Koepfer with defeat in comeback?

The European Open 2023 opens its doors! For the opener Nuno Borges meets Dominik Koepfer – get tips and odds with us. The German celebrates his comeback in the match after a long injury break.

The last time he stood on the court was in August this year at the US Open. Back then, he faced none other than last year’s winner Carlos Alcatraz and the biggest match of his career so far came to an abrupt end.

Due to an injury in the second set, the player from the Black Forest had to retire without a fight. But now he is back and wants to attack again towards the end of the season. However, his Portuguese opponent is in a stable condition and ranks 74th in the world rankings, slightly better than the professional from Furtwangen, who is currently 78th.

In the showdown in the Lotto Arena between Nuno Borges and Dominik Koepfer, the forecast is also aiming for a win for the southern European.

Nuno Borges – statistics & current form

The professional from Maia already won two Challenger tournaments this year. Both triumphs were on hard court and thus on the surface that is now also used in Antwerp. He beat Croatian Borny Gojo in Monterrey, Mexico, in February and Russian Alexander Shevchenko in Phoenix, USA, the following month.

He has also been in good form recently: Nuno Borges reached the final of the Shenzhen 2 Challenger tournament last week. Although he lost to Aleksandar Kovacevic from the USA, it was only by a very narrow margin. Both lost sets against the number 112 in the world rankings were only decided after a tiebreak.

Will Borges prevail without losing a set?

On his way to the final, he did not lose a single set in four appearances and thus acted reliably, especially on his own service. Given his recent stable form, betting odds on him to win in two sets in the duel between Nuno Borges and Dominik Koepfer are also recommended.

Dominik Koepfer – Statistics & current form

Like his opponent, the German from the Black Forest has yet to triumph on the ATP Tour, but he also has four Challenger victories to his name. The German, whose highest ranking to date was 50th in 2021, also recorded at least one tournament win on hard court with victory in Calgary in November of the previous year.

In addition, 2023 was quite successful until his injury. For example, he won the Challenger tournaments in Mexico City and Turin. On the other hand, both competitions took place on clay, while the current tournament at the Scheldt is now played on hard court.

No decision in tiebreak?

On top it is to be expected that the number 78 of the world ranking list still needs some time after his injury break due to the mentioned injury at the opening match of this year’s US Open before he approaches his performance maximum again. Against this background, the forecast of no tiebreak in Nuno Borges’ match against Dominik Koepfer seems to be worth considering.

Instead, it seems likely that the Portuguese will win the match without a tiebreak due to his opponent’s lack of competitive experience and his recent good form. Playable is the additional forecast, for example, at Bet-at-home.

Nuno Borges – Dominik Koepfer Direct comparison / H2H balance

The right-hander from Portugal and left-hander from Germany have not faced each other yet. The match between Nuno Borges and Dominik Koepfer is therefore celebrating its premiere. The betting odds slightly favor the professional from the Iberian Peninsula.

Nuno Borges – Dominik Koepfer Tip

The European Open will be played for the eighth time and besides Koepfer there are two other German players in the field, Hanfmann and Struff. However, the prospects of the compatriots of the professional from the Black Forest can be described as better.

Koepfer is returning after an injury break of several weeks, which means he lacks competitive practice. Moreover, his counterpart recently performed well in the final of the Tournament Shenzhen 2 a few days ago. The strong performances at this tournament have also undoubtedly boosted the Portuguese’s self-confidence.

For the battle between Nuno Borges and Dominik, the prediction is that he will win. This is also supported by the fact that he can be described as a better hard court player compared to the German.

His last two victories on the Challenger Tour this year were both on this surface, while Koepfer has also recorded two of these triumphs in the current calendar year, but both on clay.