Nikoloz Basilashvili vs Aslan Karatsev Prediction: Betting on Karatsev's Confident Victory

Aslan Karatsev in the first round of the Hamburg tournament will fight with No. 28, the Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili. The guys know each other well, and the latter has a big advantage. However, the bookmakers believe that the Georgian is the underdog in the pair, let's see if the bookies are right.

Nikoloz is not having the best time: he was accused of rigged matches and withdrew from the Bastad tournament after the first round fight against Gaston. By the way, Karatsev outplayed Hugo in the next round. The Georgian was quite active on the clay in 2022 but his stats hardly match his position in the world rankings. Considering that Karatsev has been winning lately, we doubt that bookmakers have been wrong in determining the favorite.

No matter what anyone says, Aslan is definitely gaining form. Sonego, Gaston - two victories in Bastad. The loss to Cerundolo was disappointing, but we should not forget that the Argentine eventually won the tournament in Sweden, beating his compatriot, Baez in the final two sets. At this particular moment, it's hardly worth judging the level of players by the rankings. There is a feeling that Karatsev is improving, and Basilashvili is just trying to stay afloat.

Aslan was very good on clay last season, so theoretically he can beat the Georgian in the upcoming meetings. Moreover, we doubt that the match will be long, taking into account Nikoloz's vulnerable morale.

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