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David Ferrer will take on Big John Isner in the Australian Open 4th round, a clash of styles that might hold some excellent betting value as well.
Ferrer was on fire this week, obliterating the likes of Gojowczyk, Hewitt and Johnson without losing a set and without going further than 6-4 in any of the sets played. Ferrer was not impressive prior to Melbourne, as he lost in the Doha 1st round (Marchenko) and in the Auckland semifinals (Sock), but here at the Open he really stepped it up. I reckon it’s safe to say that the Spaniard is close to his best level right now, he was flawless with his smart aggressive tennis and met decent opposition as well, so he was tested.
Big John lost to Bautista-Agut in his second match in Auckland, Isner’s only tournament prior to Australian Open. Here in Melbourne he won in straight sets over Janowicz and Granollers before dropping one to Feliciano Lopez in a solid 3-1 win. It has to be said though that Lopez wasn’t in his best form and Isner did show some weakness so far in this tournament. Unlike Ferrer, he’s not at his elite level right now.
Bet now on D. Ferrer – J. Isner with the highest Australian Open odds at 1xbet.com!
Ferrer leads the Head 2 Head 6-1 (4-1 on hard), also winning the only meeting that took place in 2015, 6-3 6-7 6-2 in Paris, late in the year. David Ferrer holds Isner’s number, knows how to play him and has a very important matchup advantage here. The only time Isner defeated Ferrer was a three setter at the Paris Masters, in 2011, which was Isner’s best ever tournament at that time.
I have to say David Ferrer has been really impressive so far, limiting his errors, running the baseline like usual and hitting some crazy winners time and time again, painting the lines. He’s confident and going for his shots when the opportunity presents itself, which will be huge against Big John, against whom you need to take your chances. Isner has almost no shot against David in rallies and he will need to rely heavily on his serve, even more than usual – but Ferrer is such a good returner and he is always able to put pressure on the Isner second serve. It’s one of the main reasons for which David has such a one sided Head 2 Head record against the No.1 American.
Ferrer’s key matchup advantage, coupled with his excellent form should be more than enough for a win against Big John. I will keep it simple here and bet on a straight victory, as the odds are just good enough – even though I do (firmly) believe that David will not need more than 4 sets to advance in the next round.
A braver punter could take the -1,5 set handicap, but my tip here is David Ferrer to win the match. I will compensate the lower odds (which are dropping) with maximum stakes, due to increased safety in the bet. Obviously everything is possible in sport, but I am feeling really confident about this one. Prediction: David Ferrer – John Isner 7-6 6-4 6-7 6-2.
Pick: Ferrer
Odds: 1.57 @ 1xBet
Stake: 10
Possible profit: 5.70
Event date: 25 January
