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Young gun Borna Coric will take on local favorite Rui Machado in the second round at ATP Estoril, this being the last match to be played on the day.
I watched Coric last week in Bucharest and I wasn`t impressed by the youngster. He played a decent game in the first round against Stakhovsky but was defeated by Karlovic, without standing much of a chance after winning the first set. He looked unable to find answers, unable to keep his emotions in check – and Big Ivo was not as his best, getting abused by Vesely in the next round. Here in Estoril Coric played a very steady game to defeat Chardy 6-2 6-4, showing some good tennis, but we all know that the risk taking Frenchman is prone to heavy defeats when he`s not at his best – especially against a defensive baseliner like Coric.
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Machado, a former Top 60 players, struggled a lot over the past couple of years, playing only futures and challenger tournaments, not being able to get results at an ATP level. It was the same story this year, though his results improved – Machado reaching 7 finals out of 8 futures played, winning 4 of them. Obviously the level is much lower and he was not expected to do much here in Estoril, especially since he met a very solid Joao Sousa in the first round. However, Rui put on a clinical display to defeat Sousa in two sets, barely making any mistakes and regularly hitting deep, heavy groundstrokes with great angles.
The Head 2 Head is 0-0, Coric and Machado never meeting before on the ATP tour. They are somewhat similar players, working from the baseline, but Machado may be a bit more aggressive.
To price an 18 year old Coric at 1.30 in an ATP tournament against an experienced veteran who plays at home looks just wrong, anyway you want to put it – and it is that much more wrong considering that Machado played an excellent match in the first round, defeating a better player than Coric. It might make some sense if you`re simply looking at plain stats and results, but in truth the quality of tennis played by Rui against Sousa was excellent. Machado has more than a fighting chance here and if he replicates the performance from the first round, I can see him winning it – especially with Coric not playing exactly lights out. My tip is Machado to win. Prediction: Borna Coric – Rui Machado 5-7 6-1 4-6.
Live streaming for Borna Coric vs. Rui Machado available for all players at Bet365.com.
Pick: Machado
Odds: 3.25 @ Bet365
Stake: 6
Possible profit: 13.50
Event date: 30 April
