Kovalik - Karatsev. ATP Bratislava match forecast
Kovalik and Karatsev will meet in the second round of the tournament in Bratislava on October 31. Karatsev is not ready at all - the Russian continues to suffer from an injured knee, which is why his game is far from ideal. The second round is an insurmountable barrier for Aslan this season. How will it be this time? - bets on the upcoming match are in our forecast.

Command Analysis

Jozef Kovalik

Current form
In the first round of the competition in Bratislava, Kovalik beat Luc Van Assche (4-6, 7-6, 7-6). In the match against the Frenchman, Josef hit two aces, converted two break points and lost three games on his serve. For the Slovak tennis player, this was the first indoor match this season.
Professional qualities
Kovalik is a typical clay court player who prefers slow surfaces, where his powerful forehand is especially effective in crosses and reverse crosses. At the beginning of his career, the Slovak played more on hard courts, where he managed to accumulate a positive balance. A strong serve helps him score easy points, and good speed and endurance allow him to comfortably participate in long exchanges of blows on the baseline.
Current indicators in the tour
Kovalik won three trophies during the season. On his specialty clay, he won in Zadar, Split and Karlsruhe. In the world rankings, Josef is currently outside the top 100 of the world rankings - in 128th place.
Interesting facts for betting
In the first set, 7 of Kovalik last 10 matches have seen fewer than 9.5 games played.

Aslan Karatsev

Current form
Karatsev defeated Alexander Ritchard (6-7, 7-6, 7-6) in the first round of the Challenger in Bratislava. Aslan served seven aces, converted two break points and lost two games on his serve during the match. The Russian has four wins in five matches indoors this season.
Professional qualities
Karatsev is a powerful player on both sides of the ball, and prefers an aggressive strike and a straightforward style on the back line. At his peak, he can show outstanding results, but frequent injuries prevent him from demonstrating consistency.
Current indicators in the tour
Karatsev is a former world No. 14, but due to injury he has lost many ranking points and is currently ranked No. 313 in the world. Aslan has no trophies to his name this season and has not reached the second round of any tournament this year.
Interesting facts for betting
Karatsev has never made it past the second round in any tournament this year.
Trends
Rate Set Result: 2>1
In 3 of Kovalik last 5 matches, events on the court have unfolded according to this scenario
2.22Bet Tie-break in the match - yes
This bet has played in 3 of Karatsev 5 previous matches
2.31Tip and bets
Karatsev is not ready at the moment. Aslan is still not in optimal condition after his knee injury, so you should not expect him to win big anytime soon. Kovalik is able to put up a fight with the Russian.
Our prediction is Kovalik victory with a handicap of (+4) games for a coefficient of 1.73
Bet on total
We expect the confrontation between Kovalik and Karatsev to be protracted. Both tennis players are currently in approximately the same playing condition, so their face-to-face duel will most likely go beyond two sets.
The second forecast is total over 22 games for odds of 1.89
Bet on the first set
Three of Karatsev last five matches have seen more than 9.5 games played in the first set. Aslan upcoming match against Kovalik will likely also start with a "top" first set.
Forecast - total over 9.5 games in the first set for odds of 1.81