ATP 500 Dallas 1/16-Finals

Munar – Bu: 05.02.2025 Time TBA
H2H: first meeting

Jaume Munar has won three of his last five matches. At the beginning of the season, Munar played in Hong Kong, reaching the semifinals. He eventually fell short against Muller in three tight sets. The last match he played was at the Australian Open, losing against Ruud in five tight sets. It is his first appearance in Dallas. Munar has never had any success with indoor hard courts. Being a Spaniard, Jaume had his biggest results on clay courts.  Around this time last year, Munar played in Montpellier, losing in the opening round against Martinez in straight sets.

Yunchaokete Bu has lost three of his last five matches. At the beginning of the season, Bu played in Hong Kong and Adelaide, losing both times in the opening round. Bu had a favorable first-round draw at the Australian Open two weeks ago in Melbourne. However, he was upset by Habib in straight sets. Last week in Montpellier, Bu reached the quarterfinals, losing against Auger-Aliassime in straight sets. Bu is a young Chinese talent who thrives on indoor hard courts. It is his first appearance in Dallas.

Best Bet to Make

According to the bookies, Bu is the favorite in this matchup, and we agree. Munar is a clay-court specialist who has never had any success on indoor hard courts. On the other hand, Bu is inexperienced but plays aggressive tennis. His playing style fits this surface perfectly, and we expect him to win against Munar easily.

That being said, Bu winning is a value bet.

Value bet/ the best odds: Yunchaokete Bu winning @1.50 @bet365

Vukic – Shelton: 05.02.2025 02:00 CEST
H2H: 0-1

Aleksandar Vukic has won three of his last five matches. Two weeks ago in Melbourne, Vukic reached the third round of the Australian Open, losing against Draper in five tight sets as we predicted. Last week, Vukic helped the USA win against Sweden in the Davis Cup, winning against Borg in straight sets. It is his second appearance in Dallas. In his debut campaign 2023, Vukic failed to qualify for the main draw tournament, losing against Svajda in the opening qualifying round. Last year around this time, Vukic played in Delray Beach, losing in the opening round against Lestienne in straight sets.

Ben Shelton has won four of his last five matches. Two weeks ago in Melbourne, he reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, losing against Sinner in straight sets, as we predicted. This is his second appearance in Dallas. In his debut campaign in 2024, he reached the semifinals, losing against Tommy Paul in straight sets.

Best Bet to Make

According to the bookies, Shelton is the big favorite in this matchup, but we disagree. Vukic had a decent run in Melbourne this season. He has a heavy serve and solid groundstrokes. We expect him to hold his service games easily. Shelton will probably win this match, but we expect a tight match.

That being said, Vukic covering the games handicap is a value bet.

Value bet/ the best odds: Aleksandar Vukic +3.5 games handicap @1.80 @bet365

Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports