The matchups just get tighter and tighter at the 2015 Australian Open. No. 9 seed David Ferrer faces No. 18 seed Gilles Simon in the third round of the tournament on Saturday, and with their contrasting styles of play, we may be in for an entertaining contest between two of the top tennis players in the world. Read on as we give you everything you’ll need to know heading into this intriguing matchup.
Want to take a peek at how the men’s draw will play out? Then check out our complete preview of the Novak Djokovic vs. Fernando Verdasco third round match.
David Ferrer is into the third round of the Australian Open after dispatching Sergiy Stakhovsky 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday.
[sc:Other240banner ]The Spaniard faces Gilles Simon next in the third round of the tournament. Ferrer is 5-2 in his seven career matches against the Frenchman. However, he dropped their latest match on hard court 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 at the 2014 U.S. Open.
Ferrer excels in the return game. He has won 54 first serve receiving points (eighth in the tournament) as well as 13 break points at the Australian Open, just three shy of the tournament-high 16 set by Marcos Baghdatis.
The World No. 9 has had the most success at the Australian Open among the four Grand Slam tournaments. He has reached at least the quarterfinal round in the past four years.
Betting on Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon has been dominant in this year’s Australian Open. He won his first round match against Robin Haase in straight sets before defeating Marcel Granollers 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-4 in the second round.
While Ferrer has excelled on the return, Simon has been dominant with his service game at Brisbane. He ranks eighth in the Australian Open, winning 84 percent of his first serve points.
Still, Simon struggled with his serve against the excellent return game of Ferrer in their last matchup. He won only 66 percent of first serve points, but made up for it by going 7-for-9 in break point opportunities.
Simon may be better equipped to deal with Ferrer’s return and volley game in this match. He has played in two of the top three longest rallies (34 and 33 against Granollers) at this year’s Australian Open, winning both.
Writer’s Prediction
Ferrer takes a four-set victory. Create a betting account now and get a grand slam of your own by betting on the Australian Open.
