The world’s best tennis players have descended on South Florids this week for the ATP Miami Open, a two-week event that, for many, will be the final hard-court tournament before preparations for the French Open begin.
We’ve been on a bit of a roll with the tennis over the past month, turning a profit in each of the last four weeks, so hopefully the faithful BetdaqTips reader has been riding along with us. Let’s see if we can keep it going today:
ATP Miami Open
2nd Round
Simone Bolelli (1.77) vs. Victor Troicki (2.1)
These two hadn’t met in six years prior to the quarterfinals of January’s Apia International in Sydney, where Troicki prevailed in three sets. Troicki would go on to win that tournament, giving him the second ATP title of his career, and his solid play has continued throughout most of this season, though he did suffer an ugly first-round loss to unheralded Albert Ramos-Vinolas in last week’s BNP Paribas Open. Bolelli, meanwhile, was absolutely dominant in dispatching Marcos Baghdatis on Thursday, so it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’s favored here. I’ve been impressed by Troicki this year, though, as he tries to reclaim his reputation after a doping-related ban in 2013 and 2014. At slightly better than even money, I think he’s the right play. Recommendation: Troicki at 2.1
Jeremy Chardy (1.58) vs. Jurgen Melzer (2.4)
It’s been a rough year for Chardy thus far, as he’s failed to advance beyond the second round in all but one of the 8 tournaments he’s played in 2015. Today he’ll face the grizzled veteran Melzer, a man he has beaten only once in three attempts, so at first glance these odds seem a bit off. However, a closer look reveals that Melzer has had an even worse go of it in 2015 than Chardy, winning just two of seven matches heading into this week. At 33 years old, Melzer is clearly on the decline, and athleticism was never a strength of his to begin with. He’s got all the shots, but tennis is a young man’s game and his time seems to have passed. Chardy’s own struggles have kept these odds somewhat reasonable, and just a whiff of “reasonable” is all I need to bet against Melzer right now. Recommendation: Chardy at 1.58
David Goffin (1.56) vs. Borna Coric (2.54)
David Goffin doesn’t get to play the “old man” very often, but the 24-year old Goffin has six years on today’s opponent, 18-year old Croatian sensation Borna Coric. It’s been a whirlwind last few weeks for Coric, as a run to the semifinals in Dubai– a run that included a victory over Andy Murray– propelled him to 59th in the world, making him the youngest player in the top 100. Goffin, on the other hand, has been nursing a back injury and hasn’t played since retiring in Marseille last month. That makes a bet on Goffin a bit of an iffy proposition, though his supporters will surely point out that he handled Coric 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 last fall in the only prior meeting between these two. The young Coric is improving rapidly, though, and I have a feeling that he’s only a few months away from never being an underdog to the likes of Goffin again. Jumping on an elite talent at a generous price feels like the right move. Recommendation: Coric at 2.54
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