Kei Nishikori vs Benoit Paire Tennis Betting Tips and Predictions - 6/2/2019

Kei Nishikori vs Benoit Paire

4am EST, 2nd June 2019

Roland Garros (Paris, France)

Intro

This is going to be a repeat of a 2nd round match from last year. Back then, Nishikori managed to come from behind and beat Paire in a 5-set thriller. With both guys playing with a lot of flair, there were many exciting rallies during that match and I don't see it being any different this time around. Especially with Benoit Paire playing as well as he does at the moment. Arrived in Paris with a warm-up title from Lyon and continued his winning streak, which is at 8 right now. There were some ups and down, to be honest. Especially in that Herbert match, where he had a commanding lead in his hands only to see it slip away. These type of mental lapses are something that we are used to seeing from him. But the level of focus that he was able to maintain in that grueling 5th set is much rarer and just proves that he is on a mission right now.

Speaking of ups and downs, that is something that follows Kei Nishikori throughout his professional career and it was no different in the first couple of rounds. Most obvious case of it came in the 3rd round match vs Laslo Djere. He was on the edge of a cliff, being down two breaks in deciding set, but fought his way back into it and won 8-6 in the 5th.

Matchup

Analyzing their playing styles and current form, I think Nishikori will have to come up with a creative strategy for this match. It is definitely not advisable for him to get into a shotmaking contest against Paire. He would be playing right into Benoit's strongest point, which would be equal to playing with fire, considering Frenchmen's current form. He needs to force a lot of forehand to forehand exchanges. Take some pace off the ball, and make Paire construct the point with his forehand. I believe that is something he would struggle with, possibly abandon and rather go for some risky, ill-advised shots. Setting traps and waiting for opponent to get caught in them, is the key to this match for the Japanese player.

Betting odds & prediction

Odds are set pretty close. That shows us the amount of respect that the oddsmakers have for Benoit and the way he's been playing recently. He also could be a very popular underdog play in this spot, which would drive the line even closer. Personally, I'm looking at that total. It is quite difficult to pick the winner of this match, but the course should be quite predictable. Expecting these two to go back and forth at each other , exchanging momentum and the lead. It will result in a close match where details will decide the winner.

Tony's Pick: over 38 games (-110)

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