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Rafa Nadal vs Darwin Blanch ATP Madrid prediction
First round action continues in Madrid on Thursday, with the main attraction of the day being Rafa Nadal, who will take on 16-year-old Darwin Blanch in what is expected to be a packed centre court.
Darwin Blanch vs Rafael Nadal preview
The young American has been priced quite highly by the bookmakers, as Blanch’s bravura victory would pay 16.50 times, while Nadal’s progression is 1.03 at the bookmaker.
This will be Blanch’s second ATP match of his career, after he was granted a wild card in Miami in March. Then, he made an absolute respectable showing, losing 6-4, 6-2 to Tomas Machac.
Obviously it was a great experience for him to make his Masters debut straight away, but it is not the same as playing Nadal.
The way Blanch reacted after the draw says it all:
The American boy is considered a great talent by the experts, and Rick Macci, the Williams sisters’ childhood coach, believes Blanch could be one of the best forehands and serves in the world on Tour in the future. He certainly has the height for a big serve, as he already tops 190cm at 16, although that in itself is just paltry.
Free bet for Rafa Nadal vs Darwin Blanch
Nadal returned in Barcelona and made his first match relatively easy, but the next day Alex De Minaur proved too much for him. A couple of years ago, you would have predicted an easy Spanish progression in a match like this, but now you wouldn’t say it would be a walk in the park… There is obviously a huge difference in skill and experience between the two players, but if Blanch can let go of who he is up against and play his best, he could be in with a chance of a closer match than expected.
The American is at home in Spain, having trained at Juan Carlos Ferrero’s academy and has been a hitting partner of the likes of Carlos Alcaraz.
The over-under line has been set at 16.5, so we can be happy with a 6-3, 6-2 result, if we go for the ‘over’ option.
Five games might be realistic from Blanch, as if his serve can really be one of his biggest weapons, he could show some of that in the fast Madrid conditions.
