The ATP Beijing continues all day today, but we have the most anticipated match-up this morning. The World No. 1 Rafael Nadal goes head-to-head with France hopeful and No. 23 ranked player, Lucas Pouille. There is not a lot of history between these players, but in terms of all-time records, they are dead-set at 1 win apiece, but as we all know, Nadal is playing some of the best tennis of his life right now.
Pouille had seen some success in 2015/16, making it deep into tournaments like Wimbledon, but never made it passed the Quarter Finals. Now 23, Pouille has lost his first matches in the last three of his last four tournaments and faces a big loss today against Nadal. Nadal won his tenth title at Roland Garros, and again at the US Open, and looks like he will again end this season in top spot.
Being the first round, players will most likely be working through their warm-ups before the action really gets going, but expect Nadal to be a thriller from day 1. With only a few tournaments left in the season, players are vying for better positions on the rankings, and for Pouille, a win today would drastically improve his spot on the list. He made it as high as 15 in his heyday but has struggled to get back in form.
It should be an interesting match today with some heavy hitting from both players.
ATP Betting
bet365 Sports is offering some fantastic betting markets prior to the action today. Nadal is the outright favorite at 1.12, whilst Pouille is at 6.00. Throughout the action, bet365 Sports is offering live in play markets for players in the mood for interactive betting. All in all, there are very competitive odds to choose from and bettors have the possibility of making some very lucrative cash.