The Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men’s Clay Court Championships Final takes place this Sunday with Steve Johnson and Thomaz Bellucci fighting for the title. Bookmakers Review breaks down the fixture below and lists the best available odds from green listed bookmakers.
Johnson vs. Bellucci
Against all expectations, Steve Johnson featured a great upset in the semi-finals over the main contender – Jack Sock. After losing in the opening rounds on his previous four appearances in Houston, Johnson is now just one win away from becoming the 16th American to win the US Men’s Clay Court Championships title. Known for his powerful serve, Steve reaches this stage of the competition after winning 91.40% of his service games throughout the tournament.
Playing on clay brings the best out of Thomaz Bellucci with the Brazilian winning 66.58% of the matches played on the red dirt while his overall record on the other surfaces is only 45.53%. Famous for his left-handed topspin forehand, the high bouncing conditions on clay are perfect for Bellucci’s game style. Despite his successful campaign in Houston, things haven’t been easy for Thomaz with the 29 years old winning four consecutive three-set matches.
This will be the 2nd career meeting between these two players with Johnson winning their previous encounter at the Australian Open last season.
Looking now at the odds available for this contest, the bookmakers consider Steve the favourite to win the title at 67/100 with BetVictor while Bellucci is available at 137/100 wit Bet365. Even though we agree with Johnson’s favouritism, this should be a closer match than the odds suggest. With this in mind, Thomaz’s +1.5 Set Handicap at 61/100 with Pinnacle is definitely the best betting approach for this final in a match where Bellucci should create many problems to Johnson’s weaker backhand.
Calculators
