The Australian Open Round of 16 offers up a mouth-watering affair between two of the brightest stars in tennis as Jack Draper faces off against Carlos Alcaraz. Though both have kept form throughout this tournament, only one will find his place in the quarterfinals. The young powerhouse and British sensation Draper will be pitted against the Spanish sensation and World No. 3 Alcaraz. Given their history and contrasting styles, this is shaping up to be a high-energy clash.
Claim Your Welcome BonusJack Draper
Jack Draper is seeded ATP 18 and is in outstanding form after a thrilling five-set win in the third round over Aleksandar Vukic. The stats of the match underlined his explosive power-29 aces and strong 68% first-serve percentage. However, his toils on return, with only 21% first-serve return points won, hinted at areas of possible vulnerabilities. That grit and penchant for winning close encounters, like both of Draper's tiebreak wins against Vukic, will serve him well against Alcaraz.
Since his defeat of Alcaraz in their last meeting at the ATP 500 in London, the Brit has been growing in confidence. If he serves well and holds his nerve, Draper has tools with which to trouble the Spaniard.
Carlos Alcaraz
The No. 3 seed, Carlos Alcaraz is one of the favorites to lift the trophy in Melbourne. Alcaraz showed some brilliance and also some lapses in his mixed-bag, third-round win over Nuno Borges. Serving, Alcaraz was good at 62 percent first-serve success rate while saving 100 percent of break points against him. Returning, he took 36 percent of first-serve return points and broke five times.
Alcaraz physically is a fearsome opponent due to the way in which he covers the court, as well as his aggressive baseline playing. Spanish talent, despite going down in the third set against Borges, showed great mentality as he took charge in the fourth set. He will want to dominate Draper, capitalizing on his less consistent return of serve.
Expert Betting Tips
Over 32.5 Total Games @ 1.6 Odds on 1xbet:
Both competitors have shown a penchant for tight matches, and with Draper's great big serve combined with Alcaraz's never-stopping baseline game, expect this to be a tight contest with many sets.
Carlos Alcaraz to Win 3-1 @ 3.60 Odds on Betway:
Though Draper has the firepower to steal a set, the consistency of Alcaraz and his ability to perform in moments will make him the likely victor in four sets.
Jack Draper to Win a Set @ 1.61 Odds on Bet365:
The fact that Draper has a powerful serve and also defeated Alcaraz recently means he can at least steal a set against him, although he might not win the match.
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