Dominic Thiem vs Kevin Anderson
Not a lot of betting websites thought that Rafael Nadal’s dominance on clay will be suddenly put to a halt at this stage of the Madrid Open, but that’s exactly what happened. All eyes will definitely be on Dominic Thiem after stopping the Spaniard’s dominant streak on the surface he calls home.
He will now be facing a tough opponent who he hasn’t defeated in his professional tour. Everyone is talking around Thiem; even Nadal talked smack about him. The question now is this: can Thiem ride the momentum of beating the King of Clay way into the Madrid Open finals?
Talking Points
The elephant in the room is the titan the Austrian just took down. Nadal is one of the best tennis players to ever step foot on the clay court, and his recent performances on clay just got him a new record. The fact that Thiem managed to send Rafa packing is a shock for everyone present. Even Thiem himself is probably surprised that he managed to defeat Nadal in such an easy fashion.
However, Nadal is not completely impressed with the way the 24-year-old played. While he says that the Austrian is still a legitimate threat to be wary of on the clay, he said that the lad better not gain any confidence from this surprise victory.
“Three weeks ago I beat him 6-0, 6-2. I don’t know if that’s a tough player or not,” Nadal said. “I don’t think it’s that way. I think it’s just been a match that he was better than me, same as a few weeks ago I was better than him. If he beats me three times in a row, maybe we can say he reads my game and can beat me. Today he was better than me, and that’s all.”
Meanwhile, Kevin Anderson will be coming into this tournament on a high. This year’s Madrid Open is his first-ever semi-final at the Masters 1000 level after losing 10 of his previous quarter-finals at the same level. He is superbly ecstatic after beating an impressive Dusan Lajovic on full sets.
Dedicated fans and online bookies will count on him to try and make this game very difficult for Thiem.
History
These two men have met six times on the tour, and every single game has been won by the South African ace. While Thiem’s performance on the clay is nothing to scoff at, it is important to look at their prior history in order to understand how the match will play out.
The most common and noticeable trend fans can see upon inspection of their match history is the way their matches tend to go the distance. Save for Tokyo and Canada, every single game between the two have gone to full sets, and it usually takes a tiebreak before either of them can snag the set. Fortunately for 31-year-old, most of the 50/50 games have been going in his favour.
It becomes harder to tell which player will dominate if we look at their current run of form. Thiem did beat Nadal in straight sets, but Anderson has a resilient service game and will not make anything easy for the Austrian. Their styles match so well, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this game reaching full sets.
What are the odds?
It is very easy to place a bet online for Thiem, given the impressive victory he got over Nadal. If you feel like Thiem can ride on this incredible wave and run all the way to victory, then you can go big on Thiem’s -1.50 Asian Handicap for 2.11.
However, you must remember that Anderson loves going into long rallies when it comes to battling Thiem, and the crafty South African will surely do everything to keep his serves and be pesky on the returns. Choosing Anderson +1.50 @ 1.74 is the safer and more logical option to take.
This result of your bets on this match will fall on Thiem. Will he be able to repeat his incredible performance against Anderson? Or will Anderson smile as he wins in full sets to march onto the final?
Other notable match-ups
Madrid Open Men’s Singles Semi-final
Denis Shapovalov vs Alexander Zverev: Denis Shapovalov continues his incredible run after defeating Kyle Edmund in full sets. However, things will not get any easier as he squares off against a confident Alexander Zverev.
Madrid Open Women’s Singles Final
Petra Kvitova vs Kiki Bertens: The Women’s Singles final will star two women who climbed from the first round and showed real class in their sports. Eyes are especially fixed on Kiki Bertens after beating Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki.
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
