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Grand Slam tennis is back upon us, with reigning champion Novak Djokovic taking on South Korean teenager Hyeon Chung on Sunday night – Monday morning, GMT time. It is arguably the most one sided match to be played in the Australian Open first round.
Djokovic started the year in the same dominating fashion in which he ended 2015. The Serbian won the title in Doha without losing a single set and he demolished Rafa Nadal 6-1 6-2 in the final. Nole is by far the favorite here in Melbourne, he’s expected to dominate this year with authority and many are already talking about a Calendar year Grand Slam. Surely it’s to early to think about that, but right now Djokovic is in incredible shape and seemingly unbeatable.
The 19 year old Hyeon Chung had a terrific season in 2015, climbing up more than 100 places in the standings up to his current 51st place ranking. The South Korean is definitely one of the brightest talents on the tour and a potential future star. He played well in his first tournament this year, in Brisbane, defeating Groth in two sets and losing in the second round to Marin Cilic, 5-7 6-7. Obviously though, Djokovic will be a totally different task.
Bet now on Djokovic vs Chung with the highest Australian Open odds at 1xbet.com!
The Head 2 Head is 0-0, the two players never met before on tour. Obviously Djokovic has a number of levels above Chung, but I’d also say he has a matchup advantage, as Chung is the kind of player he likes. The South Korean serves acceptable, but does not have a particularly strong first serve, something Nole always exploits to his advantage.
I can’t see Chung winning too many games here. He’s a bright young player, but way too inexperienced to challenge a red hot Djokovic in his back yard at the Australian Open. The Serbain player is in fantastic form, loves the surface and the tournament and he’s well known to start Grand Slams strong, posting demolishing wins against inferior opposition. Djokovic is not the kind of player to “play it cool” in the first rounds, he always tries to win as fast as possible and usually does exactly that.
Chung will struggle to win points, as he can’t compete in rallies and his serve is not good enough to get him too many free points. In Brisbane, Chung won 72% of first serve points and 54% of his second serve points, despite playing very well and meeting two players that were not great returners. He was broken 2 times by Groth (!!) and two times by Cilic. These numbers are not nearly good enough in perspective of a meeting with Djokovic. Look for Nole to put pressure on Chung’s first and second serve, creating break opportunities with ease.
The handicap line is very reasonable, so my tip is Djokovic to cover the 10,5 game handicap. Prediction: Novak Djokovic – Hyeon Chung 6-2 6-4 6-0.
Pick: Djokovic -10,5 game hc.
Odds: 1.80 @ 1xBet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 6.40
Event date: 18 January
Hello! The handicap is on edge. Chung moves very well , he has good shots and an impresive serve. I think it is hard here.
Good luck! 🙂
I think you need a new tennis tipster, my friend! Hehe, just kidding. The preview was great and it should have been a winner. Djoko lost focus in some games and Chung had some great rallies beside feom great serving when it really mattered.
🙂 Yep, unfortunately Nole has some uncharacteristic lapses in focus. Could have gone either way, but I expected Djokovic to be more dominant.
Rostick,
Any thoughts on 2days match Steve Darcis – Pella? I would go for Darcis, better (indoor/ not claycourtunderground) player, Darcis likes to play at big courts..Somehow The odds on Darcis are 2.0.
No head to head records so I dont get it.
Hey mate,
Darcis has physical problems. He injured his wrist late last year (could not play Davis Cup singles), had surgery and did not train properly for Australian Open. That’s why the odds are so high and going up. My guess is that he will retire during the match (just a guess), I would not bet on him, for obvious reasons.
Thanks for your reaction! That would be a logical explanation if that is still the case.. that doubles match was a very nice performance btw.
Like you said with an injury like that you cant take risks indeed.
Thanks for your reply, I will watch the match and maybe a live bet if he’s fit ?..
Hope to see some of your AO analyses these days!
Good luck!
No problem mate. He had 2 tournaments planned prior to AO and did not play them, reports say he didn’t practice too much, he’s clearly here for the money. Probably live betting is the best way to go, you never know, maybe he recovered in the last days (in which case the odds are great), but the circumstances are clearly against him.
I will surely be active during the AO, but probably less in the first 1-2 rounds.
PS: His surgery was in December, so after the Davis Cup doubles and he did not play since then.