Not a setback for the underdog?
French Open number 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz will face Taro Daniel. What’s the betting pool’s tip? The Spanish favourite has already shown no mercy in his first appearance against the Italian Cobolli.
The 20-year-old won 3:0 without any problems and lived up to his expectations. His Japanese opponent, however, also recorded a 3-0 opening victory over Australian O’Connell, although his opponent is ranked a whopping 35 places higher in the world rankings.
For the upcoming clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Taro Daniel, the prediction is that the underdog will have won at least no more than ten games less by the end of the encounter.
Carlos Alcaraz – Statistics & current form
The Iberian can be satisfied with the way the clay court season has gone so far. In February, he won the ATP tournament in Buenos Aires and last April he repeated his win from last year in Barcelona. This was followed by a triumph in Madrid this month, when Alcaraz prevailed over German rising star Jan-Lennard Struff.
At the French Open, however, the youngster’s record is still capable of improvement. In his first appearance in 2021, the youngest number 1 in the history of the world rankings reached the third round and last year the quarter-finals.
Spanish tops seedings list
But with the cancellation of the defending champion and record champion at Roland Garros, his compatriot Rafael Nadal, he now assumes no less than the role of the top seed. Given his performances on clay so far this year, it’s fair to say that he deserves the honour.
Taro Daniel – Statistics & current form
The Japanese right-hander feels particularly comfortable on clay. His only victory on the ATP Tour so far came in Istanbul in May 2018. Taro Daniel has also won four of his seven Challenger matches on clay.
His greater experience at the French Open also speaks in his favour. While Alcaraz is only playing in Paris for the third time, Daniel has already made ten appearances, including the current edition of the tournament. On the other hand, his record is meagre. Only in 2016 and 2017 was Daniel able to reach at least the second round of the French Open, as he is doing now.
Daniel convinced on his debut into the tournament
His entry into the French Open, however, can be described as strong. He not only won 3-0 against Aussie Christopher O’Connell, who is clearly higher in the world rankings, but also gave his opponent a real lesson with a 6-0 win in the first set.
Daniel was convincing at the net, where he won 12 of 13 points and only 13 unforced errors. Against the background of his convincing performance, the forecast and betting odds on at least a tie-break in the duel between Carlos Alcaraz are also worth considering.
This is also supported by the fact that Alcaraz only narrowly missed a tie-break in the third set with 7:5 in his match against Cobolli in the first round. Bet365 offers betting odds for the prediction.
Will the underdog win at least one set?
In the clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Taro Daniel, bets and odds on the underdog to win the set seem even more profitable. The Spanish favourite recently looked vulnerable before the French Open. In his dress rehearsal at the Rome Masters, he was knocked out of the competition in the second round, although he was only up against the 115th ranked Hungarian Fabian Marozsán.
Carlos Alcaraz – Taro Daniel Direct comparison / H2H record
Carlos Alcaraz Taro Daniel have only faced each other once before. The duel also took place on clay and took place around two years ago at the Challenger tournament Oeiras 3 in Portugal. The semi-final ended in a 2-1 victory for the Spaniard, who went on to win the final against Bagnis from Argentina.
Carlos Alcaraz – Taro Daniel Tip
Of course, Alcaraz is the heavy favourite in the match against Daniel. Last year’s US Open winner has already won three clay court tournaments on the ATP Tour this year.
For the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Taro Daniel, however, bets and odds suggest that the Japanese opponent will have no more than ten games less at the end of the match. The underdog feels particularly comfortable on clay and will be extra motivated against the number 1 seed at this year’s French Open.
His emphatic opening win further indicated that he is unlikely to be a mere extra for an emphatic success for the Iberian. Alcaraz, for his part, already had problems in the first round, at least in the last set against Italy’s Cobolli, committing, among other things, the high number of 30 “unforced errors”.
In addition, he was knocked out in the second round of the recent Rome Masters, which is why his form has diminished recently after his interim high with two successive victories in Madrid and Barcelona.
