Learner Tien vs Adam Walton Prediction, Stats, Form, H2H, 2/10/25

A new week brings us a trio of tournaments on the ATP Tour. The best part? They’re spread across several continents and played with three different sets of conditions. For the second preview on Monday, we’ll look ahead to the Learner Tien vs Adam Walton match from the Delray Beach Open.

Walton’s win probability is only 33%, while Tien is favoured to win at 1.41 odds. The handicap is 3.5 games and the total games line is 22.

Jon Reid’s Tien vs Walton prediction is for Tien to cover the handicap.

Learner Tien vs Adam Walton Prediction: Teenager Handed Favourable Draw to Start Campaign in Delray Beach

• Prediction: Tien -3.5 Games
• Best Odds: 2.00
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stakes: 4/10

Odds as at 9:30 pm UK Time on February 9th, 2025. Odds may now differ.

I’m going with a lookahead preview for this match, because I do think that Tien ends up closing as a favourite even larger than the current 1.41 odds. This is a pretty decent matchup for the 19-year-old, with Walton not as strong in medium-slow conditions and not being the most powerful player out there.

Tien’s solidity, combined with his variety allows him to both keep Walton from finding cheap points, as well as giving him a way to manufacture points against an opponent who is pretty solid from the baseline himself.

The other part of this handicap and one that is likely to see the market bet Tien even more is that Walton is coming off back-to-back long weeks at the Challenger Tour level, reaching the semifinals of one tournament and winning another the very next week. The kicker? Those tournaments took place in Brisbane, Australia.

He now has to board a plane and fly around the world to South Florida to play an opponent who can prolong rallies in humid conditions that could take a toll on one physically. That’s a big ask and for this handicap to be under 4.5 games considering the likelihood of a potential lopsided set for Tien is a mistake as far as I’m concerned.

More tennis previews can be found on the expert insights page.

Learner Tien Recent Form

This is Tien’s first match since his impressive run through the qualifying draw and all the way into the fourth round of the main draw at the Australian Open. He proved that not only could he play up against strong competition, but that he had the physical ability to play multiple five set matches.

I still think his ceiling is low at the moment with his lack of raw firepower, but the physicality is already ATP Tour ready, his variety is solid, his point construction and tactical awareness are  well beyond his years and he’s proven that he can win tennis matches even without the power that others possess.

Throw in a manageable opponent in a very tough spot from a scheduling standpoint and I’m happy to have a larger wager on him to win in fairly convincing fashion.

Adam Walton Recent Form

Other than the two deep runs made by Walton in Brisbane over the course of the last fortnight, Walton’s form has been fairly average. He’s a player that is too good for the Challenger circuit (or at least the American and Australian fields he typically signs up for), yet too underpowered and not quite good enough to be a main tour regular.

Even if the organizers in Delray Beach afford Walton the time for a Wednesday start, I’m not sure that’s enough for me to consider the travel and amount of play the last two weeks unimportant.

Then there’s the fact that I think even in favourable conditions schedule-wise this version of Tien is a tough matchup for him.

With Delray Beach courts usually playing on the slower side relative to most hard courts and the humidity in the air causing balls to fluff up quickly, the conditions at this event aren’t likely to suit his game either.

Learner Tien vs Adam Walton H2H – Stat of the Match

Walton did win the lone match between these two, but that was nearly 18 months ago now and to say Tien has improved his game since then would be an understatement.

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