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Adrian Mannarino and Borna Coric will square off on Saturday in the ATP s-Hertogenbosch semifinals.
Mannarino, an excellent grass court player, had a solid week so far on the green, after a rather mediocre season on hard courts and clay. The Frenchman started his campaign with a 6-2 6-1 win over De Bakker and went on to claim two big scalps (Verdasco and Goffin) in the next two rounds, winning both of those matches in three sets. Mannarino was impressive in the quarterfinals, coming back from a set and a break down to defeat David Goffin.
Coric also needed three sets to win his last two matches (he had a bye in the first round), although his opposition was less impressive than Mannarino’s. Coric got past Fritz in his opening match and was on the brink of elimination against Garin in the quarters, trailing 2-5 with two breaks of serve (!!) in the deciding set before saving himself in a tiebreak, where he also saved match point.
Bet on Mannarino vs. Coric and claim your 100% (100 Euro) freebet at 1XBet now!Mannarino leads the H2H 2-0 and won the only meeting on grass courts two years ago in Antalya.
Coric has a losing record on grass and this has always been his worst surface, although he claimed a shocking title last year in Halle. He was spectacular in that tournament, defeating Federer in the final, proving that he CAN play on the green. But aside from that week he never did anything on grass, so he`s usually not feeling quite himself on the surface.
Even this week he was rather poor, struggling against mediocre opposition. He had his fair share of luck against Garin, as it is always the case when you are match point down.
Meanwhile, Mannarino is a very good grass court player with his slightly peculiar style of play, and has his best winning percentage out of any surface on the green. He was able to reach two ATP finals on grass during his career (Antalya 2017, Antalya 2018), although he lost both, and also reached the Wimbledon 4th round three times (Coric has just one Wimbledon win to his name).
Considering Mannarino`s form this week, with wins over top players, and his grass court expertise, he should have a good chance against a struggling Coric. It`s fair to say the Frenchman played better tennis this week. Of course, if the talented Coric manages to suddenly raise his level he would be the clear favorite, but there are no signs suggesting that will happen – and even if it does, Mannarino would still have a shot.
There`s also the fact that Mannarino`s versatile style of play, with sharp angles and variating speed, could work well against a Coric who prefers to defend against one dimensional hard hitters. The 2-0 H2H record for Mannarino might not be an accident.
All in all, I am going to take a chance on the Frenchman here. Obviously the +1,5 set handicap would be a safer bet, but odds on the straight win are too good for me to pass up, I definitely see value in them. Prediction: Adrian Mannarino – Borna Coric 7-6 3-6 6-4.
Pick: Mannarino
Odds: 2.83 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 6
Possible profit: 10.98
Event date: 15 June
