Jan-Lennard Struff vs Sebastian Ofner Prediction & Betting Tips - Hong Kong Open

Prediction published on 03/01/2024, 07:20  by Kennedy Kechula in Tennis Predictions

Fifth seed Jan-Lennard Struff and the unseeded Sebastian Ofner will battle each other in the second round at the Hong Kong Tennis Open. The winner will then advance to the quarterfinals where a duel with either Francisco Cerundolo or Roberto Bautista Agut awaits. Jan-Lennard Struff was forced to come from behind to win his tournament opener in three sets against Marin Cilic. Struff had trouble against the returning Cilic with the match lasting for three hours and requiring tie-breakers in the final two sets. Despite all that he will be pleased with his tenacity and will fancy his chances of progressing in the tournament. The German, ranked 25th in the ATP, will be hoping to build on the heroics of last season. In 2023, he won 45 matches and this was the most he had won since winning 50 in 2016. Though he didn’t win a title, he managed to play in two finals. One of those was in Madrid where he became the first lucky loser to ever contest a Masters final.

Sebastian Ofner had one of his best seasons as a professional tennis player last season. Though alternating between the tour and challenger circuit, the Austrian compiled a 60-31 record. He contested six challenger finals but only managed to win one title. His form allowed him to rise to a career-high ranking of world number 43. Despite his strong win-to-defeat ratio, Ofner struggled on hard courts and won just two more games than the 10 he lost. The 27-year-old, who lost to Struff in their only other encounter, had a more assured first round here than his soon-to-be opponent. He defeated Mackenzie McDonald in straight sets and lost just three games in the contest.