Diego Schwartzman serving up juicy odds to win the Cordoba Open
- Derek Bilton
- 6 February 2024
The Cordoba Open is significant in as much as it is the first clay-court tournament of the season, and the opening leg of the Latin American red dirt swing.
There are no huge names in the field - indeed only four of the ATP’s top 50 are in Argentina - but there are some capable dirt-ballers in the mix and it all makes for a pretty competitive betting heat.
The bookies are not 100% in terms of who will win, with top three seeds Francisco Cerundolo, Sebastian Baez and Tomas Etcheverry chalked up at 11/2, 11/2 and 8/1.
Baez is the defending champion but was on Davis Cup duty all weekend so it is anyone’s guess whether he is in the right place physically.
Looking further down the field Diego Schwartzman could be worth a play at 25/1. He lost his way in a bit in the last few years but ended 2023 with a bit more consistency and looks a decent price at 25s.
Schwartzman has four ATP titles to his name in singles, and all have come on clay. He is also very experienced with over 250 ATP wins to his name.
His last win was back in 2021 in Buenos Aires, and while altitude will be a factor (Cordoba is 400m above sea level) he is very capable of having a big week and looks worth a small play.
Elsewhere in Dallas, big servers should dominate on a rapid Laykold indoor hardcourt. And servers don't come much bigger than Ben Shelton, who looks look worth a punt at 9/2.
Shelton disappointed at the Australian Open, exiting in the third round Down Under. However that presumably means he has had more prep time back in the US and he might fancy a title run here given the mediocre field.
Francis Tiafoe and Tommy Paul are also 9/2 shots with Planet Sport Bet, but Shelton at his best probably beats both these days and his draw is OK.
He gets a bye first up and is expected to face his first real test in the quarters against Jordan Thompson. The moustachioed Aussie beat Rafael Nadal in the Brisbane final last month, and gave Stefanos Tsitsipas a game at the Australian Open before losing.
However Shelton wouldn’t be losing much sleep ahead of that potential QF clash, holding as he does a positive 2-0 head-to-head record against the Aussie.
Shelton’s fizzing first serve should win him plenty of cheap points in Dallas, and the energetic 21-year-old looks to have an exciting future.
Men’s tennis in America has been in the doldrums for a fair few years now. Indeed, not since Andy Roddick’s US Open title in 2003 has an American man won a major singles title, but if Shelton keeps improving the way he has over the last 18 months the Atlanta leftie could change all that.
