World number 111 Rinky Hijikata will be up against the 97th-ranked Pavel Kotov in the first round of the 2023 US Open on Monday, August 28. Get the predictions and odds of this Rinky Hijikata v Pavel Kotov match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Rinky Hijikata v Pavel Kotov Head to Head
No previous matches have been played between Hijikata and Kotov.
Also Read:
Hijikata Made a Name for Himself at Rosmalen
Hijikata had been doing his bit at the lower circuits and won the odd match here and there over the last 18 or so months. However, it was at the Rosmalen Open that he looked to have turned things around when he entered the main draw as a lucky loser and went on to win three matches in a row on his way to the semifinal.
The Aussie overcame Gijs Bouwer and then surprised Marc-Andrea Huesler (after going in as an 11/10 with bet365) and upset Mackenzie McDonald (19/10 with bet365) to make it to the last four stage.
Since then, Hijikata has had a couple of wins at Newport and Winston-Salem but nothing has come close to resembling his performance in Rosmalen. That being said, he has shown he has the talent to keep improving and very soon, even break into the top 100 on the ATP Rankings.
That’s the reason he has been allocated a wildcard and he will now hope he can live up to the 4/6 favourites odds with bet365 that are on offer here.
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Does Kotov Prefer Clay?
On the one hand, Kotov has played a lot more of his tennis on clay than any other surface but there’s another side to the story which has him winning most of his lower level titles in hardcourt competitions.
This is the first season though in which he has played 20 matches in hardcourt competitions, a far cry from the 18 he played over the last three years.
Kotov did feature in a plethora of hardcourt tournaments at the beginning of the year but rather surprisingly, the world number 95 hasn’t done anything of note in the lead-up to the US Open. Having featured in the Hamburg Open in July, his next competitive outing came at the Winston-Salem where he was knocked out in the first round itself.
It could have been to do with some fitness issue but either ways there will be some rustiness coming into this tournament as he hunts for his maiden win here as well. He is 13/10 (with bet365) to win it.
Hijikata v Kotov Prediction and Tip
Backing Hijikata to clinch a win here against a possibly rusty Kotov. Expecting him to win in four or five sets.
Tips:
- Low Risk Tip: Hijikata to win: 8/13 (with bet365)
- Moderate Risk Tip: Hijikata to win AND Both players to win a set: 7/5 (with bet365)
The 2023 US Open will be played from August 28 to September 10. You can get all the tennis betting news with our tennis betting blog here. Also get rest of the tennis match previews here.
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