The second day of action in the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals sees the groups who didn’t get up and running inside the o2 Arena in London on Sunday doing so on a day where we get to see both the number one seeds in the tournament.
Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem made the seeds count on Sunday and on Monday Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev will be looking to do exactly the same on another decent looking card in the final event of the season.
Afternoon Session
Marcel Granollers & Horacio Zeballos vs John Peers and Michael Venus
The opening match of the day sees the doubles getting us going when the number four seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos take on the number six seeds John Peers and Michael Venus in the first clash in the Bob Bryan Group.
There will be a certain amount of intrigue in this match. Three of the four players on the court have been regulars here down the years but this is the first time both pairings have made it with their current partners. The fact that the majority of the players have experience of this venue and this tournament should mean we get treated to another competitive contest like we saw on the opening day. I don’t really see a standout advantage for either pair so I’ll leave this one alone.
Novak Djokovic vs Diego Schwartzman
The first singles match of the second day of play sees the world number one Novak Djokovic beginning his quest to win this title for the first time since 2015 when he takes on the debutant at the Nitto ATP Finals in the form of the classy Argentine player Diego Schwartzman.
There is a lot that points into the side of Djokovic here. He is full of experience of this tournament and this venue and he has a 5-0 head to head lead over his diminutive opponent but Schwartzman has carried more about him this year and has a win over Rafael Nadal on clay and they don’t come around too often. I expect Djokovic to win this partly because he’s so much better than Schwartzman but also because there is likely to be some nerves in the debutant but I’m not one for chasing short prices in the opening match for a player here.
Special Offer
Opt in and place 5 accumulators either in a Boylesports shop or online and get an acca free! Click the image below to bet. ALL CUSTOMERS! 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Evening Session
Mate Pavic & Bruno Soares vs Jurgen Melzer & Edouard Roger-Vasselin
The last two pairs to get their doubles campaign underway do so in the evening session when the number one seeds Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares taking on the last pairing into the field this week in Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
As with the first doubles match of the day there is plenty of experience of this tournament and venue in this contest although not necessarily in the line ups that they are appearing in for this game. I’ve already nailed my colours to the mast of the top seeds and they look rightful strong favourites to come through this match but you have to respect the run of the Austrian-French pairing in Sofia last week to make it here so I’m not going to add any extra interest in this match.
Daniil Medvedev vs Alexander Zverev
The last match of the day sees the final two players getting their World Tour Finals campaign up and running in what is a repeat of the recent Paris Masters final when Daniil Medvedev takes on Alexander Zverev in a key match in the Tokyo 1970 Group.
I say this is a key match because with Novak Djokovic in the section neither of these men will want to lose this and have to beat the Serb in order to remain in the competition so this should be as competitive as their Paris final was recently. Medvedev won that in three sets and I fancy him to win here although we are taking a leap of faith that he has forgotten his first outing in this tournament last year when he lost all three matches. Zverev has good memories here having won the title in 2018 but he comes here under a strengthening cloud over his personal life and while he’s had a very good year on the court I still can’t trust his second serve to hold up.
Zverev actually leads the head to head between the two 5-2 but the Russian has won two of the last three over this year and last, which are largely the only ones that count as Medvedev was making his way in the game prior to that. Zverev won their meeting here last year but Medvedev came in physically shattered after that crazy run he had in the hard court swing. He’s much fresher here and with the confidence of winning Paris behind him I expect Medvedev to strike first blood in the group here.
Tips
WON – Back D.Medvedev to beat A.Zverev for a 3/10 stake at 1.73 with William Hill
Back him here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
