Temuco Challenger 1/16-Finals
Villanueva – Habib: Time TBA
H2H: first meeting
Gonzalo Villanueva has won three of his last five matches. Last week in Sao Paulo, Gonzalo successfully qualified for the main draw tournament. However, in the opening main draw round, Villanueva lost against Torres in straight sets. Gonzalo hopes for a solid result this week to cement his top 400 status. So far this season, Gonzalo has not been consistent enough, so he is outside the top 300. He also played only three hard-court matches this season and holds a winning 2-1 record.
Hady Habib has won three of his last five matches. Habib reached the quarterfinals last week in Sao Paulo, where Tirante stopped him in three tight sets. Habib served well throughout the whole match but made some bad decisions under pressure, which is the main reason why he lost that quarterfinal match. So far this season, Habib has had his biggest results on the clay courts. He seeks a solid result this week to cement his top 300 status.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Habib is the big favorite in this matchup, and we agree. Gonzalo has never had any success on the hard courts. We believe that Hady will dominate this match from the start until the end and win comfortably in straight sets.
That being said, Habib winning in straight sets is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Hady Habib winning 2-0 @1.80 @bet365
Ugo Carabelli – Torres: Time TBA
H2H: 1-2
Camilo Ugo Carabelli has won three of his last five matches. Last week in Montevideo, Ugo reached the semifinals, where Boyer stopped him in straight sets. The tournament was played on clay courts. Ugo needs to transition to the hard court here in Temuco. So far this season, Camilo had his biggest results on the slow clay courts. He spent most of this season playing at the Challenger tour level. He lost four straight matches on the hard courts. His last win was at the beginning of the season in the qualifying tournament of the Australian Open.
Juan Bautista Torres has lost three of his last five matches. Last week in Sao Paulo, Torres reached the 1/8-Finals, where he lost against Tirante in straight sets. It was also his first hard-court tournament of the season. Unlike Ugo Carabelli, Torres played on the hard court, so we expect him to be ready for this match. Torres also had his most significant results on the clay courts. He rarely played on the hard courts in his career.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, this should be an almost 50-50 match. Both players rarely played on this surface. However, we believe that Torres will be better prepared for this matchup, considering he played last week under similar conditions.
That being said, Torres winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Juan Bautista Torres winning @2.10 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
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