The first set of matches at the 2020 ATP Cup will have Steve Darcis and Cameron Norrie among those in action taking on little known players in their opening matches. Get the Steve Darcis v Alexander Cozbinov & Cameron Norrie v Dimitar Kuzmanov tips and predictions for day one of the ATP Cup 2020.
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Steve Darcis v Alexander Cozbinov Predictions & Preview
In what will be their first meeting, Steve Darcis of Belgium takes on Moldovan Alexander Cozbinov in their respective opening ATP Cup match. And while Darcis hasn’t had the best of previous seasons, he will start off a huge favourite against an opponent who is ranked outside the top 800 all his career.
Darcis, once ranked 38th in the world, has fallen off the cliff a bit, now ranked 157th, but against the 818th-ranked Cozbinov, things should be get easier. The Belgian had a 30-28 win-loss record in 2019, having struggled on his favourite surface as well, clay. He won just six of his 18 matches on that surface.
On his part, Cozbinov won his first and only Futures title in 2019, which should give him some confidence going into this match. However that match came on clay.
Tip: Darcis to win in straight sets: 2/9 (Click here to get these odds with bet365)
Cameron Norrie v Dimitar Kuzmanov Predictions & Preview
This will be the second time that Great Britain’s Norrie will be taking on Bulgaria’s Kuzmanov in their ATP Cup match on the opening day. And the first time they had faced off was in a Futures event of 2014, which Norrie had easily won. Since then, the Brit has scooted up the rankings chart, reaching a career-high of 41st in the world to Kuzmanov who is yet to break into the top 250.
Currently ranked 423rd in the world, the Bulgarian was involved in lower-level tournaments in 2019 as well, where he won 42 of the 63 matches he played. However, the lower number of matches was telling, having featured in 76 and 85 matches he featured over the past two years.
Norrie hasn’t won a title since 2017 but did have a good hard court season in 2019, finishing with a win-loss record of 21-14. He should have no real trouble getting past his opponent in this one.
Tip: Norrie to win in straight sets: 2/5 (Click here to get these odds with bet365)
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Taylor Fritz v Viktor Durasovic Predictions & Preview
32nd-ranked Taylor Fritz will be up against a player ranked 332nd in the form of Norway’s Viktor Durasovic as the two fight off for the first time ever in their careers.
The American Fritz has had a breakthrough couple of years, winning a bundle of matches over the seasons. In fact, in 2019, he also won his first ever ATP tournament at the Eastbourne International and a Challenger at Newport Beach to signal his intentions of taking on some of the best round.
On the other hand, Durasovic is 22 years old and looking to improve his rankings enough to start getting into the qualifiers of ATP events. He won a Futures event in 2019, the fifth of his career, but a Challengers victory is what he would need now. Would he survive the Fritz assault here though? Seems a doubtful proposition.
Tip: Games Handicap Fritz -5.5: 11/10 (Click here to get these odds with bet365)
Michail Pervolarakis v Felix Auger-Aliassime Predictions & Preview
Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime will take on Greece’s Michail Pervolarakis in their ATP Cup 2020 match, which will also be the first time they will be playing each other. Auger-Aliassime has a head-start of nearly 460 rankings on his opponent, but the 23-year-old Greek did have a more pleasing last season than ever.
He won a couple of Futures title, the first two of his career, but would that be enough against a player ranked 21st in the world and one of the players who could test the Next-Gen batch. Just 19 years old, Auger-Aliassime had a breakthrough 2019 with a final at Rio de Janeiro, Lyon and Stuttgart, and more vitally a semifinal at the Miami Masters after starting out as a qualifier.
With solid showing across the three main surfaces, expect him to come out all guns blazing here and winning in straight sets.
Tip: Games Handicap Felix Auger-Aliassime -4.5: 4/7 (Click here to get these odds with bet365)
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