:

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Matteo Berrettini Preview
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Matteo Berrettini Best Bet

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Matteo Berrettini Preview

January 7th, 6:00 (UK Time)

I’m not sure the organisers of the United Cup could be more pleased with some of the results from the group/city stage, as the event has produced some incredible matchups as it heats up.

From Iga Swiatek vs Jessica Pegula on the women’s side, to Hubert Hurkacz vs Taylor Fritz and this matchup between Tsitsipas and Berrettini on the men’s side.

Another layer of intrigue comes from the fact that this is the singles rubber that very well could decide the tie, as each country has as close to one free point as it gets (Lorenzo Musetti vs Michail Pervolarakis for Italians on the men’s side, and Maria Sakkari against Martina Trevisan for Greece from the women’s side of things).

With both men likely playing for something, and two of the biggest serve and forehand combos in the sport, it wouldn’t surprise me to see this one play out as a close affair, with both men taking care of their service games.

With neither man really possessing a backhand to assist them in getting rallies back to neutral footing on return, and both Tsitsipas and Berrettini lacking in the agility department, a service-oriented match seems all the more likely.

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Matteo Berrettini Best Bet

The total games market has been set at a fairly high number – as it should be – though I’m still not convinced that it’s high enough.

Considering the massive first serves, weaker backhands and slower movement from both of these guys, I’d legitimately be surprised to see more than two or three breaks over the course of a three set affair between these two.

With the sheer number of service holds likely to be high in this one, along with the distinct possibility of a third set, I’ll play this games total on the over up to 25 in the 1.85-1.90 region.

Selection: Over 23.5 Games
Best Odds: 1.89 (Unibet)
Stakes: 2/10

Odds as at 3:15 am on January 6th, 2022. Odds may now differ.

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