Andy Schooler started the Mutua Madrid Open with a profitable first-round preview. He has to underdog picks for round two.
Tennis betting tips: Madrid Open round two
1pt Damir Dzumhur to beat Tallon Griekspoor at 7/4 (betway)
1pt Yannick Hanfmann to beat Francisco Cerundolo at 11/4 (Sky Bet)
Tallon Griekspoor v Damir Dzumhur (Fri)
Griekspoor looks rather short to me here.
This is a player who has gone 0-3 on clay since his return to Europe with two of the losses coming against players ranked outside the top 100.
I think the bookies’ theory here is that the altitude conditions of Madrid will help his decent first serve and allow him to build a platform for victory.
However, I’m not convinced it will work out that way.
While I would expect his first-serve points won figure to rise, it will need to do so considerably given it failed to hit 65% in recent defeats to Denis Shapovalov and Gael Monfils. The former came in Munich where significant altitude is also in play.
Equally, he’s been vulnerable on second serve on the dirt, failing to post a points-won figure of 45% in any of his three claycourt matches to date.
The experienced Dzumhur is capable of making him pay.
The Bosnian served well to dispatch Mattia Bellucci in round one, winning 82% of points behind his first serve, and if he is able to stay in that sort of groove in this contest, Griekspoor will likely struggle.
The return has never been a strong facet of his game and I just think Dzumhur is too big here at 7/4 to land the upset in what will be the pair’s first meeting.
Francisco Cerundolo v Yannick Hanfmann (Sat)
Hanfmann beat Cerundolo at altitude in Santiago only two months ago, delivering a nice outright each-way win for followers.
That was an upset and another should not be ruled out here.
The German has long been something of an altitude specialist with several of his best results coming well above sea level.
He has the serving ability to make full use of the conditions, while ball control is not a problem for him in the thinner air.
Admittedly he did struggle through round one, needing a lengthy three-set match to beat Marcos Giron, but the serve was still working well (in the main) with a series of love holds.
Cerundolo leads the head-to-head here 4-2 (all on clay) but at high-altitude tournaments, it’s 1-1 with that Hanfmann win in Santiago coming 12 months after a final-set tie-break loss at the same venue.
Overall, Hanfmann has won a set in four of the pair’s six meetings.
In short, Hanfmann has caused his Argentine rival plenty of problems in the past and this looks an awkward first match of the tournament for Cerundolo.
Admittedly he did make the semis in the Spanish capital last year but I want to take him on here.
Hanfmann is 11/4 for victory, while he can also be backed at even money to win a set.
Either looks good but I’m tempted enough to shoot for the big win.
Posted at 21:15 BST on 23/04/26
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