Alexander Zverev coasted through Benjamin Bonzi in Round 1 of the French Open, but the second-seeded German could be in for a fight on Wednesday afternoon.
The World No. 3 is set to take on Tomas Machac, one of the best unseeded players in the tournament.
The Czech is coming off an unfussy 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 win over Zizou Bergs in Round 1.
He is a decided underdog to beat Zverev on Wednesday, but count Machac out at your own risk.
Although he’s not a household name, Machac has been a trendy pick among tennis pundits for a breakout for several years. A speedy, powerful opponent, Machac has the toolkit of a top-10 player, but he’s just never been able to stay healthy for long enough to surge up the charts. Thus, his current world ranking (43) underestimates his actual talent level.
Machac comes into the French Open in typical form. He’s had some impressive wins over Francisco Cerundolo, Sebastian Baez, and Stefanos Tsitsipas during the clay-court season, but he’s come up short against stiffer opponents like Andrey Rublev and Cam Norrie.
His most impressive recent display actually came in a loss. Machac is one of three players to take a set off Jannik Sinner during the latter’s current 30-match winning streak.
If Machac can find that level on Wednesday, he’ll have a real shot at unseating Zverev, who currently stands alone as “the best of the rest” behind Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
That said, the 29-year-old is prone to letdowns, most recently in the Round of 16 at the Rome Masters against Luciano Darderi. Unlike Sinner and Alcaraz, Zverev’s off nights aren’t a once-in-a-blue-moon ordeal. He’s human.
Machac’s fitness concerns are legit, but this match will be played at night under the lights on Court Philippe-Chatrier, which alleviates some of the doubts about the underdog.
And if Machac plays to his ceiling, he can absolutely put a scare into Zverev on Wednesday night.
The Play: Machac +1.5 sets (+130, FanDuel) | Machac moneyline (+500, FanDuel)
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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