Aslan Karatsev vs Hugo Gaston Prediction: Aslan to secure 2nd win in a row

Aslan Karatsev will face Hugo Gaston in the second round. The two men played each other on the hard court of Pau in 2020 and the match ended with a 2-1 win for the Frenchman. Now Aslan has a good chance to take revenge.

In the match against Sonego, Aslan showed that the break and return to the clay court has benefited the world No. 40. Karatsev defeated Lorenzo Sonego in the first round of the Bastad tournament in three sets although he was initially considered the big outsider of the pair. The match lasted two hours and 22 minutes, 6-0, 2-6, 6-4. Karatsev did not have any aces and won 55% of his first-serve points and 65% of his second-serve points. On the receiving end, he was 39% on the first serve and 53% on the second serve. If Karatsev corrects his first serve, he will pose a serious threat even to top players.

Hugo Gaston's performance on the grass part of the season was not memorable. Hugo played in three tournaments, including Wimbledon, where he beat Popyrin but lost to Sonego. But at Roland Garros, the Frenchman was remembered for reaching the third round, knocking out De Minaur. However, before that, Gaston lost five consecutive tournaments on the clay court. In Bastad, Gaston played an incomplete match against Basilashvili, 7-6, 3-0. Hugo served five aces and two doubles, winning 67% of his first serve points and 53% of his second serve points. On the receiving end, he has 37%/59%.

Karatsev still lacks stability. However, in his match against Sonego, Aslan composed and made good plays at the right moments. The good thing for Karatsev is that he finally got his second serve going. However, not everything was good on the first serve. Still, he could improve it if need be. Gaston beat Basilashvili, not the weakest opponent, but it was obvious that the Georgian had problems. No wonder Nikoloz didn't finish the game. So we wouldn't put too much weight on this win for Hugo. But it wouldn't hurt to remind you how Gaston failed in the clay court part of the season. We believe that Karatsev will win today, but it's unlikely in two sets, considering his instability during the match. Here are the betting options for the game:

W1 for 1.80 at Bet365;

Sets TO (2.5) for 2.60 at 1xbet;

Correct Score 2-1 for 4.50 at 22bet.

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