am not the biggest fan of Daily Fantasy Tennis. I think it is far too time consuming for a lottery-type situation, where the winner of a large contest must pick six straight-set matches to take home the grand prize. I also can’t stand that the contests are combined ATP/WTA. It’s not that hard to separate the two, and even offer a combined option. But I do believe it is a great way to lure in potential tennis bettors to our wondrous world. If you’ve never DFS’ed before, check out this article.
But due to the horrific weather forecast—winds up to 40 mph expected— I am making an exception. Today is a great day to mess around with some DFS, and there are some very attackable prices. All prices are from DraftKings.
Great Value:
Chris Eubanks: $5900: Eubanks plays his best tennis on gritty, slow, high-bouncing hardcourts. He won two tough qualifying matches and should start strong against Maxime Cressy. There’s nothing about these conditions that help Cressy. His second serve is not a heavy-kick, and he is prone to double faults. I actually have Eubanks as a slight favorite over Cressy, which makes this a solid foundational piece. Cressy is no longer in the zone, and has lost his last two first-round matches.
Camila Osorio-Serrano: $6100: I understand why Sasnovich is a favorite over Serrano, but Osorio has clear value here. At times she showed a jaw-dropping level in Monterrey. Her defense and movement is spectacular, and has a chance to frustrate Sasnovich in these slow and windy conditions. Osorio is undervalued right now, period.
JJ Wolf: $6800: I watched both of JJ Wolf’s qualifying wins in person, and although he is probably better on a fast court, he does possess the necessary strength to hit through this court. If he is patient, and picks his spots wisely, he could tune Hugo Gaston, whose day to day level is always a mystery. I like this pick because there is a chance Wolf gets hot and blows him off the court. It should be a fun matchup, but Gaston should not cost $8500.
Marton Fucsovics $6900: I am not in the business of predicting Marton Fucsovic’s daily level, but at $6900 compared to Mackenzie McDonald’s $8200, it might be worth a play. Fucsovics owns a higher UTR and ELO rating than McDonald. If he can get on top early, he could take the crowd out of this match.
Expensive but Worth It:
Jack Sock: $10,000 This has nothing to do with Sock, and everything to do with his opponent and the likely atmosphere. I have a ton of respect for Juan Manuel Cerundolo, but on a hardcourt, with zero crowd support, and a fresh Sock… there is a chance the American wins this one quickly. Sock has all the tools to make Cerundolo uncomfortable. He has the heavy kick-serve, nasty forehand, and supreme touch/net play. If Sock controls his nerve I think he cruises here.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina: $9800: I am very liquid in my beliefs, but one hill I will die on is fading players with no match play. Match fitness is only earned by competing week in/week out, and Borna Coric hasn’t played a match in a full year. I don’t trust the Spaniard, but I trust that Coric will be rusty. There is no replacement for high level competition. Without it, a tennis player is useless. Except Rafael Nadal, he’s a fucking freak.
Elena-Gabriel Ruse: $9,900: Take this one or leave it, but her current UTR rating is way above Kucova’s. According to UTR, Ruse has an 84% chance of winning, which is good enough to make my lineup.
