Free tennis betting preview and tips: Andy Schooler previews ATP Tour's Generali Open

Recommended bets

2pts win Guido Pella at 8/1

0.5pt e.w. Juan Ignacio Londero at 25/1

0.5pt e.w. Joao Sousa at 33/1

Generali Open

• Kitzbuhel, Austria (outdoor clay)

The rejigging of the ATP Tour calendar has resulted in Kitzbuhel’s Generali Open being moved to a new slot – and it will get under way in the Austrian Alps on Tuesday.

You’ll probably realise that this is also the second week of the ongoing US Open so it could well go under the radar somewhat.

That’s a little unfair on the ‘250’ level event given its new place in the calendar has resulted in its strongest field for some time - the eight seeds are all ranked in the world’s top 41.

With players desperate for matches on clay ahead of the French Open which will begin at the end of the month – not to mention the chance to win points and prize money – most of those in the draw have hot-footed it to Europe after losing early in New York.

However, what that also means is that many are playing on clay despite it being a tricky surface for them.

It looks a good week to get with a clay specialist but another attribute I’m seeking in a potential winner is a proven record at altitude.

Kitzbuhel is more than 700m above sea level so the balls will fly through the thin air. Controlling them can be an issue for some players and certainly conditions will be much different to those found in New York.

Top seed Fabio Fognini has performed at altitude before but I’m quick to put a line through the Italian’s name.

This will be his first event back following surgery on both ankles at the end of May. I can rarely bring myself to back the combustible Italian at a short price and this week he’s a definite no-go for me at 4/1.

Instead I’ll take him on in the top half with 8/1 shot GUIDO PELLA, the Argentine who has really delivered on clay in the last couple of years.

He had a miserable time in New York – forced to quarantine and miss the Western and Southern Open after his physio tested positive for COVID-19, before losing in round one of the US Open.

He’ll therefore be raring to kickstart his season and a return to his favourite surface will be greatly welcomed.

Pella won last season in Sao Paulo, the Brazilian city at a very similar altitude to Kitzbuhel.

He’s also been to finals in Cordoba and Munich and while neither city is as high up as this venue, they are both significantly above sea level.

Add in the fact he beat Daniil Medvedev in Madrid last season and you have a player who has shown he’s more than capable of dealing with these testing conditions.

Pella is in the top quarter but I also like his compatriot JUAN IGNACIO LONDERO in the second quarter where the seeds are Nikoloz Basilashvili, whose poor form continued in the US, and Kei Nishikori, who will be playing his first tournament in more than a year following yet another injury.

Londero, who beat Pella in that Cordoba final last year, looks a big price at 25/1 given the question marks over his rivals in this section.

He won’t have complained too much about beating Evgeny Donskoy and losing in five sets to Borna Coric, who has since gone on to reach the last eight, at the US Open.

Those efforts in New York provide a decent platform for a return to his favoured clay and he should go well.

The bottom half of the draw is led by Diego Schwartzman, who missed a good chance at the US Open when blowing a two-set lead in a first-round loss to Cameron Norrie.

He has a chance to make amends here but a potential opener against local wild card Sebastian Ofner, who has been playing on clay for the last month on the Challenger Tour, wouldn’t be easy.

Neither would a clash with either rising star Jannik Sinner or two-time winner Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarter-finals.

Kohlschreiber, who lives in Kitzbuhel, has always been a threat here but age has been catching up with him of late and I can resist an interest at 25/1 on this occasion.

Instead, let’s look to the weaker third quarter where JOAO SOUSA could go well at a decent price.

His only previous visit to Kitzbuhel saw him finish runner-up (in 2017), while there are other decent altitude performances on his CV, including another final in Geneva (2015), a quarter-final in Madrid (2016) and a semi-final in Sao Paulo (2017).

He’ll face fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz but he looked far from his best in New York.

Sousa, a 33/1 chance, won their only previous meeting last year (admittedly on grass) which could come in handy.

Dusan Lajovic is the man seeded to reach the last four in this part of the draw but he’s another who hasn’t looked great for some time, suffering a string of exhibition defeats during the tour’s shutdown and failing to win a match on his trip to the US.

Posted at 2035 BST on 07/09/20

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