Football 
Horse Racing 
Mixed martial arts Thursday Tennis Best Bet: ATP Challenger Lille, Kacper Zuk vs Vitaliy Sachko
Kacper Zuk vs Vitaliy Sachko Best Bet: Thursday, March 30th
Well, that was a nice win from Thiago Tirante. The Argentine blew four set points to lose the opening-set tiebreak against his countryman Renzo Olivo. Luckily, he was able to outlast Olivo and was the much better player the rest of the way to cash both bets.
For Thursday’s best selection from the men’s events on offer, it’s the matchup between Kacper Zuk and Vitaliy Sachko that piques my interest from the indoor courts of Lille, in the north of France.
In this article:
Kacper Zuk vs Vitaliy Sachko Preview
March 30th, 12:30 (UK Time)
Evaluating this match, I’m surprised to see it priced up so closely in the markets.
I think I know why that is (more on that later in the best bet section), but I want to dive into how these two match up against one another first.
For starters, on an indoor hard court, there is a big advantage for Zuk in two of the more important aspects to a tennis player’s game: the serve and forehand.
Sachko isn’t necessarily a pusher, but he is underpowered fairly often, and in quicker conditions, it can be tougher to extend points and use your point construction and elicit errors, it can be tough to find wins.
Now, Sachko has done just that this week, but the opposition hasn’t been near the level of someone like Zuk.
I like Zuk’s baseline game as well, as he can combine pace with solidity, and while there is still room for improvement in how he constructs and then finishes points, he certainly approaches baseline exchanges with a plan more often than not.
The only real concern with Zuk at the moment is his mental strength. It’s hard to quantify such a characteristic, but it’s become apparent that closing out matches in which he possesses a lead is something he struggles with.
On quicker indoor courts this year, he’s already struggled with two veterans who are poor on return in matches he led in. Marius Copil ended up beating him and Mathias Bourgue pushed him to the limit.
In both of those contests, Zuk was absolutely cruising on serve until each game got him closer and closer to the win.
I’ve since adjusted the edge needed to get involved in backing the 24-year-old, but still see sufficient value in this spot to take a position.
Kacper Zuk vs Vitaliy Sachko Best Bet
So the question is, why is Zuk priced so cheaply here against Sachko? Especially considering the fact that the lone match between these two was a routine win for the Pole and was also played on quicker indoor hard courts.
The only answer I can think of is that Sachko has been on absolute fire this week. Not only has he come through qualifying, but he’s won all six of his sets and each of his last five has been won by a scoreline of 6-2 or better.
Thing is, none of those three opponents is particularly good. Zdenek Kolar – the best of the trio – is a clay courter who had success earlier this season on slow indoor courts but has never been at his best in quicker conditions.
Mathias Bourgue (who, to be fair, Zuk had trouble with recently – though more thanks to his own nerves than anything) and Daniel Cukierman are far from being relevant Challenger Tour players.
I think the overreaction to the form of Sachko this week is giving us a lovely price to oppose him with.
- Selection: Zuk to win
- Best Odds: 1.83 (Pinnacle)
- Stakes: 3/10
Odds as at 12:00 am on March 30th, 2023. Odds may now differ.
More Kacper Zuk vs Vitaliy Sachko Tips
