Tennis fans will tell you that the Stefanos Tsitsipas experience is not for the faint of heart.
At times, the well-coiffed Greek can look unplayable, but far too often he looks like he’s lost the plot. Tsitsipas, once ranked No. 3 in the world, is now at No. 30, and has not won three matches in a row since March, when he followed up a title in Dubai with back-to-back victories in Indian Wells.
At the time of that streak, Tsitsipas was ranked No. 8 and looked like he was on the cusp of a resurgent season.
Instead, the 26-year-old won nine of his next 17 matches and is now in danger of losing his seeded status for the US Open.
ATP Toronto: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Christopher O’Connell
Tsitsipas’ off-court dramatics always follow him around, and things are quite noisy right now.
Not only is Tsitsipas’ high-profile romance with WTA star Paula Badosa over, he also abruptly split with his coach, Goran Ivanisevic, before the North American hard-court swing.
Perhaps this is the kind of jolt Tsitsipas needs to close out the year strong, but it’s hard not to get worried when there’s seemingly always something going on in his camp.
Tsitsipas remains one of the most talented players on the ATP Tour and can play an opponent like Christopher O’Connell off the court, but at the same time the Aussie is the exact type of foe that can be a thorn in the side of a hot-headed favorite.
O’Connell won’t cede an inch, knowing he just needs to hang around in the match as long as possible in order to give Tsitsipas the runway to unravel.
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O’Connell had a very disappointing campaign on the grass, but he’s never seemed comfortable on the surface and should be buoyant after a dominant win over Chun Hsin Tseng in Round 1 in Canada.
Tsitsipas could make quick work of O’Connell, but it’s more likely that this match has plenty of twists and turns.
The Play: Over 23.5 Games (bet365)
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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.
