World no. 72, Sebastian Baez of Argentina, will play Alex Molcan of Slovakia, the world number 120, in the quarter-final of the 2023 Kitzbuhel Open on Thursday, August 3. Get the live streaming options of this Sebastian Baez v Alex Molcan match along with its preview, head-to-head, and tips here.
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Sebastian Baez v Alex Molcan Head to Head
The pair have never played each other before.
This will be the first match between the 22 year old Argentine, and the Slovak, who is three years older.
Also Read:
Baez Outclasses Spaniard
Baez burst on the scene in 2022 when he reached three ATP clay court finals and emerged the winner in Estoril.
When he added to his trophy haul on home soil in Cordoba in February, he would have been expecting great things from the season ahead, and he briefly broke into the top 30.
But a failure to defend the points he won last year meant that his ranking has fallen away, and he has struggled for consistency.
However, he is still young and a deep run in Kitzbuhel will help him begin heading in the right direction again.
He began by beating the Serb qualifier Hamad Medjedovic in straight sets, although it was a scrappy match full of dropped serves and unforced errors.
There was nothing sloppy, though, about his performance in the second round against Roberto Carballes-Baena, out-classing the Spaniard in straight sets for the loss of just three games.
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Molcan Saves Match Points Against Austrian
Like Baez, Molcan has been struggling to find the form of last year, and the decline in his ranking has been even more precipitous, and he has dropped out of the top 100.
Reaching the quarter-finals in Kitzbuhel is s a boost to his morale as much as anything.
He began by beating the French teenager, Luca van Assche in straight sets, courtesy of one break of serve in the first set, and two in the next.
And then he had to cope with the number four seed, Sebastian Offner, as well as the Austrian crowd.
It was Offner who began the stronger of the two, taking the first set.
And when Molcan found himself two breaks down and facing two match points, his challenge seemed as good as over.
However, the Slovak chose that moment to mount a comeback. He saved both match points, and then won six games in a row to win the second set and kevel the match.
Although both men earned a break apiece, the third set was largely dominated by serve, and it meant that a tie-break was needed to decide the winner.
This time it was Molcan who had two match points, the only difference being that he made the second one count.
Baez v Molcan Prediction and Tip
Both men are looking to rediscover the form of last year, so getting to the quarter-finals in Austria is an important milestone for them.
However, as the higher ranked player and the one with the greater pedigree in terms of titles won, Baez will be considered the favourite.
Tips:
- Low Risk Tip: Baez to win: 1/2
- Moderate Risk Tip: Under 24.5 games in the match: 4/7
The 2023 ATP Kitzbuhel will be played from July 31 to August 6. 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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