Stan Wawrinka vs Bernabe Zapata Miralles Prediction & Betting Tips - Moselle Open

Prediction published on 06/11/2023, 10:15  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 06/11/2023 at 10:16 in Tennis Predictions

World number 51 Stan Wawrinka will take on 79th-ranked Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the opening round of the ATP Metz Open on Monday. The winner of this match will move on to face either Luca Van Assche or Botic van de Zandschulp in the next round. Wawrinka has had a steady year to date, improving his ranking from 150th at the start of the season to inside the top 50 at present. However, he has experienced a slight dip in form since reaching his only final of the year in Umag back in July. The Swiss has failed to get past the second round of any of his last five tournaments, including first-round exits in Basel and Paris ahead of this competition. Still, he has done well considering the injuries he has battled through over the last few years and has a positive record of 28-23 for the year and 8-6 on the hard court. The bookmakers make Wawrinka the favourite in this one.

Meanwhile, clay-court specialist Bernabe Zapata Miralles has struggled to find the same sort of form he has delivered on the dirt on the hard surface. He has only won two of 14 on the hard and indoor surfaces combined compared to his 20-13 record on the clay. The Spaniard has also failed to get past the first round of any of his last three hard-court tournaments, while last week, he withdrew in the second set at the Paris Masters through injury. Notably, that was his second consecutive withdrawal after pulling out of the Malaga Challenger event at the start of last month. Miralles has fallen over 30 places in ranking, down from 42nd at the start of March, and is the clear outsider in this match.