Matteo Gigante is a young and ambitious tennis player who has been actively advancing his career in recent years. In 2024, he impressed at the Indian Wells tournament, making it through the qualifiers and winning matches against players like Mitchell Krueger and Botic Van de Zandschulp. These successes indicate his excellent preparation and ability to adapt to different conditions.
Gigante’s strengths include a great serve, especially effective on the second serve, as well as a powerful forehand and excellent court speed. However, his return game is still a work in progress, which remains his weak point. Despite this, the Italian is capable of surprising if he can maintain a high level of play.
In the previous season, Matteo won two titles at Challenger events in Nontaburi and Tenerife. These victories were important milestones in his career, confirming his progress and potential competitiveness at higher levels.
Sebastian Baez is a prime example of a fighter who is not afraid of challenges and is always ready to battle until the last point. He is a true “worker” with character, often managing to turn matches in his favor through persistence and excellent physical fitness. Baez is a master on clay, making him a dangerous opponent on this surface. His key weapon is his forehand with a pronounced topspin, as well as his excellent mobility around the court, which allows him to not only defend well but also quickly transition to attack.
Although Baez has some issues with his serve due to his relatively short stature (170 cm), his other strengths more than compensate for this weakness. The Argentine has achieved significant success in recent years: in 2023, he won the title in Rio de Janeiro, and in 2024, he triumphed at the Santiago tournament. At Indian Wells, Baez reached the third round, further showcasing his high level of play.
Sebastian Baez is undoubtedly the favorite in this upcoming match. His experience and consistency at higher-level tournaments, along with his strong performance on hard courts, give him the edge in this encounter. While Gigante possesses good qualities, especially with his serve and forehand, Baez is likely to control the game with his movement and endurance.
That being said, Gigante should not be underestimated. He is a young and ambitious player capable of surprises. If he can maintain the tempo and capitalize on return opportunities, he could pose problems for Baez. Overall, despite Gigante’s strengths, we predict that Sebastian Baez will emerge victorious, given his more established form and experience.
In this match, bookmakers have set the odds at 2.19 for Gigante and 1.68 for Baez, with the total over 22.5 games offered at 2.00 and under 22.5 games at 1.80. While Baez likely holds the edge in terms of class, his performance on hard courts this season has been far from stellar, with no wins so far. Gigante, on the other hand, has shown great form by successfully qualifying for Indian Wells and could have the opportunity to defeat the Argentine.
Our prediction: Gigante to win at odds of 2.13.
