ATP Tour previews and best bets for Stuttgart and Den Bosch

Tennis betting tips: ATP Tour

1pt e.w. Jordan Thompson in the Libema Open at 14/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes, Betfred)

0.5pt e.w. Rinky Hijikata in the Libema Open at 80/1 (Betfred)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Libema Open

• ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands (outdoor grass)

Across the German-Dutch border, they play in Den Bosch and the man who stands out here in terms of that natural grasscourt ability is JORDAN THOMPSON.

The Australian has beaten a host of top-50 players on this surface over the years – including Andy Murray when he was world number one – and he’ll be delighted to have left the clay behind as his best results have usually come on the faster surfaces.

Take his year so far. He was a semi-finalist in Brisbane and made the quarters in Dallas. That decent start to 2024 proved a springboard to a maiden ATP title in Los Cabos.

His two other ATP finals have both come on grass at this very venue – last year and in 2019 – so I’m sure he’ll arrive here in great mood.

Admittedly, Thompson has a tricky opener, facing former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic, but the Canadian struggles to stay fit these days.

This will be his first tournament in three months and in the three events he has contested in 2024, he’s ended up withdrawing mid-tournament due to injury at all of them.

Thompson could play fellow Aussie Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals but the older player triumphed here in 2019, while the pair’s other grasscourt meeting was a tight three-setter which de Minaur edged.

In short, that’s a match which is winnable. Then could come Ugo Humbert or Adrian Mannarino in the last four.

I considered both men.

Humbert has the game for grass, as he showed when winning in Halle in 2021. He loves to come forward and volley behind a good serve.

Mannarino has a good track record on this surface, too, but he’s won just one of his last 11 matches and I just think it’s asking a lot to immediately start winning, even on your favourite surface, when form has been so poor – many of the defeats have been heavy ones.

Some will be tempted by odds of 25/1 but I’ll swerve on this occasion.

I’ll take Thompson in the top half and am also tempted to get involved in the other section.

The bottom half looks very open with no clear candidate to reach the final.

Tommy Paul, the second seed, is probably the right favourite. After all, he made the last 16 at Wimbledon last year and finished runner-up at Eastbourne.

However, he’s not got a track record for fast starts on the grass.

This will be the fifth grasscourt season of his career and in the previous four, he’s failed to win back-to-back matches in his opening tournament, twice losing in round one.

Karen Khachanov, Seb Korda and defending champion Tallon Griekspoor are the seeds ready to challenge Paul in this half but I’m not taken by any of them and will instead take a punt on another Aussie, RINKY HIJIKATA.

He will be Paul’s opening foe if he beats Alexei Popyrin in the first round and that could be awkward.

Hijikata made the semis here 12 months ago and is another who likes the faster conditions as shown by the fact that this year’s best results have been quarter-final showings in Brisbane and Delray Beach.

He’ll use his speed around the court to good effect and could just be the man to step up in this open section.

It’s a long shot but a minimum-stakes each-way play is the call at 80/1.

Posted at 1945 BST on 09/06/24

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