The second day of action in the ATP World Tour Finals sees the two groups who have not yet got going do so which means that we get to see both the number one singles player and the number one doubles pairing on what should be another excellent day of tennis inside the o2 Arena.
Sunday saw wins for Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev and on Monday we get to see Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem looking to emulate them by winning their opening match. We also have two tasty looking doubles matches to enjoy.
Afternoon Session
Jamie Murray & Bruno Soares vs Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan
The day gets underway with Andy Murray’s brother Jamie in action when he and his partner Bruno Soares get their tournament started with a clash against the Bryan Brothers in what looks a very competitive group.
These two sides met here last year and the Murray/Soares pairing won on their way to the semi-finals but surprisingly they have not met in 2017 yet. It is fair to say neither team have had the year they would like but a run to the title here would make up for that. It is hard to judge their form so far though so I’ll take a watching brief here.
Dominic Thiem vs Grigor Dimitrov
The opening singles match of the day sees the Austrian starlet Dominic Thiem taking on Grigor Dimitrov who is having a decent season and will be looking to crown that with a big run to conclude it heading into what should be a huge 2018.
Both these men are good to watch when they are at the top of their game and they both have a style that appeals and blends whenever they meet. They have met twice in 2017 and both of them have gone to a third set and you would be a brave man to bet on this one not going the distance too.
I fully expect this to be a close match throughout. We saw one of them on the opening night of the tournament and these two look perfectly matched to do the same so the over 22.5 games appeals strongly in this one.
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Evening Session
Lukasz Kubot & Marcelo Melo vs Ivan Dodig & Marcel Granollers
These two pairs meet for the second time this month having battled it out in Paris at the beginning of November. That was one of three meetings between them this year with Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo winning the latest two.
Kubot and Melo go into this tournament as the leading side in the world and will be looking to prove that ranking is fair. Melo’s former partner Ivan Dodig is very experienced here while Granollers has been here in the past too albeit not for a while so he might need to find his feet.
These two went a deciding set in Paris and I wouldn’t be surprised if a deciding breaker is needed to separate them again but I like the world number one pair to come away with an opening win in a match they need to be victorious in given the complexity of the group.
Rafael Nadal vs David Goffin
The final two singles players to get their tournament underway are David Goffin and Rafael Nadal. At least Nadal is scheduled to appear here but there are still doubts whether he actually will or not given his knee troubles. He collected the year end title on Sunday afternoon and was visibly limping.
I’ll preview this match as if Nadal is going to play because I don’t believe for one minute he will be 100% and if the Spaniard does play the 4.5 game start Goffin is receiving will look big. Goffin doesn’t have the greatest record against Nadal it should be said but by the same token if he playing an injured opponent he should be much more comfortable. Just a set should see him cover this handicap but two tight losing sets does the job too but you have to think Goffin has every chance if Nadal does struggle fitness wise.
Tips
WON – Back D.Thiem vs G.Dimitrov – Over 22.5 games for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with 888sport
Back it here:
WON – Back L.Kubot & M.Melo to beat I.Dodig & M.Granollers for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with Betfred
Back them here:
WON – Back D.Goffin (+4.5 games) to beat R.Nadal for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with William Hill
Back him here:
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