tennis | Tuesday, January 10, 2023 8:38 AM

Tuesday Tennis Best Bet: ATP Auckland, Jenson Brooksby vs Diego Schwartzman

Jon Reid

Jenson Brooksby vs Diego Schwartzman Best Bet: Tuesday, January 10th

We’re onto the ATP 250 in New Zealand for our Tuesday selection, as a pair of players desperately looking for form ahead of the year’s opening grand slam square off in Jenson Brooksby and Diego Schwartzman.

Let’s delve into how they match up against each other and find the value in the betting markets!

In this article:

Jenson Brooksby vs Diego Schwartzman Preview
Jenson Brooksby vs Diego Schwartzman Best Bet

Jenson Brooksby vs Diego Schwartzman Preview

January 11th, TBD (UK Time)

It’s not every day that you see two top-50 players enter a new season on five-match and seven-match losing streaks, but that’s the case heading into 2023 for Jenson Brooksby and Diego Schwartzman.

The big American earned a victory in the opening round here to snap out of his rut, but his opponent in Schwartzman hasn’t won a match in over four months (his last win was the second round of the U.S. Open).

The situation looks bleak for the 30-year-old Argentine as well, with Brooksby matching up excellently with the diminutive world No. 25.

Brooksby may have an underpowered serve for his height, but unlike many other matches he plays, he’ll be able to apply just as much pressure – if not more – to his opponent’s serve. That, and he also held serve far more effectively on hard courts in 2022 than Schwartzman (77% to 72%). If Brooksby has the service advantage in his matches, it could be a long day for the man on the other side of the net, considering that’s his only noticeable weakness.

Finally, Brooksby is just as solid from the baseline as Schwartzman, but also possesses more variety in his arsenal. He frequently employs tremendous dropshots, as well as slices and spins to change the rhythm of points.

For my money, a win for Schwartzman is going to have to wait for at least another week.

Jenson Brooksby vs Diego Schwartzman Best Bet

Something else worth considering is the fact that this match could always be moved indoors. It’s always been an outdoor event, but the weather this season has been abysmal in the capital of New Zealand, and both the women’s event and men’s event (already) have been forced to play a slew of matches inside.

That doesn’t really change my calculus much on this one, as I have Brooksby a four-game favourite given both of these men’s games.

Schwartzman just doesn’t have the weapons to hit through Brooksby’s incredible defensive abilities and can’t rely on unforced errors either. With Brooksby off a nice win in the opening round and Schwartzman off a bye and still mired in a slump, I’ll take the American to win by margin here.