Matteo Arnaldi vs Aslan Karatsev Prediction: Bookmakers are on the side of the Italian

In the first round of the tennis tournament in Zhuhai, China, world No. 48 Matteo Arnaldi will face ATP No. 63 Aslan Karatsev. The guys have not crossed paths before, and bookmakers are on the side of the Italian, who played well at the recent US Open.

In New York, Arnaldi reached the round of 16, eventually losing to world number one Carlos Alcaros and knocking out Kubler, Fils, and Norrie. After the Majors, Matteo played two Davis Cup matches, beating Chile's Garin and Sweden's Borg. With five wins in his last six matches and only one loss to a top Spaniard, Matteo is in good form.

Unlike Arnaldi, Aslan Karatsev has not played at an official level since the US Open. In New York, Karatsev was stronger than Czech Lehecka and Spaniard Carballes Baena, losing in the third round to American Shelton, essentially the tournament opener. Before the Majors, Aslan failed at the Toronto and Cincinnati Masters, losing to both McDonald and Housler in two games.

According to statistics, the Italian has a better current tone, and Arnaldi will have a better game practice than Karatsev. So, in this pair, we agree with the bookmakers, who consider the Italian a slight favorite. At the same time, we doubt that Karatsev will just give up the match, and there is hardly a big difference in class between the opponents. We won't be surprised if the match turns out to be long, and the winner will be decided in the third set.