Medvedev, Bublik, Cilic and Norrie were among the notable names to head for the exits. Sinner was in ominous form and it does not look like there is anybody in this half of the draw that will go close to stopping him.
Sinner was a dominant 6-2 6-2 6-2 winner when these two faced off at Wimbledon a few years ago and the news gets worse for the Argentine here. The Italian has developed into the best player in the world since and this is a surface where you must earn every single point. Sinner did not face a single break point on serve in his 1st Round match against Tabur and would have been an even more dominant winner had he converted at a better rate than 5 of 13 break opportunities. Sticking with the Unders in this one.
Best Bet: Under 27.5 games
Their one and only meeting came at the French Open two years ago with Tsitsipas winning in four sets. That was the last time that Tsitsipas made it to the quarter finals of a Grand Slam and to the surprise of many, he has failed to make it past the 2nd Round in his 7 major appearances since. The European clay court swing is when he has historically produced his best but this year he recorded opening round losses in Monte Carlo, Munich and Rome. Two of his wins came against Bublik and Mpetshi-Perricard – both players with big serves who are unable to extended rallies to target the Tsitsipas backhand. That is not the case with Arnaldi who will direct as much traffic as possible to the Tsitsipas backhand. The Italian beat the likes of Hurkackz, JM Cerundolo and Borges to win a Challenger Tour tournament just a few weeks ago. Also beat De Minaur and took a set off Jodar which reads far better than the form of Tsitsipas. The reason for the length of this preview… Arnaldi is a phenomenal bet with the start!
Best Bet: Arnaldi +3.5 ($1.90)
Surprised to see Hurkacz installed as the favourite here. Tiafoe leads the H2H 4-3 with wins in the last two meetings. All 7 prior battles have been on a hard court and I rate the American as the superior player on clay. He has made as many ATP Tour level finals on clay (5) as he has on hard courts and made it to the quarter finals here 12 months ago. In contrast, Hurkacz has lost in the opening round of the French Open four times in his career. We will be backing Tiafoe.
Best Bet: Tiafoe +1.5 ($1.90)
Tien posted a crushing win over Garin which includes two bagels and has now won his last five matches. He has made an immediate impact in what is only his second full season on the ATP Tour and has already amassed 7 wins over top 10 players. That includes a win over Medvedev at the Australian Open earlier this year and his game is tailor-made for best of five sets tennis. He is ultra-consistent from the back of the court, utilises his lefty serve extremely well and wears down his opponents with the use of angles and variety. He should be a firm favourite to progress.
Best Bet: Tien -4.5 ($1.70)
Sinner v Cerundolo: Under 27.5 games
Rinderknech v Berrettini: Over 40.5 games ($1.82)
Comesana v Darderi: Darderi -1.5 Sets
Struff v Faria: Faria WIN
Hurkackz v Tiafoe: Tiafoe +1.5 ($1.90)
Arnaldi v Tsitsipas: Arnaldi +3.5 ($1.90)
Collignon v Shelton: Over 40.5 games ($1.90)
Auger-Aliassime v Burruchaga: Burruchaga +1.5 Sets
Van Assche v Nakashima: Van Assche +4.5 ($1.87)
Vallejo v Kouame: Kouame +6.5 ($1.82)
Tabilo v Vacherot: Vacherot WIN ($2.55)
Cobolli v Wu: Cobolli -4.5 ($1.70)
Diaz Acosta v Tien: Tien -4.5 ($1.70)
Cerundolo v Gaston: Gaston To Win A Set – YES ($2.10)
Svajda v Walton: Svajda WIN ($1.88)