Bernabe Zapata Miralles vs Constant Lestienne Prediction & Betting Tips - Open Sud de France

Prediction published on 28/01/2024, 11:28  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 31/01/2024 at 01:35 in Tennis Predictions

Two unseeded players meet in the first round of the Open Sud de France. Constant Lestienne takes on Bernabe Zapata Miralles with the winner up against either eighth seed Gael Monfils or unseeded Flavio Cobolli. Lestienne is 106th in the live rankings and was beaten in the first round of the recently finished Australian Open. He took on the 23rd seed Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina and was beaten in straight sets. The French player has won two of his six matches played this year. One win came in a Challenger Tour event, the other in the first qualifying round of the ASB Classic in Auckland. After his early exit in the first Grand Slam of the year, Lestienne played the Challenger Tour event in Quimper but lost to Billy Harris in straight sets, both decided by a tie-break. He's lost his one previous match against Miralles but that was played on clay.

That's the best surface for Miralles and he won 20 matches on clay last year compared to just two out of 15 on hard courts. The Spaniard is 80th in the live rankings but of course his being higher than Lestienne is down to his clay court results. He began this year playing the Adelaide International where he won one qualifier but then lost to Adam Walton. Miralles was reinstated as a lucky loser but then lost to Matteo Arnaldi in round one. In the Australian Open he was beaten in the first round by Jiri Lehecka only winning eight games in his straight sets defeat. We go for Lestienne to get the win in this match.