tennis | Tuesday, January 10, 2023 8:47 AM

Tuesday Bonus Tennis Best Bet: ATP Australian Open Qualifying, Zizou Bergs vs Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera

Jon Reid

Zizou Bergs vs Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera Best Bet: Tuesday, January 10th

It’s the second of our pair of bonus articles focusing on Australian Open qualifying. The first went swimmingly, as Li Tu dropped just four games en route to victory for our 6/10 stakes selection on Monday.

We’ll look to replicate that success on Tuesday, as we look at the second qualifying round matchup between Zizou Bergs and Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera.

In this article:

Zizou Bergs vs Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera Preview
Zizou Bergs vs Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera Best Bet

Zizou Bergs vs Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera Preview

January 11th, TBD (UK Time)

This one is a matchup of two players with question marks surrounding them at this point in time.

For Barrios Vera, how fit is he, considering he’s played just two matches since June, and is off of his favourite surface. His win last round was certainly impressive, but beating Miljan Zekic on a hard court – regardless of the score – means next to nothing.

As for Bergs, 2023 is a year filled with expectations for the incredibly talented 23-year-old. An outright loss to Stefanos Sakellaridis, coupled with a beatdown at the hands of Dimitar Kuzmanov have many, myself included, scratching their heads.

The fact is, Bergs is the better player, more athletic, better suited to hard courts and far more talented on the whole.

He can play sublime baseline tennis and has a pretty impressive amount of power behind his serves, as well as his groundstrokes.

Are there concerns with his slow start out of the gate? Sure. Does that mean he should be drifting into underdog territory against someone with just a few matches under his belt in nearly seven months? Not a chance.

Zizou Bergs vs Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera Best Bet

The start to the year has been….poor (to say the least) for Bergs, considering his talent level and the level of the opposition he’s played to this point.

It’s to the point where people are wondering whether he’s 100% healthy at the moment.

The fact is, however, that Barrios Vera isn’t at his peak either right now, less talented in general and less comfortable on hard courts.

The Belgian also had a more reassuring second set against wild card Jeremy Jin in the opening round of the qualifying event, and I simply cannot pass on him at underdog odds here.

Playing it with Bet365 also ensures that if Bergs is feeling something and elects to retire, the stake will be refunded and no harm will be done to the betting bankroll.

I’ll stake conservatively here, but this is a must-bet at this price.