He may not be well known outside of tennis circles, but few players in the sport provide more bang-for-your-buck than the mercurial Corentin Moutet.
The fiery Frenchman is known for a hot temper and off-court antics, but he’s also turned himself into a terrific player over the past two years. Moutet is now ranked 32nd in the world, and he is the 30th seed in the upcoming French Open.
He’ll open with a match against Vit Kopriva in Round 1.
Moutet vs. Kopriva odds, prediction
This is a battle of opposites.
While Moutet plays with emotion and relies on crafty shot-making to make up for his lack of physical tools, Kopriva is a level-headed journeyman who is happy to sit on the baseline and frustrate his opponents with his ability to absorb pressure and sustain rallies.
That approach should work against Moutet, as the Frenchman simply doesn’t have the power to overwhelm the Czech, especially on the dirt. Instead, Moutet will need to rely on his old tricks to get an advantage on Kopriva, but I don’t envision the underdog being susceptible to the dark arts.
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Instead, I expect Kopriva to stick to the script and allow Moutet, an easily frustrated opponent, to become disengaged as he is forced into long rallies. He’ll have plenty of time to accomplish this, as this is a best-of-5 set encounter. That gives Moutet plenty of runway to lose his cool.
And while Moutet may have the French crowd backing him, he does come into the French Open riding a four-match losing streak, including two defeats to players ranked outside the top 100, and boasting a 3-6 record during the clay swing.
Kopriva is in better form, and he’s got the stylistic advantage for this match. This is a great price.
The Play: Kopriva moneyline (+146, FanDuel)
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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.
