The grass court season has begun already and round one matches at different men’s and women’s matches continue on Tuesday, June 15. Get our experts’ best tennis betting tips for today’s matches from Halle and Birmingham.
ATP Halle: Hugo Humbert v Sam Querrey
This First Round match is between two players who definitely have an ambition to reach at least the quarter-finals at Halle.
They could have played against each other the previous week, but Humbert lost to Auger-Aliassime in Quarterfinals Stage (6:7, 6:7). Later on, the Canadian managed to beat Querrey in straight sets as well (4:6, 5:7).
Hugo Humbert, currently 31st in the world, has had an awful clay season, managing to win just 1 out of 7 matches.
However, grass can be considered his most preferable surface as he reached Wimbledon 4th Round in 2019. If his opponent hadn’t been Novak Djokovic, he may have reached even deeper in the second week of the tournament.
Sam Querrey, however, is of the most notable groundstroke players on the Tour. He relies much on his first serve and on his thundering forehand.
Back in 2017, he pulled off his greatest achievement by reaching Wimbledon Semifinal where he lost in a close battle to the runner-up, Marin Cilic. The 33-year-old American arrives at Halle after reaching the Semifinals in Stuttgart, his first Semifinal appearance since 2019.
Both players are likely to be contenders for the title in Halle and this match promises to be a close battle. The option for “Over 24.5 Games” immediately caught my eye as even if there are only 2 sets played in the match, the bet could still win due to the high chance of having a tie-break in the match.
Humbert v Querrey Betting Tip
Over 24.5 games in the match: 5/7* (Sign up here with bet365 for these and other awesome odds)
WTA Birmingham: Fiona Ferro v Kristina Mladenovic
The 49th in the world, Fiona Ferro, arrives on the grass courts in Birmingham, after what would be a disappointing clay season full with injuries and uncertainties.
Her worst performance at Grand Slams is exactly on grass, where she lost quite easily to Elise Mertens in 1st Round in 2019 (2:6, 0:6).
On the other side, Kristina Mladenovic feels in good shape, as she managed to close out two matches in Nottingham (grass) last week, before losing to the runner-up, Shuai Zhang. Her playing style using groundstrokes would definitely give her some advantage over Ferro on grass.
Having all this in mind, I would assume that Mladenovic could easily beat her compatriot in 2 sets. However, I will choose the safer option “A win for Kristina Mladenovic” at 4/6.
Ferro v Mladenovic Betting Tip
Mladenovic to win: 4/6* (Sign up here with bet365 for these and other awesome odds)
ATP Halle: Ricardas Berankis v Kei Nishikori
Ricardas Berankis started from the Qualification Rounds in Halle. He managed to defeat two players who are solid on grass – Denis Novak and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe.
The Lithuanian showed us that he shouldn’t be underestimated as he can make an upset against the top players. His playing style is also favored on grass, so he will definitely be a tough opponent for everyone.
Kei Nishikori is not the same player he was back in 2015-2016. Currently, he is ranked No. 57 and he is eager to return back to his best days. His season so far shows some sings of hope as he managed to reach the 4th Round of Roland Garros and ¼ Final in Dubai. However, his victories against low-seeded players are far from dominant.
By observing both players’ playing style, I believe that this match will be a close battle. In addition to this, Nishikori usually struggles in his 1st Round matches.
Hence, the option for the match to go into a decider (3rd set) seems pretty decent – 13/8. A safer option would be to play “Over 22.5 games” at 2/1.
Berankis v Nishikori Betting Tip
Over 2.5 sets in the match: 13/8* (Sign up here with bet365 for these and other awesome odds)
WTA Birmingham: Daria Kasatkina v Polona Hercog
Daria Kasatkina arrives at Birmingham after a disappointing 3rd Round exit at Roland Garros.
After reaching Quarterfinals in Roland Garros and in Wimbledon in 2018, which secured her a spot in top 10, she seems to be slightly out of rhythm.
Grass is definitely not her favorite surface and being a baseliner doesn’t really help her much. However, she has had her ups and downs this season, winning 2 WTA titles (Melbourne and Saint-Petersburg), but since then she hasn’t managed to win three consecutive matches.
Polona Hercog, currently world No. 73, has an affinity for playing on grass. Although she is considered to be a solid clay player, she has had her successes on the faster surface.
Back in 2019, Hercog made a huge upset by eliminating Madison Keys in 2nd round of Wimbledon, before losing in a jaw-dropping thriller against Coco Gauff. Her forehand is her best weapon and if she has a good day, she might be able to stop Kasatkina from advancing further in the tournament.
All in all, both players seem to be really far from their optimal form, but I’ll give the Slovenian a bit of an advantage.
Although Kasatkina started the season pretty well, it’s obvious that she doesn’t feel the same way right now. The options for Hercog winning the match start at 2/1, but I’ll play it safer and choose (+3.5 games) at 1/1.
Kasatkina v Hercog Betting Tip
Games Handicap Hercog +3.5: 1/1* (Sign up here with bet365 for these and other awesome odds)
*Odds Correct at the Time of Writing