Can Kohli stand up to the world No. 18?

With a smooth 3-0 win over Marco Cecchinato, 38-year-old veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber has made an excellent start to the 2022 Australian Open. In his 16th appearance in the men’s singles at the Grand Slam tournament down under, he made it to the second round for the 14th time, where he will now face a top-20 player in Roberto Bautista Agut.

The experienced Spaniard, who reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in 2019, also suffered a slight lull in the third set and played safe for long stretches in an unspectacular manner. Nevertheless, in the run-up to the duel between Roberto Bautista Agut and Philipp Kohlschreiber, the odds are clearly in favour of the Spaniard.

However, it could prove to be a mistake to prematurely write off the exceptional German sportsman, who is currently taking part in his 68th Grand Slam tournament and still has plenty of energy left in the tank. We see the greatest value in Roberto Bautista Agut against Philipp Kohlschreiber in the bet that Kohli will at least make it difficult for the Spaniard.

We do not expect a three-setter and recommend betting on 34.5 games.

Roberto Bautista Agut – Statistics & current form

Current ranking in the world: 18
Position in the seedings: 15

The 33-year-old Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut has not missed a single Australian Open event since his debut in 2012.

Although he has failed directly in the first round three times in his ten appearances in the men’s singles so far – including just last year. However, the No. 18 in the ATP world rankings has survived the first week of the tournament in one piece four times and even made it to the quarter-finals in 2019.

Won only two of the previous five duels against Kohlschreiber

While another good run by the Spaniard is by no means out of the question. In fact, the road to the second week of the tournament is very rocky for Roberto Bautista Agut. Taylor Fritz might be waiting in the third round before he could face a tournament favourite in Stefanos Tsitsipas in the round of 16.

Before that, however, the man from Castellon de la Plana first has to deal with Philipp Kohlschreiber, which is by no means a foregone conclusion. Although the world number 18 is the favourite with the bookmakers.

Very keen on safety in opening match

It should be noted that the Spaniard played unspectacularly safe in the first round against the Italian outsider Stefano Travaglia. Against this background, his first serve arrived 77% of the time. In the end, however, his opponent not only managed twice as many aces, but also almost three times as many winners.

It is clear that Roberto Bautista Agut could get into trouble with a purely safety-oriented game against the experienced German. If he wants to reach the third round, he will have to step out of his comfort zone to some extent.

Philipp Kohlschreiber – Statistics & current form

Current ranking in the world rankings: 134
Seeded position: unseeded

The 38-year-old German Philipp Kohlschreiber took more time off on the ATP Tour in the last two years.

It all seemed as if his long and successful career, which really began in the men’s singles at the 2003 US Open, was slowly but surely petering out. But his performance in the first round proved that he is still good for strong performances.

Scored on first serve 89% of the time

The Austrian by choice, who has been living in Kitzbühel for some time now, was superior to his opponent Marco Cecchinato in practically all respects. In the end, he won 3:0 with just two break points.

The recipe for success was certainly his serve, which was almost impossible for his opponent to defend. Kohli had no fewer than ten aces on his first serve, winning 58 out of 65 times and allowing his opponent only one break chance, which he defended with aplomb.

Little to be said for a short three-setter

Also with a view to the almost unbreakable service game, there is much to suggest that the 38-year-old athlete, who still wants to be on the court at least until the Wimbledon Championships, can also pose problems for his Spanish opponent in the second round.

Accordingly, there is a lot of value to be found in Roberto Bautista Agut’s tip against Philipp Kohlschreiber of over 34.5 games, especially as three of the five duels between the two players always went the full distance.

Roberto Bautista Agut – Philipp Kohlschreiber Direct comparison / H2H-balance

Head to head: 3:2

The two athletes have crossed rackets five times so far, with Philipp Kohlschreiber emerging victorious on three of the five occasions – including their last two clashes, dating back to the ATP Munich 2018 (2-0) and Madrid Masters 2018 (2-1).

Roberto Bautista Agut – Philipp Kohlschreiber Tip

When it comes to Roberto Bautista Agut against Philipp Kohlschreiber, the prediction generally goes to the Spaniard, who has been on court much more regularly in the last two years and is currently among the top 20 in the ATP world rankings. However, the 33-year-old has not won a title in more than three years, so there is little reason for Kohli to be awestruck in the run-up to the match.

If the German produces similarly strong figures on his own serve in the second round, he should at least be able to entangle the Spaniard in a long match and may also fancy his chances of advancing as an outsider.

We therefore recommend betting on more than 34.5 games, for which odds of 1.86 are available on Roberto Bautista Agut against Philipp Kohlschreiber.