tennis | Utorak, Oktobar 11, 2022 8:11 AM

Tuesday Tennis Best Bet: ATP Challenger Fairfield, Gabriel Diallo vs Leandro Riedi

Jon Reid

Gabriel Diallo vs Leandro Riedi Best Bet: Tuesday, October 11th

A no-harm, no-foul kind of start to the week, as Sebastian Baez was forced to withdraw in the second set with Constant Lestienne leading 7-6, 4-4.

For Tuesday, we drop down to the ATP’s Challenger Tour, as the value is far more apparent in the match between Gabriel Diallo and Leandro Riedi in Fairfield, Virginia.

In this article:

Gabriel Diallo vs Leandro Riedi Preview
Gabriel Diallo vs Leandro Riedi Best Bet

Gabriel Diallo vs Leandro Riedi Preview

October 11th, Time TBD

A fun matchup between two young guns on the rise in this one. The Swiss is coming off a second round appearance last week in Tiburon, while Diallo last played in late September at the Challenger event in Columbus.

Two strong ball strikers going toe-to-toe, with the markets pricing this one up as an extremely close affair.

For me, however, it’s fairly clear that the Canadian playing college tennis at the University of Kentucky is the more well-rounded player of the two.

Diallo may not have as much raw power as his counterpart, but still shouldn’t have too much trouble finding holds of serve. Throw in the fact that Riedi isn’t the greatest mover or known for his abilities on return (his point construction also leaves plenty to be desired), and I have full confidence in the Canadian’s game.

On the flip side, Riedi is only 20 years old, and his game reflects his youth. With a huge serve and forehand combination, he’s certainly able to use brute force to win his fair share of points and rack up wins at the lower ITF level (he’s 18-5 on outdoor hard courts this season, but the vast majority of the success has come in ITF events).

The consistency, however, leaves a lot to be desired. He has a lot of work to do on his play at the net, as well. It’s good to see him follow in some of those bigger serves, but his hands aren’t yet where they need to be to execute that gameplan successfully.

In a few years or in different conditions, I’ll be a big buyer in the markets with regards to the 20-year-old. For now, I’m going to oppose him with a college player that is undervalued in the matchup.

Gabriel Diallo vs Leandro Riedi Best Bet

Considering Diallo is the much better returner, less error-prone and doesn’t insist on coming to the net on a regular basis, despite not having the greatest hands, my numbers make him a relatively sizable favourite.

I’m a fan of Riedi’s potential, but his current level is more suited for indoor hard courts where the points are shorter, masking a lot of his inconsistencies.

In the end, I just don’t see nearly as many holes in Diallo’s game as I do when I evaluate Riedi’s play, and that’s played out as well, when one compares the two records at the Challenger level in 2022.