ATP 250 Stuttgart 1/8-Finals
Berrettini – Shapovalov: 13.06.2024 Time TBA
H2H: 0-2
Matteo Berrettini has won four of his last five matches. Unfortunately, Matteo has faced big injury problems these last two years. After winning the title in Marrakech in April, Berrettini played only two matches. The last match he played before ATP Stuttgart was against Kecmanovic in the first round of the ATP Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo, where he lost in straight sets. Here in Stuttgart, Matteo won his first round match against Safiullin in three tight sets as we predicted. In 2021, Berrettini reached the final at Wimbledon where he lost against Novak Djokovic. It is safe to say that this is his favorite surface. Two years ago, Matteo lifted the trophy here in Stuttgart, winning against Murray in the final.
Denis Shapovalov has won three of his last five matches. In the first round here in Stuttgart, Shapovalov won against Martineau in two tight sets as we predicted. Last week, Shapovalov played a challenger tournament in Surbiton where he lost against Vukic in straight sets. Denis was terrible on return, which was the main reason why he lost the match. Shapovalov plays great on grass, and he hopes to regain his best form exactly at this part of the season. Last year in Stuttgart, Shapovalov lost in the first round against Fucsovics in three sets.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, this should be a 50-50 match, and we totally agree. Both players are great servers and terrible returners. We expect at least two very tight sets, if not three sets.
That being said, over games is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: over 25.5 games @1.91 @bet365
Duckworth – Shelton: 13.06.2024 Time TBA
H2H: 1-0
James Duckworth has won four of his last five matches. Duckworth played in last week’s challenger tournament in Surbiton where he lost in the second round against Zhukayev. Here in Stuttgart, Duckworth fought through the qualifying tournament. He won his first qualifying match against Sultanov in two tiebreaks. After that, Duckworth defeated Molleker in three sets. Yesterday, James had another great performance, winning against Herbert. He served well, saving both breakpoints.
Ben Shelton has lost three of his last five matches. The last match that he played was at the French Open, where he lost in the second round against Auger-Aliassime in straight sets. Ben made the comment earlier this week that he was happy that the grass court season is starting. The grass court surface is definitely his favorite one, considering his big serve and huge forehand. However, Ben has only played five matches on grass with a losing 2-3 record.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Duckworth is a big underdog in this matchup. He is a way more experienced grass court player than Shelton. We believe that even though Ben has a great game for grass, he will still need some time to adapt to the surface.
That being said, Duckworth winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: James Duckworth winning @3.00 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports