Groth – Mannarino

Samuel Groth and his big serve will face Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the Newport second round, with both players being very well suited for this surface and this tournament.

Groth hasn`t played well at all this season, he had a horrible start and did not recover until the grass court season began. The Australian wasn`t too good on the green either, but he did put together some wins and built some confidence. Groth played pretty well against Nishikori at Wimbledon despite losing 0-3 and was even better in a first round here at Newport, winning 7-6 6-4 against a dangeorus Przysiezny.

Mannarino had a good year and a solid grass court season, reaching the quarterfinals at Hertogenbosch, Round 16 at Halle and Queens and the 2nd round at Wimbledon. However, the Frenchman was really poor a couple of days ago in his 6-7 7-6 7-6 first round win over Duckworth, who didn`t even play that great himself. Mannarino was second best for most of the match and was close to losing on a few occasions, including in the third set, when he squandered a 5-2 lead (with two breaks of serve). Eventually he pulled trough, but mostly due to a large number of poor errors by Duckworth in important moments.

Bet on Groth vs. Mannarino and watch Newport live streaming at Unibet.com now!

The Head 2 Head is tied at 2-2, with Mannarino leading 1-0 on grass. There have been two meetings this season – Groth won at the Australian Open (his only win in the first 10 matches of the year), while Mannarino took revenge with a dominating 6-2 6-2 victory a few weeks ago, on grass, at Queens. Both guys love this surface and have the proper skills and weapons to play well at Newport – with Groth owning a big time serve and very good volley skills, while Mannarino is quick, light on his feet and can be very versatile.

If Mannarino playes like in the first round, there is no logical way he will win this match against Sam Groth. Mannarino’s shots lacked power and placement, his serve was poor and he looked disinterested at times. At the end of the third set it really looked like he`ll just throw the match away, but Duckworth was horrible in the key moments. Fitness wise Mannarino did not look too good either and had a scare at the end of the second set, when it seemed for a moment that he hurt something in his knee.

Of course, Adrian played much better tennis than Groth this season, he can raise his level and look much better in this one. That might well happen and he could win, but even so he will probably have a difficult match against the Australian (despite that blowout at Queens), who is playing pretty well right now and is hungry for victories after a disappointing season.

Groth has his chance even if Mannarino plays well, but if the Frenchman does not improve, Groth will almost definitely win – so a bet on Big Sam is a no brainer in my opinion. My tip is Sam Groth to win and I will invest 7 units. The pick is risky, no doubt, but I feel the potential return is worth it. Prediction: Sam Groth – Adrian Mannarino 6-7 7-6 6-3.

Pick: Groth
Odds: 3.00 @ Youwin
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 14
Event date: 14 July