Mark Lajal vs Geoffrey Blancaneaux Prediction, Stats, Form, H2H, 9/30/24

We’ll start the week looking at some matches from the ATP Challenger Tour. The first is Mark Lajal vs Geoffrey Blancaneaux from the Open de Vendée in Mouilleron-le-Captif, France.

Blancaneaux’s win probability is just over 35%, while Lajal is favored to win at 1.45 odds. The handicap is three games and the total games line is 22.

Jon Reid’s Lajal vs Blancaneaux prediction is for Lajal to cover the handicap.

Mark Lajal vs Geoffrey Blancaneaux Prediction: Back Lajal Indoors Against Fairly Underpowered Opponent

• Predictions: Lajal -3 Games & Lajal -3.5 Games
• Best Odds: 1.82 & 1.97
• Bookmaker: Pinnacle
• Stakes: 2/10 & 2/10

Odds updated at 2:00 am UK Time on September 30th, 2024. 

I am going to keep this one fairly simple. I’m always making Lajal a four-game favorite on an indoor hard court. If I can get two very important half-games in men’s tennis going my way on the handicap, I will make that wager.

He’s the better hard courter for my money by a substantial margin, is in better form right now, and has far more firepower, meaning he should be generating the majority of the break-point opportunities in this contest.

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Mark Lajal Recent Form

This is the time of the year to buy Lajal in the betting markets. We’re heading into a part of the calendar with a steady dose of quicker court tournaments played indoors. Those are the ideal conditions for the Estonian, who does best when he can rack up quick, cheap points with his strong serve and aggressive game style.

Since late August, Lajal has reached the final in Zhangjiagang and then made the quarters a week ago in Orleans after coming through the qualifying draw. All in all, on the Challenger circuit, he’s 8-3 in his last 11 matches, with losses to a powerful Terence Atmane, in-form Yasutaka Uchiyama, and a very promising young Belgian in Alexander Blockx. All of those players are far more powerful and much better on hard courts than his French counterpart on Monday.

Geoffrey Blancaneaux Recent Form

Other than what appears more and more like an outlier title run in India, Blancaneaux has not been very good on the hard courts. It’s no secret he prefers clay courts, but even on the dirt, he hasn’t been that strong of late.

He’s never really lived up to the potential that came about from his junior title at Roland Garros years ago, with his game lacking too much power at the professional level.

He does grind well from the baseline and elicit errors from time to time and he has gone on random runs on hard courts in the past, but playing an opponent with far more natural power than him, he may find it difficult to generate many opportunities on return.

He’s also got a massive surface disadvantage here, with Lajal not just possessing more pop but being a much more natural fit on hard courts.

Mark Lajal vs Geoffrey Blancaneaux H2H – Stat of the Match

This is the first match between the two at the professional level.

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