The second set of matches at the group stage of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals concludes in Turin on Wednesday when the players who began their tournament on Monday continue the last event of the season.
We’ve seen some brilliant tennis already this week and with semi-final spots up for grabs and survival in the tournament at stake we should get plenty of drama and tension to add into the mix on Wednesday too.
Afternoon Session
Juan Sebastian Cabal & Robbie Farah vs Jamie Murray & Bruno Soares
The opening doubles match of the day on Wednesday is a big one for the two teams involved as they both lost their opening game. That means the Colombian pair of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robbie Farah and the pairing of Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares could be battling for their tournament survival.
This will be an interesting match not just for the outcome of this match but it might give us an indication of where the strength of power lies in the group itself. I say that because both teams lost their first game but Murray and Soares ran into a bit of a machine in Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram. I think it is fair to say the Colombians have the better pedigree of these two sides over the year as a whole, but there is a chance Murray and Soares’ performance in that first game was better than the result suggested. That makes me unsure which way to go here so I’ll leave the first game of the day well alone.
Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev
The singles match in the afternoon session will see the two men who won their opening game of the tournament meeting in a clash which could see the winner cruising to top spot in the group as Novak Djokovic takes on Andrey Rublev.
Amazingly considering that Rublev isn’t exactly a new addition to the top table of tennis, this is the first time this pair will meet in their career and the Russian will be hoping that the element of surprise is something he can use to his advantage. Djokovic has already faced someone for the first time this week when he overcame Casper Ruud on Monday and he found getting in front tough in the first set before pulling away in the second one. Rublev dominated Stefanos Tsitsipas in his opening match but we now know the Greek was suffering with an injury so it will be interesting to see how he goes here. Rublev is my outright pick and he’s in a decent position so I’ll ride that through this match.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THIS TOURNAMENT! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Evening Session
Rajeev Ram & Joe Salisbury vs Nicolas Mahut & Pierre-Hugues Herbert
The doubles match in the evening session on Wednesday sees the two winners from the Monday action meeting when the second seeds of Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury take on the French pairing of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
This is a clash of two of the four Grand Slam winners this season in the US Open winning pair of Ram and Salisbury and the French Open champions Mahut and Herbert. Both teams looked in pretty good order in their opening match. Ram and Salisbury, the latter in particular, were in fine form in their first game and will be looking to build on that but I suspect the win of Mahut and Herbert was the better form guide even though they weren’t as impressive on the eye. I’m on the French duo outright though and that can act as my interest in this match.
Cameron Norrie vs Casper Ruud
We now know that the final singles match of the day will see the British number one Cameron Norrie taking on the Norwegian ace Casper Ruud after Stefanos Tsitsipas called it a day in the tournament due to an elbow injury.
The fact the Greek only pulled out at lunchtime on the day of this match creates a tricky dynamic for both players here. Norrie only has a few hours to prepare and be ready for the match while Ruud was planning to play someone different to the one he will face. This will be a repeat of the San Diego final which Ruud won 60 62 and while I don’t think this match will be as comfortable for the Norwegian, the fact he has played a match in the tournament and will be used to the conditions and familiar with the environment and everything that goes with this event, I do believe he has a big enough advantage to come through here. You can make the case that Norrie is free rolling and that qualifying will be difficult with him facing Novak Djokovic later in the week but since he won in Indian Wells his form has been mixed and I wonder if he has overplayed trying to qualify for this event by right. I expect a comfortable Ruud win here.
Tips
Back C.Ruud to beat C.Norrie 2-0 for a 3/10 stake at 2.50 with Betfair
Back him here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2021
