Filip Misolic vs Nuno Borges

🎾 ATP Bastad – Round of 16 Preview

Filip Misolic vs Nuno Borges

🔥 Misolic is grinding through a massive 2025 season, racking up 48 wins (34 on clay) and reaching seven Challenger finals. He took a set off Djokovic at Roland Garros, qualified for Wimbledon, and now makes his first ATP clay R16 since Paris. After battling through Bastad qualies, he edged Møller in a tough three-setter and returns to a court where he made the QF in 2023.

🎯 Borges, once ranked as high as No. 30, remains a reliable grinder. His 2025 clay record (8–7) is modest, but he’s had big moments—like beating Casper Ruud at Roland Garros. He came back strong in R1 here and has 134 career clay wins to his name. That said, he's played over 50 matches this season, and post-RG fatigue may be creeping in.

💥 Volume vs pedigree. Misolic is red-hot and comfortable in Bastad, but Borges brings ATP-level craft and Slam-tested poise. A fascinating test of form versus experience.

👉 Read the Full Match Breakdown on Patreon

Sinja Kraus vs Anna Bondar

🎾 WTA Hamburg – Round of 16 Preview

Sinja Kraus vs Anna Bondar

🇦🇹 Kraus enters this match with two ITF clay titles and 21 clay wins in 2025, but consistency has been an issue. She had to rally from behind in her Hamburg opener against Berfu Cengiz, marking her first main-draw WTA win since Bari. Still, she’s dropped five of her last seven matches and has struggled late in sets.

🇭🇺 Bondar is the defending Hamburg champion and one of the most reliable clay-court grinders on tour. With a 19–7 clay record this season and a recent runner-up finish in Bari, she’s trending upward. Her heavy topspin and patient baseline play have worked well against Kraus in the past, winning both of their prior clay meetings in straight sets—including a bagel set in Wiesbaden.

💥 Tactical edge and surface comfort favor Bondar, though Kraus has the match volume and a touch of home-continent support. A stylistic clash worth watching.

👉 Read the Full Match Breakdown – Free on Patreon

Astra Sharma 🇦🇺 vs Viktoriya Tomova 🇧🇬

WTA Hamburg – Round of 16
Clay | Wednesday, 17 July

🎾 Astra Sharma 🇦🇺 vs Viktoriya Tomova 🇧🇬

🧠 Form & Context

Astra Sharma
🔥 Clay surge: Sharma has quietly put together a strong clay season (24–11), including a title in Bonita Springs and recent R16 runs in Brescia, Bari, and Hamburg.
⚔️ Battle-tested: Won a three-setter vs Geerlings in R1 after a narrow loss to Trevisan in Bastad—a match she could've closed in straights.
📈 Trending up: She’s 31–18 in 2025 overall and has rebuilt her ranking inside the Top 150 with consistent ITF + WTA-level success.
🎾 Physical power: The 178 cm Aussie uses her serve and forehand combo effectively on clay and isn’t afraid to come forward when needed.

Viktoriya Tomova
📉 Patchy year: Just 11–18 overall and 3–6 on clay in 2025. Her form has fluctuated, with first-round exits in 10 of her last 16 events.
💪 Gritty game: Still, the Bulgarian is a seasoned competitor with over 500 career wins and experience across all surfaces. She beat Tatjana Maria in straights to open her Hamburg campaign.
🚧 Inconsistency alert: Her last back-to-back wins came in early June (Bari), and her baseline game tends to unravel under sustained pressure.
📉 Clay struggles: This surface exposes her lack of consistent firepower and leaves her vulnerable to players with heavier groundstrokes.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Sharma’s current confidence and comfort on clay give her a distinct edge here. Her serve is an asset on this surface, and she can dictate with her forehand, forcing Tomova into reactive patterns where the Bulgarian is less effective.

Tomova, while experienced and more defensively sound, doesn’t generate enough depth or weight on her groundstrokes to keep Sharma off balance for long. That said, Sharma’s occasional lapses—especially on return games—could allow Tomova to hang around if the Aussie fails to press early leads.

The key tactical battleground will be second-serve points: if Sharma wins a majority of those and keeps her unforced errors down, her edge in power and recent clay rhythm should carry her through.

🔮 Prediction

Sharma owns the bigger serve and superior clay mileage, but Tomova’s returns and cleaner backhand give her more consistent point construction. Expect stretches of momentum both ways; the Bulgarian’s steadier second-serve numbers and ability to absorb pace make her a slender favourite.

Projected score: Tomova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ – small stake; consider live trading after the opening four games.

Camilo Ugo Carabelli 🇦🇷 vs Botic van de Zandschulp 🇳🇱

ATP Bastad – Round of 16
Clay | Wednesday, 17 July

🎾 Camilo Ugo Carabelli 🇦🇷 vs Botic van de Zandschulp 🇳🇱

🧠 Form & Context

Camilo Ugo Carabelli
🎯 Strong clay credentials: The Argentine is 24–13 on clay this year, continuing his rise as a Challenger-to-ATP transition success story.
💥 Fresh off an upset: Beat Cristian Garin in R1 with a clean performance, backing up a clay-rich 2025 that includes R16 in Hamburg and SF runs in Rio and Santiago.
📉 Grass woes behind him: After a nightmare 0–5 grass swing, he looks back in rhythm on his preferred surface.
🧱 Bastad breakthrough: Just 1R last year, but already improved here and looking more confident at ATP level.

