ATP Daily Hitter: Young Guns Fucsovics and Marterer Square Off In Munich

ATP Daily Hitter: Young Guns Fucsovics and Marterer Square Off In Munich article feature image

We're back in action Friday after taking the day off on Thursday — and, boy, do we have a fun looking card in Estoril, Istanbul and Munich.

FIVE — count em, five — pick 'ems on tap, including some mouthwatering matchups from both a betting and watching perspective.

  • Simone Bolelli (-111) vs. Francis Tiafoe (-118)
  • Malek Jaziri (-115) vs. Jiri Veselý (+104)
  • Laslo Djere (-111) vs. Paolo Lorenzi (-118)
  • Philipp Kohlschreiber (-118) vs. Roberta Bautista-Agut (-111)
  • Márton Fucsovics (-118) vs. Maximillian Marterer (-111)

I'm tempted to go back to Bolelli — who came through for us on Wednesday — but the eclectic style of Tiafoe might break the Italian's rhythm from behind the baseline. I would've played Djere, but the Serbian seemed to struggle with a wrist injury in his last match against Seppi.

I also gave RBA a long look (as a dog), but Kohli has looked strong all week and will have the home crowd behind him. While there's certainly value with the World No. 14 against a player some-twenty spots below him in the rankings, I think I'll err on the side of caution and simply spectate.

That leads us into the fifth and final pick 'em on the card, where we will find our daily hitter for Friday.

YTD: 43-41 +10.43 units


Marton Fucsovics (-118) vs. Maximillian Marterer (-111)

Where: Munich, Germany
Surface: Clay
When: Not before 11 a.m. ET
H2H: Marterer leads 1-0

This match in Munich will showcase two young and relatively unproven (at the Tour level, at any rate) prospects with similar styles.

While Fucsovics sits higher in the rankings —  No. 61 vs. No. 73 — Marterer has put together a more impressive body of work on clay. Over the past three seasons at the Challenger level (where the pair have played most of their matches), Marterer owns a 30-11 record on clay, while Fucsovics is just 23-15.

After watching Marterer's match on Thursday against Schwartzman, I could clearly see the young German feels confident about his game and the conditions in Munich. He had his way with Schwartzman, one of the best clay-court defenders on the Tour.

Maxi picked his spots beautifully and fired off winners with great frequency. He also played well on the big points against the scrappy Schwartzman. The 22 year-old German saved all ten of the break points he faced.

On the other hand, I wasn't as impressed with Fucsovics' win on Thursday morning against Marco Cecchinato, who was coming off of a long week (and tournament win) in Budapest and a bloodbath first round match, against his at-times volatile compatriot Fabio Fognini. As a result, Fucsovics dismissed him with eased, capped off by a 31-minute 6-1 second set.

Ultimately, I think Marterer has a game better suited for clay. Fucsovics still relies on his power — and "bully ball" — which doesn't always translate well to the dirt. Marterer, on the other hand, constructs points with much more efficacy. If this match becomes a dogfight — which it should — I believe his point construction will help him outlast Fucsovics, especially on the bigger points. It also doesn't hurt that Marterer will have the home crowd on his side.

When these two met a couple months back in Miami — on a hard court — Marterer won at a similar price (+110). Their only other meeting came at the Challenger level (Wroclaw, 2015) and despite winning fewer games, Fucsovics found a way to pull out a tight victory: 3-6, 7-6, 7-6.

I'll happily take the German at this price in Munich on a court/surface that should suit his game more.

THE PICK: Maxi Marterer -111


Photo via Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

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