Haas – Herbert

Tommy Haas will square off against Pierre Hugues Herbert in Stuttgart, hoping the grass and home court advantage will help him set up a blockbuster meeting with Roger Federer in the second round.

Tommy Haas returned to the ATP tour this season after missing last year due to injury, and the fact that he is still competitive at 39 years old is really remarkable. Tommy definitely did not make a fool of himself this year, but on the other hand he hasn`t won many matches either. Haas won just 4 of his 13 matches and his only noteworthy win was against Pair, one of the most inconsistent players in Top 100. Haas last played in Rome, where he defeated Escobedo in a deciding set tiebreak before losing 4-6 3-6 to Raonic.

Herbert is having a great run in the last 12 months, reaching a career high ranking of No. 68 back in January and claiming a number of impressive wins against guys like Thiem, Pouille or F. Lopez. The Frenchman is coming after a solid showing at Roland Garros, where he easily defeated Donaldson in the first round, following that with a 5 set loss at the hands of Fernando Verdasco.

This will be the first H2H meeting between the two players. Both of them are well suited for the grass courts, but Haas is a master of this surface, so it will play to his advantage. He will be able to shorten the points and he should look better than he did on hard courts or on clay. Nevertheless, beating a young gun like Herbert will be a very difficult task.

The Frenchman is in very good form, both short term and long term, and it is hard to understand why Haas is rated as a favorite by the bookmakers. Grass will help him, as previously stated, but Herbert’s big serve makes him dangerous on the surface as well. He has a good record on the green, is well suited for the surface, and won`t mind at all if Haas is trying to play shorter points.

Haas is as fit as a 39 year old could be and deserves massive respect. He trained on grass for some time now, so he musn`t be underestimated. However, he will need huge improvement compared to what he showed earlier in the season, and at 39 years old it`s just hard to see him get the job done against a younger opponent who is confident and in good form – no matter the surface on which the match is played. Father time is undefeated for a reason.

Tommy’s bag of tricks and expertise on the green should help him keep this match close and maybe get a set, but in the end you have to expect Herbert to have too much power and stamina for the German. My tip is Herbert to win and I recommend taking the bet early, as odds are dropping. Nevertheless, I will keep the stakes within reason, as I don`t want to underestimate the German. Prediction: Tommy Haas – Pierre Hugues Herbert 6-7 7-6 3-6.

Pick: Herbert
Odds: 2.02 @ Bwin
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 7.14
Event date: 13 June