Botic van de Zandschulp
🔄 Slowly recovering form: Started 2025 poorly but is beginning to build momentum again. 8–8 on clay this season, including a straight-set win over Ymer in R1.
🎾 Recent uptick: QF showing in Braunschweig with dominant wins over Choinski and Jorda Sanchis was encouraging, even though he fell to Navone.
⚠️ Clay inconsistency: Capable of solid performances, but his heavy serve/flat-hitting game isn’t tailor-made for slower clay—especially against pure dirtballers.
🇸🇪 Bastad debut: First main-draw appearance at this venue, but brings experience from similar European clay events like Munich and Madrid.

🔍 Match Breakdown

This is a classic clash of styles: Ugo Carabelli, the gritty, clay-born Argentine who thrives in long rallies and uses his heavy forehand to construct points with patience, versus van de Zandschulp, whose game relies on short, sharp point construction with a big first serve and linear ball striking.

The altitude and speed of the Bastad courts aren't fast enough to truly aid Botic’s flatter strokes. Ugo Carabelli should have time to dig deep and defend well, forcing the Dutchman into extended rallies—something that has often exposed his inconsistency off the ground.

However, van de Zandschulp’s form is quietly improving, and his mental strength in close sets (tiebreaks vs Arnaldi and Ymer recently) gives him a fighting chance, especially if he lands a high first-serve percentage. Still, he’s vulnerable in longer exchanges, and Ugo Carabelli will likely drag him there.

🔮 Prediction

Expect a cat-and-mouse baseline duel: if van de Zandschulp keeps first-serve percentage above 62% and finishes at net, his heavier firepower edges it. Otherwise, Ugo Carabelli’s higher rally tolerance and clay instincts tip the balance.

Projected score: van de Zandschulp 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ – live-trade candidate; back the over and reassess after Set 1.

Francisco Comesaña 🇦🇷 vs Roberto Carballés Baena 🇪🇸

ATP Gstaad – Round of 16
Clay (Altitude) | Wednesday, 17 July

🎾 Francisco Comesaña 🇦🇷 vs Roberto Carballés Baena 🇪🇸

🧠 Form & Context

Francisco Comesaña
🌋 Breakout clay form: The 24-year-old Argentine is having a breakthrough year at tour level, going 17–12 on clay and breaking into the Top 75.
📈 Building momentum: Back-to-back wins over Martinez, Fils, and Trungelliti this clay swing suggest growing confidence and tactical maturity.
🇨🇭 Gstaad debut: Picked up a solid R1 win over countryman Trungelliti and seems well-adjusted to altitude conditions.
⚠️ Surface specialist: 265 of his 290 career wins have come on clay. He’s still searching for his first ATP title but already owns multiple Challenger trophies on dirt.

Roberto Carballés Baena
🎢 Up-and-down 2025: Just 6–7 on clay this year. Struggled for rhythm and recently retired in Braunschweig QF.
⚔️ Narrow survival: Escaped Taberner in R1 with a final-set tiebreak and has looked far from his 2023 ATP title-winning level.
🧱 Experience edge: Over 600 career match wins and 2 ATP clay titles. But age (32) and recent injury struggles raise durability questions in three-setters.
🇨🇭 Mixed Gstaad history: QF in 2019, but early exits in 2022 and 2023 suggest this high-altitude clay doesn't fully suit his grinding baseline style.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Comesaña enters this clash as the fresher, more dynamic clay-courter, with an aggressive topspin-heavy forehand and comfort stepping inside the baseline to finish. His timing on return and depth of backhand have improved throughout 2025, especially in Madrid and Rome where he pushed Rune and beat Fils.

Carballés Baena, on the other hand, is a defensive-minded counterpuncher who thrives when given time to construct points—but his game lacks explosiveness at altitude. He’s been error-prone when rushed and susceptible to fatigue in long matches, as seen in his recent Challenger retirement.

The court speed in Gstaad slightly favors the first-striker. If Comesaña serves well and keeps his forehand firing, he could dominate rallies. But he must manage his unforced error count—Carballés Baena will test his patience with loopy topspin and deep positioning.

🔮 Prediction

Given Comesaña’s clay confidence and Carballés Baena’s declining form and recent fitness doubts, the Argentine should control this match—especially if it gets physical. Expect moments of resistance from the Spaniard, but Comesaña’s heavier groundstrokes and cleaner baseline game should prevail.

Projected score: Comesaña 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ – small stake; look to trade after Carballés’ slow starts.

