France's Hugo Gaston will meet Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the semis of the ATP 250 event here in Antwerp. Facing each other for the first time, the playing styles are in contrast to each other, pitting the flair and variation of Gaston against the relentless baseline consistency of Bautista Agut. Both coming through in three hard-fought sets, they stage an even more scorching battle for a spot in the final. Bautista Agut comes in with better ranking and form, while Gaston arrives as a player in momentum after his gritty win against Alex de Minaur.
Grab Welcome BonusHugo Gaston
Coming into Antwerp, Gaston had won only three of his last ten matches, a semifinal he has reached on the back of a three-match winning streak. The recent win against Alex de Minaur showed more grit as he was able to convert the key break points and outsmart his opponent.
Gaston lives for variety, dropping shots, lobs, and angled groundstrokes to throw his opponents off balance. Indeed, he will try to mix things well in the match against Bautista Agut, keeping him off his rhythm and pace, coming to the net where possible. First serve percentage was respectable at 65%, with winning 57% of second-serve return points against de Minaur being what mattered. Gaston must capitalize on all mid-court balls to prevent long rallies, where Bautista Agut is most proficient.
Roberto Bautista Agut
In contrast, Bautista Agut has won eight of his last ten matches, and came into this tie after an exhausting victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime. Adding his experience to his physical strength puts him as a strong contender in this match.
Agut would look back to his usual consistency, trying to grind out the points from the baseline by hitting deep and with more penetrating groundstrokes. This will be important in retrieving shot after shot and forcing the error from Gaston. Agut would want to keep the percentage of first serves high, up at 67%, dictating rallies, especially off Gaston's weaker second serve. His 66% break point save percentage against Auger-Aliassime really showed his grit in clutch situations, a trait that will once again be put to the test in this semifinal.
Expert Betting Tips
While Hugo Gaston's recent win over de Minaur in three sets showed tenacity, his clever shot-making, his 3-7 record in the last ten matches hints at inconsistency. Much of this fortunes depends on how well he can knock Bautista Agut out of rhythm with variety and end up taking control of the rally early on. On the other hand, Bautista Agut is in a resurgence of form, having posted an 8-2 record over his last ten. His victory over Auger-Aliassime showed that he could take the pressure and wear out better-ranked players in grueling exchanges of strokes.
Gaston's lower first serve percentage of 65% can be a cause for concern against Bautista Agut, who does very well in punishing the weaker serves. His ability to return well, most especially on second serves with 55% return points won, might give him the edge in this match. However, Gaston could very well give Bautista Agut some problems with his aggressive return game if he is able to apply the pressure early.
- Roberto Bautista Agut + Over 19.5 Games @ 2.18 Odds
- Over 22.5 Games @ 1.90 Odds
- Roberto Bautista Agut Wins 2-1 @ 3.50 Odds
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