Jan-Lennard Struff v Tommy Paul Betting Tips [15 June 2023]

The world number 15, Tommy Paul, will take on 21st-ranked Jan Lennard Struff in the round of 16 of the ATP Stuttgart Open on Thursday. This will be the fifth time that these two meet, with Paul leading the standings 4-0. The American beat this opponent twice this year already. The first came at the Australian Open, and the most recent was at Indian Wells back in March. Paul comes into this tournament off the back of a relatively poor clay court swing, where he managed only two wins in the seven matches he played. However, he looked much better against Benjamin Bonzi in his first grass court match of the year in the previous round, needing just over an hour to secure the win. He lost just four points off his own serve and faced no break-points in the match. Paul has a decent record over the years on the grass, reaching two quarter-finals last year, but can he do it again here?

Struff’s workman-like attitude has paid off this year as the German has managed to improve his world ranking significantly. He began the year outside the top 100, but following a quarter-final at the Monte Carlo Masters and a final appearance in Madrid, he is now inside the top 25, marking his peak career rank. In Madrid, Struff lost his second qualifier against Aslan Karatsev but got a stroke of fortune by remaining in the tournament as a lucky loser. Struff met Karatsev in the semi-final of that competition and beat the Russian in three sets. He went in as the strong favourite in his first grass court match of the season against Zhizhen Zhang in the previous round and had little trouble overcoming the Chinese player in straight sets. Struff reached the semi-final in this tournament back in 2019 by claiming a big scalp in Denis Shapovalov. He will need to pull off something similar here if he intends to progress.

While Paul hasn’t been at his very best this year, the manner in which he won his opening match over Benjamin Bonzi was extremely impressive. He’s underperformed this year and will see the grass court swing as the perfect opportunity to improve his record and try to close in on the top ten. Our Jan Lennard Struff vs Tommy Paul prediction: Tommy Paul to win the match.