Francesca Jones 🇬🇧 vs Panna Udvardy 🇭

WTA Iasi – Round of 16
Clay | Wednesday, 17 July

🎾 Francesca Jones 🇬🇧 vs Panna Udvardy 🇭🇺

🧠 Form & Context

Francesca Jones
🔥 Red-hot clay season: Jones is 21–4 on clay in 2025, with back-to-back finals in Prague and Contrexeville and an R16 here after beating Herrero Linana in straights.
🎯 Confidence peaking: She’s won 9 of her last 10 clay matches, including dominant performances over Jacquemot, Marcinko, and Masarova.
🇷🇴 First time in Iasi: But she’s adapting quickly and has already found rhythm after a deep run last week.
🩹 Past injuries: Multiple retirements earlier this year (Mérida, Bogotá) seem behind her as she's now moving well and closing out tight sets with authority.

Panna Udvardy
🧱 Clay-court veteran: Nearly 300 career clay wins. Finalist in Iasi back in 2022 and a grinder at heart with a heavy topspin game.
🆙 Recent title run: Won the ITF Blois title in June and reached QFs in La Bisbal and Oeiras—her clay form has stabilized.
⚖️ Narrow escape: Needed three sets to get past Rouvroy in R1. Recent WTA losses (to Ruzic, Lepchenko) suggest vulnerability against clean-hitting players.
🎭 Streaky this season: Has often followed solid wins with disappointing losses—consistency has eluded her despite strong numbers (19–14 on clay in 2025).

🔍 Match Breakdown

This is a battle of two very different approaches. Jones thrives on early ball strikes, flattening out her forehand, and playing with high tempo—especially effective on fast clay and lower-tier WTA settings. Her ability to finish points early could pressure Udvardy from the outset.

Udvardy, however, is a traditional clay-courter: she extends rallies, uses heavy spin, and will gladly absorb pace and force errors. If the match turns into a war of attrition, she has the stamina and mental toughness to grind it out.

That said, Udvardy’s lack of weapons against attacking players has cost her several matches this year, and Jones is exactly the type to expose those weaknesses if she serves well and keeps her unforced errors low. Expect long games, contrasting patterns, and pivotal moments around second-serve returns and depth control.

🔮 Prediction

While Udvardy has the pedigree on this surface, Jones is the more in-form and aggressive player, with superior momentum and the confidence of recent titles. If she keeps her nerve and maintains consistency on serve, she should edge past the Hungarian—though not without resistance.

🧩 Projected result: Francesca Jones in 2 tight sets
But if it goes three, Udvardy’s stamina and clay IQ make her a live underdog. Great live-bet opportunity if Jones shows early signs of frustration.

Elina Avanesyan 🇷🇺 vs Maria Lourdes Carle 🇦

WTA Iasi – Round of 16
Clay | Wednesday, 17 July

🎾 Elina Avanesyan 🇷🇺 vs Maria Lourdes Carle 🇦🇷

🧠 Form & Context

Elina Avanesyan
💥 Top 60 presence: The Armenian-Russian player is currently ranked inside the Top 60, thanks to consistent showings at WTA level, particularly on hard courts earlier this year.
⚠️ Clay slump: She's just 1–3 on clay in 2025 and exited early at both Roland Garros and Rome. Despite reaching the final here last year, her form on the dirt has sharply regressed.
🔄 Inconsistent season: After a hot start in January (QF in Hobart, R16 in Brisbane), Avanesyan has struggled to string wins together and is just 12–13 on the season overall.
📉 Recent woes: Her last notable win came in Mérida; since then, she’s suffered six R1 exits in her last eight events, including a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Rybakina at Wimbledon.

Maria Lourdes Carle
🏋️ Clay campaigner: 16–12 on clay this year, Carle has played a ton of matches and logged wins across ITFs, qualifiers, and tour-level draws.
🔥 Recent momentum: Beat Patricia Maria Tig in R1 here from a set down and recently made the QFs in Bucharest and Madrid ITF events.
🌍 Versatile grinder: Her 316 career wins include 220 on clay—she’s a seasoned battler with 14 lower-tier singles titles and solid baseline tenacity.
📈 Underdog spark: Carle has pulled off multiple minor upsets this year, including wins over Pera, Mandlik, and Sramkova, and nearly broke the Top 100 last season.

🔍 Match Breakdown

This is a classic clash of top-level firepower versus relentless consistency. Avanesyan has the tools to dominate—powerful off both wings and capable of flattening shots—but lacks recent clay rhythm and confidence. Her margin for error is small, and if her form dips, Carle will pounce.

Carle, the gritty Argentine, thrives in grinding rallies and has the legs to force long exchanges. Her strategy is simple: stay in rallies, expose lapses in Avanesyan’s consistency, and test her resolve. This is the kind of matchup that could go deep if Avanesyan can’t take control early.

🔮 Prediction

Avanesyan’s 2024 final run here and heavier game style make her a narrow favorite, but her current form doesn't inspire full confidence. Carle's clay court stamina and comeback mindset are major wildcards. This one smells like a three-setter.

Projected score: Avanesyan 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4
Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ – small stake recommended.