Betdistrict.com
Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey will square off in an all American second round at the Winston-Salem Open. The two know each other pretty well, having played doubles together.
Probably for the first time in his life Steve Johnson had a bye in the first round, as the 16th favorite, but boy does he deserve it! Johnson is playing the tennis of his life right now, fresh off a great showing in Cincinnati where he defeated Gulbis and Paire in straight sets, losing to an in form Raonic in the third set tiebreak. Previously he reached the quarters in Washington, defeating the likes of Isner and Karlovic before losing out to the same Raonic. Johnson is a good stable player, with good serve and strong forehand, a reliable player on fast surfaces who does not make too many mistakes.
 |
Bet with the best odds and highest limits at Pinnacle. |
Querrey had an awful season and it seems he simply can`t catch a break. I thought he was getting back in form after a good match against Tsonga in Wimbledon followed by a solid win over today`s opponent Johnson in Atlanta, but that was it for Sam. He went on to lose to Dudi Sela in Atlanta and only reached the 2nd round in his next two tournaments. He played a poor match in the first round here in Winston-Salem against clay courter Pere Riba, winning 7-6 6-4 in a relatively close encounter. Querrey is making a lot of errors right now and his big serve is not as productive as it should be
Querrey leads the H2H 1-0, the only meeting being in Atlanta, on hard, one month ago. It was a close 7-6 7-5 victory for Big Sam but it has to be said that he was on the back of his best match of the season (5 setter vs. Tsonga at Wimbledon) and Johnson was not in the form he is right now.
I reckon you have to pick Johnson here. He is a consistent player, you know what to expect from him and aside for a miracle return to form for Querrey, Johnson should really win this. He`s playing really good tennis and would be in with a solid chance even if Big Sam managers to raise his level. Steve also had success against big servers lately, defeating Isner or Karlovic. He did lose to Raonic twice but Milos is at another level. Expect the match to be mostly played on serve, with Johnson taking advantage of Querrey`s errors at certain points to get break opportunities or tiebreak minibreaks. My tip is Steve Johnson to win and I`m liking the odds on this bet – I think Johnson should be a 1.70 favorite. Prediction: Steve Johnson – Sam Querrey 7-6 6-4.
Pick: Johnson
Odds: 1.96 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 7.68
Event date: 19 August
