Tennis betting tips: ATP Tour preview and best bets

Tennis betting tips: ATP Tour

1pt e.w. Lorenzo Sonego in the Rothesay International at 11/1 (Sky Bet)

1pt e.w. Emil Ruusuvouri in the Rothesay International at 9/1 (Sky Bet)

1pt e.w. Jason Kubler in the Mallorca Championships at 14/1 (General)

1pt e.w. Richard Gasquet in the Mallorca Championships at 20/1 (Betfred)

0.5pt e.w. Lloyd Harris in the Mallorca Championships at 66/1 (Betfred)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Rothesay International

• Eastbourne, England, UK (outdoor grass)

I feel like I’ve written the same thing on many occasions over the years but the point remains – the week immediately prior to a Grand Slam provides its own challenges and opportunities for punters.

Some of those who do opt for competitive tennis, as opposed to practice at Wimbledon, simply may not want a full week of tennis in their legs going into a two-week major.

We’ve seen in the past players winning a couple of rounds before withdrawing, handing in their doctor’s note and heading off to the more important, looming event.

And anyone who does have a genuine injury niggle is unlikely to push too hard with a big ranking points and money at stake next week.

On the other side of things, weeks like this offer some of the lesser lights a big chance to grab points, money and glory – anyone not really expecting big things at the following Slam should feel this is a great opportunity.

Those with a track record of performing the week before a Slam are also very much worth noting and I’ll kick off my selections with someone who fits that bracket, namely LORENZO SONEGO.

The Italian has twice made an ATP grasscourt final in this week of the calendar, winning the Antalya title in 2019 two days prior to Wimbledon, while in 2021 he was the beaten finalist here at Devonshire Park.

So far in the current grass campaign, Sonego has crushed the returning Matteo Berrettini in Stuttgart before a somewhat disappointing loss to Christopher O’Connell.

Last week in Halle, he played pretty well to take a set off Jannik Sinner in defeat, a result which means he’s sure to be seeking more matchplay this week.

Back at a venue where he’s delivered in the past (in addition to 2021, it took then-defending champion Alex de Minaur to stop him last season), Sonego looks worthy of support at 11/1.

• CLICK HERE to back Sonego with Sky Bet

Speaking of De Minaur, he’s withdrawn following his run to the final at Queen’s Club last week and that leaves a significant hole in the bottom half.

I’m going to try to profit by backing EMIL RUUSUVUORI, who continues to have his best results on the faster surfaces.

The Finn beat Sinner en route to the semi-finals in Den Bosch a couple of weeks ago, losing serve only four times in his four matches, so confidence should be up.

Nicolas Jarry’s serve could be awkward but Miomir Kecmanovic, the other seed in his quarter, is out of form and the player seeded to reach the final, Tommy Paul, is in a similar boat.

He lost in the second round in Stuttagrt while last week at Queen’s brought a first-round loss to Francisco Cerundolo, which is more than enough for me to draw a line through him this week.

Also a quarter-finalist at Queen’s last season, Ruusuvuori has the talent to take advantage in this section.

• CLICK HERE to back Ruusuvuori with Sky Bet

Before I go, it would be remiss not to mention defending champion Taylor Fritz.

Having also won here in 2019, he’s on a nine-match winning run at Devonshire Park. The American is also the top seed and the only member of the world’s top 10 in attendance this year.

Yet I’m not exactly salivating at odds of 7/2 given how he’s played so far on the grass.

Second-round defeats in Stuttgart (to Marton Fucsovics) and Queen’s (Adrian Mannarino) show he’s not in the sort of form which took him to the Wimbledon quarter-finals 12 months ago.

OK, he’s more than capable of winning this week but given his price and the factors in play which I mentioned at the start, he’s not for me.

Mallorca Championships

• Santa Ponsa, Mallorca, Spain (outdoor grass)

If Taylor Fritz is a man in need of some wins in Eastbourne, the same can be said of Stefanos Tsitsipas in Mallorca.

The Greek will doubtless have his backers this week – he’s the defending champion and is clearly the class act of the field given he’s the only top-30 player in the draw.

But he’s won just one of three grasscourt matches so far this year – and in that he needed a final-set tie-break to do so – with the Australian Open finalist making more headlines off court than on it in recent weeks.

His relationship with WTA star Paula Badosa has attracted media attention, while he’s sure to be asked more questions about his comments on Nick Kyrgios which blew up again last week.

With Wimbledon also surely very much in his thoughts now, this doesn’t look a good week to be backing Tsitsipas at 3/1 and the favourite is worth opposing.

I considered both Adrian Mannarino and Jordan Thompson here – both have shown some good form in the past couple of weeks, the former making two quarter-finals and the latter finishing runner-up in Den Bosch.

However, RICHARD GASQUET’s price is more than twice as big and it’s that one which is tempting me in.

He’s the first-round opponent of Thompson and certainly knows his way around a grasscourt, being a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, not to mention two-time champion in this week of the season down the years.

The veteran Frenchman has been playing well, beating Tsitsipas in Stuttgart, while last week in Halle he took a set off Jannik Sinner before losing in three.

While Thompson is an awkward foe first up, there’s definitely potential in his price.

It is down in the bottom half where the best opportunity may lie, however.

This is section featuring every qualifier, plus a host of direct entrants with very little grasscourt pedigree.

Of the qualifiers. LLOYD HARRIS may be worth throwing some small change at 66/1.

He served 39 aces in his two qualifying matches and was broken only once.

His big serve took him as high as 31st in the world in 2021 but he’s currently fighting his way back up the rankings following wrist surgery which forced him to miss much of last season.

Most of his 2023 season has been spent on the Challenger Tour – he reached a final in Thailand at the start of the year and also beat top-20 star Lorenzo Musetti at the Australian Open.

Admittedly, top-level wins have been hard to find and it’s a long time since he won four matches in a row at tour level which he’ll need this week to deliver for his each-way backers.

That said, the draw is pretty much one he could have hand picked and if he keeps his first-serve percentage high, then the South African may be tough to beat on these courts.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Ben Shelton and Bernabe Zapata Miralles are also in this half, while the other seed is Alexander Bublik.

He was a surprise winner of the title in Halle on Sunday but I’m not sure the Kazakh will really fancy this after his week’s work in Germany – and he’ll be due on court here on Tuesday.

I would not be at all surprised were he to withdraw or, more likely, produce a half-hearted display in the early rounds.

JASON KUBLER is a potential second-round foe for Bublik and he could well be the one to take him down.

The Australian likes playing on grass, as emphasised by the fact he’s won 16 of his last 20 matches on the surface.

Not all of those have been at tour level, far from it, but some came last week on the Challenger Tour in Ilkley where Kubler emerged as champion on Saturday.

That followed on from a quarter-final run in Surbiton where it took eventual winner Andy Murray to halt his progress.

Kubler’s impressive grass run goes back to last season – he reached the last 16 at Wimbledon and made the semi-finals in Newport the week after the Grand Slam tournament.

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Dan Evans have been among his victims on grass in the past 12 months and so I feel that quotes of 14/1 look generous. Like Harris, I’ll back him each way.

Posted at 2000 BST on 25/05/23

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