Tennis Betting Picks – ATP Cologne 2 Final

25 October 2020

Last updated: 02 March 2021 at 8:05 am

Another day of ATP Tour championship matches has arrived. In the Cologne 2 tournament, German Alexander Zverev is looking for his second title in as many weeks in the German city. Opposing him in this final is Argentinian Diego Schwartzman. In this round of tennis betting picks, we look at the Cologne 2 final and decide is Zverev can outlast a tough opponent to complete the Cologne double.

Alexander Zverev vs. Diego Schwartzman

Sascha Zverev has had to grind his way through the draw in Cologne 2. He was taken to three sets by Jon Millman and Adrian Mannarino in his first two matches. Against Mannarino, Zverev was dealing with some leg issues, but managed to survive to reach the semifinals. In those semifinals, he defeated Jannik Sinner in straight sets, getting revenge on Sinner for beating him in this year’s Roland-Garros.

A huge contributor to Zverev having to navigate choppy waters to this final has been his propensity to pour in double faults. In three matches in Cologne 2, Zverev has aided his opponents with 25 double faults. Against an opponent like Diego Schwartzman, who doesn’t give away points for free as it is, giving away points via double faults could be troublesome for the German number one.

Diego Schwartzman’s path to the Cologne 2 final has been anything but easy as well. After beating qualifier Oscar Otte in straight sets, the Argentine needed three sets to beat Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Against Davidovich-Fokina, he came back from a set and double break deficit, and was fortunate his opponent fell apart for the comeback victory.

If Schwartzman wants to beat Zverev, he will need to get more out of his second serve points. Schwartzman has won 25 of 53 points on his second serve in his last two matches. Zverev has struggled in this area as well, winning under half of his second serve points as well. But Zverev’s groundstroke weapons can bail him out of adverse situations better than Schwartzman’s can, which will be a factor in this match.

It should also be noted that the schedule for these players next week varies greatly. Schwartzman is scheduled to take part in the 500 level tournament in Vienna, Austria next week as the number six seed. Zverev has no matches on his calendar for next week. That means that we could see Zverev more willing to push himself in this match, while Schwartzman has to save something for a more important tourney next week.

Expect nothing to come easy between these two, as Schwartzman thrives in an ugly match while Zverev’s serving issues can make any match a challenge. But Zverev appears to be getting over his physical issues and cleared a major mental hurdle by beating Sinner in the semifinals. His superior hitting gives him the edge and he should complete the Cologne double in style.

Pick: Alexander Zverev -1.5 sets (+131) over Diego Schwartzman

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Tennis Betting Picks FAQ

What kind of hard court is in Cologne?

The hard court in Cologne is laid upon a wood surface, which makes the ball travel slower than it would on a court set upon concrete. This tends to favor a player like Schwartzman, who thrives on clay. But Zverev is an elite clay court player as well, which takes away the edge that Schwartzman has had in his previous matches here.

Why is a 500 event more important than a 250?

The winner of an ATP 500 event gets 500 ranking points, which can help them rise up the rankings. A 250 event only yields 250 for the winner. So it stands to reason that players will care more about 500 level events, as they can benefit players more both from a rankings and financial standpoint.

What does it mean to lay 1.5 sets?

In a best of three tennis match, laying 1.5 sets when making tennis betting picks means that you are betting on a player to win in straight sets. In this match, we are predicting that Sascha Zverev will beat Diego Schwartzman in straight sets. Given their skill sets and their schedules for the upcoming week, Zverev has an advantage in this match.