The action continues in Indian Wells with the top seeds making their debut in the women’s main draw while the first round comes to an end on the men’s competition. Bookmakers Review breaks down the fixtures below and lists the best available odds from green listed bookmakers.
ATP Indian Wells – Giraldo vs.Struff
The last months haven’t been easy for Santiago Giraldo with the Colombian currently outside the top 100. However, the former world no.28 seems determined to return to his best level. Due to his low ranking, Giraldo had to play the qualifying stage in Indian Wells with Santiago featuring two good victories over Michael Mmoh and Norbert Gombos. Known for his outstanding return to serve, Giraldo won 32.0% of his opponents’ service games in the qualifying rounds.
Despite his undeniable talent, Jan-Lennard Struff always failed to meet the expectations. Besides his inability to perform at a consistent level, Struff is also famous for his lack of mental strength. Even though Struff can easily adjust to any surface, the German presents terrible numbers on Hard Court with a poor 44.44% winning record while his overall record on the other surfaces is 57.56%.
As we mentioned in previous articles, the conditions in Indian Wells are far from easy with the ball bouncing extremely high. Therefore, playing the qualifying can be a huge advantage in the opening round. With this in mind, there is clear value on Giraldo to win this match with the Colombian available at 6/5 at Pinnacle while William Hill offers 4/5 for Struff’s victory. For those who want to take a safer line, Santiago’s +1.5 Set Handicap at 51/100 at Pinnacle is also a great approach due to Jan-Lennard’s inconsistency.
WTA Indian Wells – Pliskova vs. Puig
After reaching the semi-finals last season in Indian Wells, Karolina Pliskova is trying to go a step further on this year’s edition of the BNP Paribas Open. With only two defeats in 17 matches, Pliskova is looking for her 3rd title in 2017 after lifting the trophy in Brisbane and Doha. The high bouncing conditions in Californian desert clearly suit Karolina’s game style with the Czech firing her powerful groundstrokes at a perfect height.
Monica Puig couldn’t ask for a better start in Indian Wells with the Puerto Rican dropping only two games in the opening round against the American wild card – Danielle Collins. Despite a slow start – with only one victory in the first three tournaments – Puig clearly raised her level in recent weeks, winning 72.73% of the matches played since the Australian Open.
This will be the 4th career meeting between these two players with Pliskova winning all their previous encounters in straight sets.
Despite Puig’s recent improvements, it’s unlikely to see the 2016 Olympic gold medallist emerging victorious from this match. As the h2h suggests, Karolina clearly holds the edge over this opponent with Monica still trying to win a set against this opponent. Adding to this, Pliskova is playing her best tennis ever and as we mentioned before, the courts in Indian Wells favour her tennis. With this in mind, Pliskova is the undeniable favourite to win this match at 9/25 at Pinnacle while Puig is available at 5/2 at William Hill. Besides Karolina’s moneyline, her -4.0 game handicap at 43/50 at Pinnacle is also a good line to take on this contest.
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