Novak Djokovic will face Roberto Bautista Agut in the Western & Southern Open semifinals
Photo from @DjokerNole (Twitter).
- World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will face Roberto Bautista Agut in the Western & Southern Open semifinals Thursday at 3:00pm ET
- This will be the 12th matchup between the two players
- Bautista Agut is coming off one of an upset of Daniil Medvedev
Novak Djokovic tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this summer, decided only a week prior to the Western & Southern Open that he was going to participate, and has dominated the tournament thus far. Prior to the tournament, the #1 seed was the favorite to win, and he has only gotten shorter.
He’ll take on Roberto Bautista Agut who put on a show upsetting Daniil Medvedev in his quarterfinal match.
| Player | Spread | Moneyline | Total at DraftKings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | -590 | -500 | Over 20.5 (-120) |
| Roberto Bautista Agut | +420 | +370 | Under 20.5 (-106) |
Novak Djokovic’s Path to the Semis
World No.1 Djokovic has made his way to the semifinals without much of a challenge. He’s dominated his opponents, having not dropped a set yet in this tournament. Djokovic beat quarterfinal opponent Jan-Lennard Struff, 6-3, 6-1, in just 62 minutes while converting five of nine breakpoints.
The 2018 Western & Southern Open champion started off strong in his quarterfinal match, and never let up. He was able to take advantage of multiple errors from Struff to break for a 3-1 lead in the first set. Djokovic was once again dominant with his serve throughout.
Can anyone stop @DjokerNole? 🤷♂️
The top seed at @CincyTennis moves to 21-0 in 2020! 👏#CInCyTENNIS pic.twitter.com/ukOGrtCnQD
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 26, 2020
Djokovic now has a 21-0 record on the year, and is making his fourth ATP Tour appearance of 2020. He will attempt to reach his seventh Western & Southern Open final when facing Bautista Agut in the semifinals.
Roberto Bautista Agut’s Path to the Semis
Bautista Agut is coming off what could arguably be the best comeback of the year in his quarterfinal match against Daniil Medvedev. A hal-hour into the match, Bautista Agut found himself serving in a 0-40 situation, trying to avoid going down 1-6, 0-1. The Spaniard ended up flipping a switch, and coming back and beat the defending champion, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
🚨 Champion Dethroned 🚨@BautistaAgut reaches a first Cincinnati semifinal with his 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Medvedev.#CInCyTENNIS pic.twitter.com/Gw6w3usLis
— Western & Southern Open (@CincyTennis) August 26, 2020
Two hours and 13 minutes later, Bautista Agut had saved 15 of 20 breakpoints, and won 71-percent of second serve return points to advance to the semifinals.
Head-to-Head Record
Djokovic and Agut are no strangers to one another. The two have faced each other a total of 11 times in singles play, and Djokovic holds an 8-3 record. But Bautista Agut has won two of their last three matches.
| 1 | ATP Standing | 12 |
| 8-3 | Head-to-head record | 3-8 |
| 0 | Sets lost during tournament | 2 |
| 15 | Aces recorded during tournament | 14 |
If Djokovic gives Bautista Agut any errors to work with, that’s where he will be able to gain an upper hand. Even in Djokovic’s previous losses to the Spaniard, Nole was controlling the match; Bautista Agut just took advantage of errors.
Best Bet
Djokovic has played commanding and efficient tennis throughout his matches at the Western and Southern Open. Bautista Agut is coming off an incredible win, but it truly takes playing your best to win against Djokovic. As we know, Bautista Agut has beat Djokovic before, including twice in 2019, so if anyone of Djokovic’s opponents in this tournament can do it, it’s the Spaniard.
Both Djokovic’s serve and forehand have been extremely effective this tournament, which usually leads to him being unbeatable. My bet is on Djokovic to book his ticket to the final, but unlike his previous matchups, I think Bautista Agut will take him to three sets.
Pick: Over 20.5 (-120)
A graduate of Sport Media at Ryerson University, Hayley is the ultimate student of sports. Whether she is playing it, watching it, debating it, or writing it, it’s safe to assume sport consumes the majority of her life. She has worked both internationally and with the NBA.
source https://casinonewsblogger.com/atp-western-southern-open-semifinals/
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