World number 63 Zhang Zhizhen will face the 86th-ranked Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round of the 2023 ATP Canadian Open on Sunday, August 6. Get the predictions and odds of this Zhang Zhizhen v Thanasi Kokkinakis match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Zhang Zhizhen v Thanasi Kokkinakis Head to Head
There have been no previous meetings between these two and Kokkinakis had won that Challenger encounter.
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Zhizhen Hoping to Improve Hardcourt Record
The last two seasons have been Zhizhen’s best so far with the Chinese player having climbed up the ranking drastically. He was ranked 323rd in the world in January last year but over the last 18 months has risen up to a career-best of just outside of the top 50.
He then fell a tad on the rankings recently when he struggled on grass but a semifinal appearance at the Hamburg Open has helped him again.
What needs to be seen, however, is Zhang’s record in hardcourt competitions. It’s not as great as what he has done on clay with the Chinese player having won just one main round match and that too came on the Challenger circuit.
He has a tough match first up against a player who might be ranked lower than him but loves his time on these kinds of surfaces.
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Kokkinakis Needs Qualifiers to Get Through
The thing with Kokkinakis is he has the game to surprise some of the best in the world and yet, he has never broken into the top 60 of the rankings. His best-ever ranking is 69th in the world and the Aussie has now fallen to 86th at the moment.
And that’s again down to his lack of consistency in results.
As a result of that, Kokkinakis was forced to come through the qualifiers to make the main draw in this competition, the first time he has ever made it this far in this competition since 2014.
Kokkinakis overcame Borna Gojo in three hard-fought sets in the opener before overcoming Constant Lestienne in the second, making it a win-loss record of 22-11 on hardcourt surfaces across all circuits for the season.
Against a clay-court specialist like Zhizhen, Kokkinakis will believe he has a good chance.
Zhizhen v Kokkinakis Prediction and Tip
Kokkinakis has a very good chance of clinching his maiden career win at this tournament with his hardcourt play far superior to Zhang’s performances on this surface.
Tips:
- Low Risk Tip: Kokkinakis to win: 8/11
The 2023 ATP Canadian Open in Toronto will be played from August 7 to 13. 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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