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Out of form Frenchman Gilles Simon faces a very dangerous first round test at the US Open against Czech Republic’s veteran, Radek Stepanek.
Simon has been horrible since the Olympics, losing 6-1 6-3 to Dimitrov in Cincinnati and 7-6 6-1 to Schwartzman (!!) in Winston Samlem. Simon has now lost his last three matches and played absolutely dreadful tennis in his last two, so he is definitely not in a good position ahead of the US Open. His consistency game is not working and when Simon is making errors, there`s not much else he can do to win matches.
Stepanek is on fire right now, winning 7 of his last 8 matches (6 of them in straight sets), the only loss coming at the hands of Djokovic. While he did not meat top opposition lately, Radek did play some great tennis and he was excellent in the US Open qualies. The 37 year old veteran flew trough Skugor, Michon and Weintraub, winning easy in straight sets against them all. Even at his age, Radek is still very dangerous on his day and proved it multiple times this year against the best in the world.
Bet on Simon vs. Stepanek and claim your 100% (100 Euro) freebet at Ohmbet now!Stepanek leads the Head 2 Head 3-1, but the pair has not met since 2010. One of Radek’s wins was in an exhibition event, so maybe a 2-1 H2H advantage for him is more appropriate.
Radek is simply playing the better tennis at the current time, he is in much better form, he`s confident and has playing rhythm. And if you think that he can`t mix it up with the top players anymore, you have to look no further than this year’s Roland Garros – where he almost beat Andy Murray on clay, Stepanek’s worst surface.
Stepanek is one of the most uncomfortable opponents you can come up against and if you are not confident in your game, he can blow you to pieces. Simon definitely does not look comfortable right now and he never particularly liked to play Stepanek, as the H2H could suggest – so this really is an extremely dangerous first round matchup for the Frenchman.
The meeting becomes even more dangerous for Simon if we think that, looking at his recent dreadful form, he needs some time to calibrate his game – particularly against a player that doesn`t let you play your game. Meanwhile, Stepanek is already in excellent rhythm after flying trough the qualies. For this reason, I think the best bet on this match might be Stepanek to win the first set – it definitely makes sense.
If Simon doesn`t quickly regain his form, he will lose this match. Stepanek definitely stands a big chance here and there`s every reason to expect him to start strong and dominate until Simon finds some rhythm – IF he does. I see this as a win for Stepanek or, if Simon regains his game, a long match with the Frenchman edging it due to age considerations. My tip is Radek to win the first set. Prediction: Gilles Simon – Radek Stepanek 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-4 9-7.
Pick: Stepanek to win the first set
Odds: 2.10 @ Bet365
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 7.70
Event date: 30 August
