tennis | Četvrtak, Jun 9, 2022 7:22 AM (Revised at: Četvrtak, Jun 9, 2022 3:08 PM)

Thursday's ATP Tennis Best Bet: Den Bosch, June 9th

Jon Reid

ATP Den Bosch Best Bet: Ilya Ivashka vs Emil Ruusuvuori

Thursday, June 9th, 12:00 UK Time

The rain persisted once again on Wednesday in the Netherlands, and the pressure will be on to get in almost the entirety of the second round on Thursday.

For Thursday’s ATP selection, it’s the match between Ilya Ivashka and Emil Ruusuvuori that looks most promising.

On the surface, this matchup seems very even, with the slight value showing on the underdog in Ruusuvuori, but when it comes to each of these players’ games, Ruusuvuori becomes an even stronger position to back in this one.

With both Ivashka and his Finnish counterpart possessing strong first serves, comfort with quicker surfaces and potent forehands, the case could be made from the start that this should be a pick ‘em match in the betting markets.

Factor in the solidity of Ruusuvuori’s backhand and the movement issues on the grass courts, and Ruusuuvuori becomes a slight favourite in my books.

Ivashka’s game looked strong in his first-round encounter with American Mackenzie McDonald, but when McDonald left shots a tad short, with the bounce being naturally lower on the court, Ivashka was often a step behind trying to line up his next shot.

His backhand slice – an important part of one’s game on grass, considering the aforementioned lower bounce – is nowhere near good enough. He doesn’t use it too often, but when he does, he gets far too much air under the ball and leaves them both short and attackable.

With similar strengths and a few more weaknesses in the Belarussian’s game, I’m more than willing to back Ruusuvuori here at the underdog odds on offer.

The over also seems like a decent proposition, but with similar odds only available in the over 25 games market, the underdog to win is the better option.