Terence Atmane v Yosuke Watanuki
3.15pm
Back Moreno de Alboran to Win @ $1.73
Seventh-seeded Frenchman Terence Atmane takes on Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki in the Kobe Challenger’s Round of 16.
Stopped in the Matsuyama Challenger quarters by Alex Bolt last week, world No.157 Atmane beat Ryuki Matsuda 7-6 7-6 in the first round here.
More notable recent results for the 22-year-old include beating Aleksandar Kovacevic and taking Taylor Fritz to two tiebreaks at the Shanghai Masters.
Watanuki, ranked 266th currently but inside the top 75 this time last year, progressed past Marc Polmans by walkover after winning the first set. He was also defeated by Bolt in Matsuyama, in the semi-finals.
The 26-year-old also had a good week out in Shanghai, upsetting Pavel Kotov and top-40 star Brandon Nakashima before going down to Fritz.
Watanuki is a $1.55 favourite here, but this has the makings of a tight, three-set tussle.
Mattia Bellucci v Alex Bolt
4.15pm
Back Bolt to Cover the Games Handicap (+4.5) @ $1.83
Aussie Alex Bolt’s impressive form turnaround is continuing at the Kobe Challenger, where he meets third seed Mattia Bellucci in the Round of 16.
World No.160 Bolt came from a set down to beat Hiroki Moriya 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the first round.
The 31-year-old is coming off a run to the Matsuyama Challenger final, where he ultimately went down to Nicolas Moreno de Alboran.
Bellucci, ranked 104th, accounted for Yuta Shimizu 7-6 6-4 in the first round and the Italian reached the final of his last Challenger event in Olbia, before pulling out of two subsequent tournaments.
Twenty-three-year-old Bellucci grabbed his maiden grand slam win at the US Open, beating Stan Wawrinka before going down to Chris O’Connell in four sets.
He’s chasing his first Challenger title of the season, have lost his last three finals.
A $1.20 favourite here, Bellucci has the higher ceiling but is still searching for consistency in his game.
Bolt has plenty of momentum and experience – and is solid value with a big start.
Taylor Fritz v Alex de Minaur
12.15am
Back Alcaraz to Cover the Games Handicap (-2.5) @ $1.85
Alex de Minaur is searching for his maiden ATP Finals win, with his semi-final hopes fading away ahead of his last group match against Taylor Fritz.
Seventh seed de Minaur has so far been outplayed by Jannik Sinner (6-3 6-4) and Daniil Medvedev (6-2 6-4).
Fifth seed Fritz got underway with a 6-4 6-3 win over Medvedev but went down 6-4 6-4 to Sinner.
‘Demon’ arrived in Turin in solid form after an injury layoff, reaching the semi-finals in Vienna and the quarters at the Paris Masters.
US Open runner-up Fritz bookended a semi-final run at the Shanghai Masters with first-up exits at the Japan Open and Paris Masters.
De Minaur’s big advantage here comes in the form of the pair’s rivalry record – he boasts a 6-3 count against Fritz, winning their last two encounters at the 2023 Canadian Masters and in the United Cup earlier this year.
But big-serving Fritz has been the clear standout of the duo so far in Turin and also knows he may need a victory to clinch a spot in the semis.
Jannik Sinner v Daniil Medvedev
6.45am
SGM – Back Sinner to Win and Under 21.5 Total Games @ $2.18
World No.1 Jannik Sinner has made a blistering start to the ATP Finals and will look to seal top spot in his group in emphatic fashion with a win over Daniil Medvedev, who has become something of a bunny for the Italian in recent times.
The head-to-head is locked seven-all, but Sinner has won seven of the last eight encounters in the past 14 months.
Medvedev’s only victory during that period was on grass in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, while Sinner’s were all on hard courts – including last year’s ATP Finals semi, the Australian Open final, and the recent US Open and Shanghai Masters quarter-finals.
Sinner beat Alex de Minaur (6-3 6-4) and Taylor Fritz (6-4 6-4) earlier this week, while fourth seed Medvedev bounced back from a 6-4 6-3 loss to Fritz with a comprehensive 6-2 6-4 defeat of de Minaur.
The only loss reigning Australian and US Open champ Sinner his incurred in his past 24 matches was to Carlos Alcaraz in the China Open final.
Medvedev is on a patchy 8-7 run, having lost to Alexei Popyrin first-up at the Paris Masters in his last outing before the ATP Finals.
Medvedev was the champion in 2020 and runner-up a year later, while Sinner lost the 2023 final to Novak Djokovic.
But the 23-year-old Sinner has been phenomenal on hard courts in 2024 and doesn’t look like taking his foot off the gas anytime soon.