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John Isner opens his campaign in the clay court ATP Houston second round against Teimuraz Gabashvili.
Isner is on the back of two excellent tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami, both times losing to Djokovic. His last showing at Miami was particularly impressive, with wins over Raonic and Nishikori and it seems that finally Big John is back to his top level of tennis after a long period of struggles. His serving was absolutely magnificent in IW and Miami, as he did not allow breaks in 6 of the 8 matches he played – and Djokovic was the only player who managed to claim John’s serve.
Gabashvili is a moody player, a lot depends on his form and mental state. When at his best, he is able to serve lights out and trouble anybody with his sharp, attacking ground strokes. Teimuraz had a decent season so far, nothing out of the ordinary, but I remember him putting on an excellent performance against an in-form Baghdatis at the Australian Open, a match that I still don’t know how he was able to lose. Teimuraz played one of his best matches of the year here in the Houston first round, demolishing Smyczek 6-3 6-3 without facing a single break point.
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The Head 2 Head is 1-1, but Isner leads 1-0 on clay and won the last direct meeting in 2011 after a very tight first set tiebreak. The other meeting also featured a dramatic deciding set tiebreak. No particular matchup or Head 2 Head advantage for any player here.
Isner is obviously the better player and in better form, but he`s on the back of a very tiring period and he needs to change surfaces, so obviously he will not be at his best in his first match here. John will mainly focus on his serve and gradually try to put pressure on the return as the match goes on. Gabashvili played a great match in the first round and considering he`s a player of momentum, he is sure to translate it into this second round clash. He is able to be virtually unbreakable when he`s at his best, as he proved in the first round here in Houston.
Expect Gabashvili to come out strong and play aggressive tennis on serve. With Isner not expected to be quite at his best (and known to play many tiebreaks early in small tournaments), this should be a very tight encounter early on. Gabashvili already proved he can go to the distance with Isner, so my tip here is a first set tiebreak to occur. While the surface in Houston is clay, this is a very fast clay that traditionally encourages big servers. Prediction: John Isner – Teimuraz Gabashvili 7-6 6-3.
Live streaming for Isner vs. Gabashvili available at Bet365 for all funded accounts.
Pick: First set tiebreak – Yes
Odds: 3.15 @ Bet365
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 15.05
Event date: 10 April
