TENNIS: The inaugural United Cup continues into its third day of action, with some more familiar names pitting against each other in Groups A and D. We preview the best of the action below.
David Goffin vs Grigor Dimitrov – Saturday 03:15
Belgium will get their United Cup campaign underway when Alison Van Uytvanck faces off against Isabella Shinikova on Saturday. Following its conclusion, David Goffin and Grigor Dimitrov will lock horns in the RAC Arena in one of the most anticipated matchups of the tournament so far.
Goffin started his 2022 season on a strong note by winning his sixth career title on clay in Morocco. At Wimbledon, he recorded his best result at a Grand Slam for three years by reaching the quarter-finals, although he subsequently crashed out in the first round of his next five tournaments.
In September, Goffin stunned the number-one ranked Carlos Alcaraz in the opening round of the Astana Open, though he lost in the next round, showcasing his ability to compete at the top level. Sustaining that degree of quality will however be challenging against the fancied Dimitrov on Saturday.
The Bulgarian Dimitrov produced a thriller in his tournament opener against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Thursday but will be disappointed he was not able to get the job done against the Greek. As such, Bulgaria went down 4-1 losers against Greece in their first matchup.
For Dimitrov, refocusing will be extremely difficult, but he will be keen to get his country’s United Cup campaign up and running. For Goffin, this is his first fixture of the season, and he may be lacking in match sharpness, something Dimitrov will look to exploit. With that in mind, backing the Bulgarian to win at 1.5 looks a reasonable punt.
David Goffin vs Grigor Dimitrov markets
Rafael Nadal vs Cameron Norrie – Saturday 04:30
Our second matchup on Saturday sees 22-time major champion Rafael Nadal face off against world number 14 Cameron Norrie, with the Brits looking to build on a promising start to their United Cup campaign.
Nadal has won in straight sets in all four of their previous meetings, with the most recent of those fixtures coming in February’s Mexican Open. Despite a perfect record against his opponent, the Spaniard has seen his form suffer towards the end of 2022, and there will be belief in the British camp that Norrie can record his first-ever win against the world number two.
Nadal’s fitness and endurance seems to have taken an inevitable fall in recent months, alongside his first-serve effectiveness. The fact Norrie is also left-handed will negate that advantage Nadal has over him. The Brit will however need to start sharper than his most recent matchup against Alex de Minaur, where a flurry of unforced errors made the opening three games much harder than they should have been.
It’ll be a tough ask for the Brit, but we’re boldly backing Norrie to break his curse against Nadal and extend Great Britain’s encouraging start to their United Cup campaign. Norrie to win at 2.9 is the selection here.
