tennis | Thursday, August 18, 2022 7:53 AM

Thursday Tennis Best Bet: ATP Cincinnati, Jannik Sinner vs Felix Auger Aliassime

Jon Reid

Jannik Sinner vs Felix Auger Aliassime Best Bet: Thursday, August 18th

Too slow of a start from Cam Norrie, as he only manages to win by two games against the ageing Andy Muray. Had he started on time, that five-game handicap would’ve been spot on. Onto Thursday’s matches on the men’s side!

For our selection from Thursday’s action, we preview what could be the match of the day in the men’s draw between Jannik Sinner and Felix Auger Aliassime.

In this article:

Jannik Sinner vs Felix Auger Aliassime Preview
Jannik Sinner vs Felix Auger Aliassime Best Bet

Jannik Sinner vs Felix Auger Aliassime Preview

August 19th, 00:00 UK Time

What a matchup of young talents on the ATP Tour this one should be, and it’s rightly been given a primetime slot on the order of play, as it will lead off play for the night session on Grandstand.

At just 22 years old, Auger Aliassime enters this one as the elder of the two already-accomplished top-15 players.

I like the Canadian to advance in this one for a few reasons, as well.

For starters, his form is a bit more impressive for me. Outside of an outlier thrashing on his home courts of Montreal last week against Casper Ruud, he’s been pretty strong this summer hard-court swing. He reached the quarterfinals and lost in three sets against Cameron Norrie on super slow courts in Los Cabos. He would then exact revenge on the Brit in Montreal before bailing out against Ruud and he was absolutely dominant in his opening match in Cincinnati against Alex de Minaur – who enjoys quicker conditions himself.

As for Sinner, the young Italian needed three sets to get past Adrian Mannarino last week, was beaten routinely by the eventual champion, Pablo Carreno Busta, and then this week snuck by a one-dimensional Thanasi Kokkinakis in a third-set tiebreak and got by Miomir Kecmanovic, who retired after a close first set and being broke early in the second.

I also like this matchup for Auger Aliassime, who’s power matches up well with Sinner’s from the baseline, while his serve is more potent. He’s also well ahead of his opponent in terms of court coverage and athleticism – one of his strengths, while it’s a glaring weakness in Sinner’s game.

Jannik Sinner vs Felix Auger Aliassime Best Bet

While Sinner does have the edge in being the more consistent player of the two from the baseline – and less volatile on a macro scale as well – I’m not sure it justifies making him the favourite.

Against the most comparable serve to the Canadian’s he’s played in the last two weeks, he struggled mightily, and with Auger Aliassime being much more dynamic than a player like Kokkinakis, as well as more well-rounded than the young Italian, I’m more than happy to back him here as the underdog.