Analysis for Karlovic-Machado (ATP Estoril)

Head-to-head record 0:0

Big serving Croat Ivo Karlovic will be challenged by the Portugese hope, Rui Machado, in the first round. Karlovic is the tallest player on the circuit and is known as one of the best servers on the tour. Taking advantage of his height, he is heavily reliant on his serve. With a more acute angle from his racquet to the service line, his first serves have a higher chance of coming in, thereby rendering many of them unhittable, let alone returnable. With bad returns from his opponents, he normally just has to put the ball away for a winner without the need of a proper volley. We think he will not make his mark being a serve-only player and even when he already defeated many top players, he can easily loose to big underdogs as just a few points usually decide his matches. It is not surprising that he hates clay as he needs as fast surface as possible for his killing game. Machado, on the other hand, grew up on clay and feels well in these conditions. He is still inexperienced and spent most of his time on small Futures but his YTD record on these tournaments is really stellar – he managed to win 28 out of 29 matches he played this year! Actually, he won 5 out 6 tournaments he participated in and added one semifinal appearance. His self-confidence must be sky high and bearing in mind that Karlovic is generally considered to be a poor returner, there is a chance for Machado to keep the match close. These odds are surely worth trying.