Federico Coria vs Felipe Meligeni Alves Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP US Open

Prediction published on 25/08/2023, 05:05  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 25/08/2023 at 06:05 in Tennis Predictions

World number 91 Federico Coria will take on 168th-ranked Felipe Meligeni Alves in the third round of qualifying at the US Open on Friday. The winner of this match will face Lorenzo Sonego in the first round of the US Open main tournament. These two have met twice in the past, and the head-to-head stands at 1-1. Clay court specialist Federico Coria made his return to the hard surface here for the first time since March. Each of the three tournaments on the hard surface he’s played in ended in first-round defeats. The Argentine is 22-21 for the year, but his hard court record is only 3-7. He has never been a fan of the surface and has not managed a positive record on the hardcourt in the last five years. Coria beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli and Martin Damm in the first two qualifiers, both in straight sets. The last time the Argentine faced Alves, he won in straight sets, though that was on the clay. Despite his poor record on the surface, Coria is the marginal favourite to win the match. 

Like his opponent, Alves favours the dirt over the hard court. In the last three years, the Brazilian has played just eight matches on a hard surface and won just once. However, this year he has already played 11 matches on the surface and has a record of 6-5, while his overall record sits at 28-21. Alves has tried his hand in six hard-court tournaments this year but has only made it to the second round on one occasion. That came in Los Cabos last month when he beat Alejandro Tabilo in the opening match but was knocked out by Tommy Paul the next day. In this competition, Alves has already overcome Dalibor Svrcina and Facundo Bagnis, both players who are ranked above him. He will now look to take down a top-100-ranked player, though he cannot be ruled out, considering he has beaten Coria in the past.