ATP Antwerp
Lotto Arena (Antwerp)
Round of 16
Surface: Hard
19.10.2022, 13:30
On Wednesday, October 19, British No. 2 Dan Evans will face France's Constant Lestienne in the second round of the 2022 European Open in Antwerp.
Claim Your Welcome Bonus!Daniel Evans
With the wounds from his disastrous defeat to Kecmanovic in Tokyo still apparent, Dan Evans knew there was only one way to completely eradicate them: win his first-round match in Antwerp.
And he did so against a hard opponent in Tallon Griekspoor, who has to be acknowledged is having his worst season this year. Evans stated after defeating the Dutchman that it was difficult to recover from wasting six match points in the previous defeat to Kecamnovic.
The British one-hander won in just over an hour and 20 minutes, breaking Griekspoor's serve in the sixth game of the first set after falling down 40-15. He went on to win a 6-3 clinical set.
The second set had its own jitters as Evans was put under pressure to hold many times, but he held firm to break the big server for the second time in the day to claim his 31st win of the season.
Constant Lestienne
Constant Lestienne is shown his abilities despite being a late development in this close season. On an indoor hard court, the 30-year-old won his 17th match, defeating young Dutchman Jesper De Jong in straight sets.
Lestienne had a career-high result in Tel Aviv at the start of October, reaching his first ATP semifinal and climbing to No. 61.
And he's not about to put down the gun in Antwerp, where he routinely outperformed De Jong. Lestienne didn't even need to alter gears as he smashed his opponent three times in 11 attempts.
He'll almost probably need to put up some impressive statistics behind his first serve against Evans. He was under pressure against De Jong, whose inexperience may have determined the outcome of the match.
Expert Betting Tips
Evans appears to be a good possibility to win his first Tour-level trophy this week. Lestienne has been on a roll recently, but this is no easy task for the British No. 2.
- Total Over 21.5 for 1.8
- Handiсap Daniel Evans (-3.5) for 1.81
- Individual Total 2 Under 11 for 1.85
Other predictions
