Ebden – Ram

Matthew Ebden will square off against 2 time winner Rajeev Ram in the first round at Newport, the last grass court tournament of the year.

Despite being a good grass court player, Ebden did not have success on the surface this year, failing to pass the first round in any of the 4 tournaments he took part in – although he did win a fair share of matches in qualifiers. The Australian got bounced out in the first round at the Winnetka challenger (hard courts) last week and returned on grass for two qualifying wins here at Newport, beating Klein and Ramanathan (both in three sets).

Grass court expert Rajeev Ram surprisingly played only two events on the green before ATP Newport, losing to Medvedev in Hertogenbosch before reaching the second round of the Wimbledon qualifiers (def. Opelka, lost to Rosol). The American didn`t have a great year so far, also struggling with some injuries, but he will be confident coming into a tournament which he won twice (2009, 2015), and where he always produced his best tennis. He already got off to a great start by winning his first round doubles match 6-0 6-0 on Monday.

Bet on Ebden vs Ram and get your 100% (100 Eur) welcome bonus at Ohmbet now!

The H2H is tied at 2-2, with Ram leading 1-0 on grass. The last meeting was right here at Newport back in 2014 and Ram easily won it 6-2 7-5. Both players love grass, but Ram does have a massive home court advantage here as Newport, given the fact that this is a unique event, where he always plays above his usual limits.

Ebden`s wins in qualifying weren`t very impressive, as he lost a set in both, and he would have probably lost against Ramanathan (4-6 6-1 7-5) if the Indian hadn`t been playing his 7th match in 7 days! The Australian is not looking good right now, and he hasn`t beaten a TOp 150 player in more than 2 months.

Ram isn`t doing much better either, but he looked really good in doubles on Monday. He also had 2 promising matches in the Wimbledon qualifiers against Opelka and Rosol.

Overall neither player is in good form, but Ram always finds a way to bring his “A game” to Newport, so that gives him a big edge here. His confidence should also be far superior given his love story with the tournament, and because of his 6-0 6-0 Monday win in doubles.

Look for the American to feel more comfortable on court, be more consistent on serve and use his volleys to put Ebden under pressure, as the Australian is not a good passer at all.

My tip is Rajeev Ram to win, “home court advantage” should be the difference maker here against an out of shape player like Ebden. Odds are dropping on this bet. Prediction: Matthew Ebden – Rajeev Ram 4-6 6-7.

Pick: Ram
Odds: 2.00
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 8
Event date: 18 July