Wednesday Afternoon ATP 250 Tennis Picks: 2 Big Underdogs With Value

Wednesday Afternoon ATP 250 Tennis Picks: 2 Big Underdogs With Value article feature image
Credit:

Credit: Fred Lee, Getty. Alex Bolt celebrates at the Australian Open.

As tennis keeps moving on Wednesday in Sofia and San Diego, we have two more picks to consider.

There are 2 big underdogs to find edges on, and you can read below to see the rationale.

Match times are subject to change. 

Filip Krajinovic (-1300) vs. Alexander Lazarov (+800)

11:00 a.m ET, Sofia Open

Dimitar Kuzmanov became a hometown hero on Tuesday, but does Alexander Lazarov have a chance at matching his fellow countryman?

It's an interesting situation, as the context behind Lazarov's matchup with Filip Krajinovic is quite similar to the one that Kuzmanov had with Musetti. Krajinovic enters the matchup in awful form, with three consecutive hard court losses, though he has more established career results on the surface.

Lazarov enters the match without having played an ATP Tour match since the Antalya Open in January, where he lost to Lucas Miedler in a three-set qualifying match. He hasn't been able to establish any results on tour, as his 2-5 career record in ATP matches suggests, so why should a Futures and Challenger level player be expected to compete with a veteran?

In all but one ATP Tour match that he's played in, Lazarov has pushed his opponent at a minimum to a tiebreaker, and he's taken a set in 3 of the matches. The Bulgarian has the power needed to cause issues for Krajinovic, who can fall into ruts and struggle when pressured, particularly on hard courts.

We'll get a sense for the type of match that will be played early on in the match. If Lazarov isn't able to hang in rallies with the Serbian, it could be a quick outing. But if he's able to maintain a solid level early and go toe-to-toe with Krajinovic, he'll only grow in confidence and boost his chances of success.

If Lazarov can rush Krajinovic, consistently take time away from him, and put doubts in his mind early on, he'll have a shot at creating massive havoc.

Pick: 0.5u Alexander Lazarov to win a set +225 | 0.5u Alexander Lazarov to win +800 via FanDuel

Hubert Hurkacz (-400) vs. Alex Bolt (+290)

3:50 p.m ET, San Diego Open

Hubert Hurkacz has simply played a lot of tennis and done a lot of traveling recently. The world number 12 has undoubtedly been in good form, racing through his opponents without dropping a set in both the singles and doubles draw at the Moselle Open, but he's aiming to do a very tough task in San Diego.

Alex Bolt has been in San Diego for about a week now, has gotten two successful matches under his belt – one in which he got to face a server like Hurkacz in Kevin Anderson – and he'll be the far more fresher player.

What he gives up in quality he will look to gain back in fitness, comfortability and work rate. He's not too shabby of a hard court player, either. Bolt is 7-4 on the year across tour levels playing on the surface, and he's beaten Hurkacz in their two Challenger Tour meetings.

He's more than capable of putting up a fight against the talented Polish player, and his recent results suggest he's in the right place to do that. He's elevated his game when given the chance, winning 4-of-6 matches on the ATP Tour level, and getting quality looks at big servers in the aforementioned Anderson and John Isner.

With the context surrounding this match, the price you're getting on Bolt to compete and win is too good to pass up.

Pick: 0.5u Alex Bolt to win a set +110 | 0.5u Alex Bolt +290 via PointsBet

This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.