This week’s ATP Tennis action at Newport, Bastad and Umag is now down to the second round stage and the top four seeds at each tournament join the action now after receiving first round byes. At Newport top-seed Isner, second seed Karlovic (5/1), third seed Mannarino and fourth seed Herbert all feature today against qualifier Groth, Kudla, Kamke and Menendez-Maceiras respectively and I would advise hedging your bets if you’ve backed Karlovic, as he lost to Kudla here in 2011 at very short odds and more recently at the Madrid Masters in 2016.
At Bastad top-seed Carreno-Busta faces Kuznetsov, Ramos-Vinolas plays Monteiro and third seed Cuevas faces Laaksonen and I advised opposing Carreno-Busta, as he trails the head-to-head 4-1, including three defeats on clay. At Umag top-seed Goffin faces Hungarian qualifier Balazs, second seed Monfils faces Brazilian Dutra Silva, third seed Fognini plays Argentinian Kicker and fourth seed Lorenzi faces Bedene/Sousa.
It’s no surprise there’s already been quite a few upsets and favourites beaten in the first round at all three events; at Newport eighth seed Marchenko lost against American youngster Fratangelo and well fancied American youngsters Fritz and Kozlov both lost at short odds. At Bastad short priced favourites Lajovic, Bellucci and Mathieu all lost at short odds and at Umag fifth seed Simon lost against Cecchinato and seventh seed Paire lot against compatriot qualifier De Shepper. Other favourites to lose at Umag were Dzumhur, who lost against qualifier Balazs, Copil who lost against Wild Card Dodig and Istomin, who lost against 2016 surprise finalist Slovakian Martin.
All of my outright selections who played yesterday at Newport, Santillan (66/1) and Gojowczyk (40/1), at Bastad, Schwarzman (20/1) and at Umag, Vesely (25/1), Bedene (25/1) and Lucky Loser Rublev (price tbc) all made it through to the second round. All of these players will be in action again today, along with my other outright selections Karlovic (5/1) at Newport and Cuevas (7/1) at Bastad. Coric at Umag was a none-runner as he withdrew injured before the tournament started.
