Betdistrict.com
Third seen Ivo Karlovic will take on young gun Borna Coric in the second round at ATP Bucharest.
Karlovic had a bye in the first round so this will be his first match on clay this season. The Croatian had a pretty good year thus far, highlighted by the Delray beach title, but he lost form recently, losing the last three matches – including a bad 4-6 2-6 defeat to Falla in his last outing in Miami. Big Ivo will be for the first time in Bucharest and according to his Twitter account he arrived here later than he should have, missing his flight due to a prolonged and stressful doping test.
Coric put on a good show against Dolgopolov in Monte Carlo, losing in three sets after some good tennis and continued on the same positive note with a win over Stakhovsky in the Bucharest first round. Coric won in three sets, 6-2 6-7 7-6 but he was the better player and should have arguably closed it in two – or at least not have so many problems in the decider. The youngsters is looking pretty good right now, his tennis is solid and he will feel he has a good chance against Big Ivo.
Bet on Karlovic vs. Coric and claim your 100% welcome bonus at Bet365.com now!
The two players never met before on tour, with the Head 2 Head reading a 0-0 score. Obviously Karlovic’s big serve will be a huge weapon against Borna, but Coric’s solid baseline game will allow him to win most of the rallies. The youngster has a good return and that might be the edge he needs to reach the quarterfinals.
The odds went down big time on Karlovic and I can`t quite understand why. He`s playing his first clay court match this season and his first match ever in Bucharest – he missed his flight and might not be accustomed to the tournament and the surface after just arriving in Romania. Additionally, he`s in really poor form lately. Coric is playing at a good level right now, he already has two matches under his belt on the red dirt and is the better player on clay as far as style of play goes. Additionally, Coric already met a big server in Stakhovsky, so even though Stak is not serving like Karlovic, it was a good test ahead of this match.
All in all, Borna Coric is much more prepared for this match than Karlovic and that should make the difference – while his better short term form is the icing on the cake. My tip is Coric to win and I really believe the odds will start going in the other direction, maybe around evens, because 2.22 on Coric is just crazy. Looking at the value this price has, I can’t help but feel that a bet on Coric to win is well worth high stakes, so I am investing 9 units on this one with confidence. Prediction: Ivo Karlovic – Borna Coric 4-6 7-6 4-6.
Live streaming for most tennis events available daily for players at Bet365.com.
Pick: Coric
Odds: 2.22 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 9
Possible profit: 10.98
Event date: 22 April
