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After an unusual week in tennis which featured an exhibition, we’re back with some picks with three ATP tournaments starting up. All three are worth 250 ranking points, and all will be held on hardcourts.
Let’s get into some picks.
Jan-Lennard Struff (-125) vs. Lorenzo Musetti (+100)
Lorenzo Musetti is still improving on hardcourts and just had a huge struggle against Bulgarian wild card Alexandar Lazarov, ranked No. 334 in the world.
He had to dig very deep to win that match, and frankly it was the Bulgarian who really decided the outcome by struggling to handle the nerves which came along with the situation. Musetti didn’t look all that great, and now he has to go up against a very talented hardcourt player on the comeback trail in Struff.
Struff has now won seven straight matches dating back tot he Davis Cup and is brimming with confidence. Together with a huge serve and forehand, that confidence is dangerous.
Edge: Struff -125
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Constant Lestienne (+130) vs. Maxime Cressy (-160)
I don’t know what else Constant Lestienne has to do to earn some respect around here. The Frenchman has been exceptional this summer, tearing up the Challenger tour then taking out two quality hardcourt opponents in Adrian Mannarino and Emil Ruusuvuori in straight sets.
Maxime Cressy will certainly be a threat on these quick courts, but I am going to need to see a lot more from him before I can lay this type of juice with the American. Sebastian Korda has been out of form, so it’s hard to rate that win, and prior to that point Cressy hadn’t won a match since August 24th.
Lestienne is a strong hardcourt player and a guy who simply knows how to win right now. He’s returned some big servers and should be able to break through here.
Edge: Lestienne +130