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Zhang vs Monteiro. United Cup Match Prediction
Zhang and Monteiro will meet on December 27 in the group stage of the United Cup team competition. Zhang previous victory over Monteiro on clay certainly inspires optimism. However, hard is a completely different surface, requiring different tactics. The Brazilian will undoubtedly try to make adjustments to his game and focus on an aggressive attacking game. What bets should you pay attention to in this pair? - find out in our forecast.
Command Analysis
Zhizhen Zhang
ChinaCurrent form
Zhang had an 11-1 record on outdoor hard courts last season. He showed his best game on this surface at the Hangzhou tournament, where he managed to reach the final - in the decisive match, Zhizhen lost to Marin Cilic in two tie-breaks.
Professional qualities
Zhang, who is tall and athletic for Chinese tennis, stands out with his powerful first serve, which regularly allows him to win easy points and seize the initiative. His forehand is stable and powerful, especially on groundstrokes. Zhizhen also knows how to adapt to his opponent during the match to find an opportunity for a precise finishing shot. On hard courts, he looks especially confident.
Current indicators in the tour
Zhang is in the top 50 in the world rankings - he is currently ranked 45th. Last season, Zhizhen played in only one final - at the home tournament in Hangzhou, he lost in the decisive match to Marin Cilic.
Interesting facts for betting
Zhang suffered six defeats in a row at the end of last season.
Thiago Monteiro
BrazilCurrent form
Monteiro is a clay court specialist, so he played only two matches on open hard courts last season, neither of which he won. He left the Miami Masters after qualifying, losing to Adam Walton. And he lost in the first round of the US Open to Frenchman Ugo Humbert.
Professional qualities
Monteiro is an aggressive clay court player who prefers a more physical style of play than most South American players. He has a fairly fast first serve, but his abilities are limited on hard courts. The lack of preparation time means that he loses the effectiveness of his topspin, which works so well on clay. Add to this the weakness and inconsistency of his forehand.
Current indicators in the tour
Monteiro starts the new season at 109th place in the world rankings. Last year, Thiago played in two semi-finals - on his specialty clay, he reached this stage at tournaments in Santa Cruz and Salzburg.
Interesting facts for betting
Monteiro did not win a single match on open hard courts last season.
Trends
Bet Tie-break in the match - no
This bet has played in 3 of Monteiro 5 previous matches
1.85Rate Set Result: 2>1
In 3 of Zhang last 5 matches, events on the court have unfolded according to this scenario
2.31Tip and bets
The favorite in this pair is more than obvious - it is Zhang, whose playing style is better adapted to open hard. However, we should not forget that Zhizhen failed the end of last season, losing six matches in a row. Still, we believe that Monteiro will have a chance to cling to a positive handicap in the upcoming match.
Our prediction is Monteiro victory with a handicap of (+3) games at odds of 1.99
Bet on total
Zhang suffered six defeats in a row at the end of last season, which indicates a serious decline in the Chinese tennis player. It is unlikely that he will be able to win easily in the upcoming match.
The second forecast is total over 23 games for odds of 1.94
Bet on the first set
Three of Zhang last five matches have seen the first set go to more than 9.5 games, and Zhizhen upcoming match against Monteiro is likely to start with a top-heavy first set as well.
Forecast - total over 9.5 games in the first set for odds of 1.61
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