Will Otte get the upper hand in the German duel?

A year ago Dominik Koepfer failed in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships against the Colombian Daniel Elahi Galán with 0:3. Now this year it could theoretically come to revenge, because the Colombian, who has to deal with Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round, beckons as an opponent in the second round.

However, according to the bookmakers, it is not too likely that the German first-round duel between Dominik Koepfer and Oscar Otte will result in the Furtwangen professional advancing.

Neither player has faced each other in a singles match rated on the ATP Tour. Nevertheless, they are old acquaintances. In 2020, they met in the qualifying round of an indoor hard court tournament in Cologne, where local hero Oscar Otte left little to be desired. The Cologne player won with a commanding 2:0 (6:1 and 6:2). Accordingly, our prediction for Dominik Koepfer against Oscar Otte is that the Cologne player will advance.
Oscar Otte has only played in the men’s singles at the Wimbledon Championships twice in his career. However, he has not yet failed in the first round. In 2021, he made his debut in the second round. Last year, the Cologne native even reached round three. That results in three wins from five singles matches and an impressive win rate of 60%. Accordingly, we see Oscar Otte at an advantage.

However, Dominik Koepfer should not be written off prematurely. Nevertheless, we think it is a very good bet that Oscar Otte will win the first set and take a 1:0 lead.

Dominik Koepfer – Statistics & current form

Current ranking in the world rankings: 86
Position in the seedings: unseeded

The 29-year-old German Dominik Koepfer only became a professional tennis player at the age of 21 for the 2016 season. In the 2021 season, the Furtwangen native worked his way into the top 50 of the ATP world rankings for the first time in his career.

However, Dominik Koepfer has not yet won a tournament on the ATP Tour. In fact, he has only played 85 singles matches on the ATP Tour, of which he has only managed to win 37 (48 losses).

Four Challenger Tournament Finals Reached in 2023

The last time Dominik Koepfer played a rated singles match on the ATP Tour was in August 2022. He now faces his first rated singles on the ATP Tour in 2023 at Wimbledon, which has been a little better so far.

On 1 April this year, the Furtwangen professional celebrated a tournament victory at a Challenger tournament in Mexico City, which he was even able to confirm seven weeks later in Turin. In San Luis Potosi and Prague, the German also reached two other finals of ATP Challenger Tour tournaments, which he lost, however.

The competition at the highest level is missing

Now Dominik Koepfer returns to the Wimbledon Championships, where he bowed out of the first round for the first time in his career a year ago. Before that, he made his debut at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in the second round in 2019 and as high as the third round in 2021.

However, with an eye on the fact that he lacks competition at the highest level – in 2023 Koepfer did not beat any player ranked higher than 94th in the ATP World Rankings – the 29-year-old now faces a tough task. Against this background, Dominik Koepfer’s betting on his entry into the second round against Oscar Otte is not under a good star.

Oscar Otte – Statistics & current form

Current world ranking: 230
Seeded List Position: Qualifier

The 29-year-old German Oscar Otte had to go through qualifying in a complicated year so far in 2023, in which he did not get past the second round in any major tournament and also noticeably plummeted in the ATP world rankings in other respects due to meagre results.

Just like compatriot Maximilian Marterer, however, Oscar Otte won three games in the qualifying round and entered the main draw of the Wimbledon Championships for the third time in his career after defeating Benoît Paire, Leandro Riedi and Marc Polmans.

Winning percentage of 60% in the men’s singles at Wimbledon

So far, things have gone very well for the Cologne native at the only Grand Slam tournament played on grass, who reached the second round of Wimbledon in 2021 and even the third round in 2022. Oscar Otte has thus won three of his previous five singles matches in the men’s singles at the London Grand Slam, which corresponds to a win rate of 60%.

Now, too, the betting providers see the Cologne-based player as the favourite in this German opening match. In the run-up to the match between Dominik Koepfer and Oscar Otte, the odds are swinging in the direction of the man from Cologne, who has slipped to 230th place in the ATP world rankings but still has the potential to reach the top 50.

Otte lacks consistency in the New Year

It has to be said, however, that Oscar Otte has rarely been able to fulfil his potential in 2023. In addition to some appearances on the ATP Challenger Tour, the player from Cologne also played 18 rated singles matches on the ATP Tour. However, he has won just five of these 18 matches.

The German was able to convince at the Indian Wells Masters, when he eliminated Laslo Djere (ATP 54) in round one with a straight 2:0 (6:3 and 7:5). However, he was defeated by the Serbian player 2-0 in the first round on grass at the preparatory tournament in Halle the week before last, which underlines the fact that he lacks consistency in 2023.

Dominik Koepfer – Oscar Otte Direct comparison / H2H record

Head to head: 0:0

Never before has there been a rated singles match between Dominik Koepfer and Oscar Otte on the ATP Tour. So far, the two players have only faced each other in a tournament in Cologne on indoor hard court in autumn 2020. Local hero Oscar Otte was able to win smoothly in two sets with 2:0 (6:1 and 6:2).

Dominik Koepfer – Oscar Otte Tip

In the case of Dominik Koepfer against Oscar Otte, our prediction basically goes to the Cologne player, who has won the only duel so far – a meeting in the qualifying for an indoor hard court tournament in Cologne that does not count towards the ATP Tour ranking – outright 2:0 (6:1 and 6:2). Oscar Otte also brings with him the better record at the Wimbledon Championships, where he won three of his five singles matches (60%). The three matches in the qualifiers have also warmed up the Cologne player, while Dominik Koepfer will have to make a cold start at the tennis tournament in London.

Generally, Dominik Koepfer is difficult to assess due to his long absence from the ATP Tour, as the tennis pro from Furtwangen recorded quite a few successes on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2023. Nevertheless, we think Oscar Otte has the better chances and bet that the Cologne player will win the first set in this German first round duel.