4th February 2012

Youzhny vs Lacko Betting: Mikhail Youzhny can end Lacko's great run in Zagreb

The ATP tournament in Zagreb is also going to see a very interesting final, although the fans will probably be disappointed by the fact that there are no Croats in the final. Nevertheless, the contest between Mikhail Youzhny and Lukas Lacko should still bring plenty of excitement, as both guys come into this match on the back of some impressive performances.

Mikhail Youzhny eliminated the likes of Sergiy Stakhovsky, Ivo Karlovic and Michael Berrer from the event and he really seems to be on the top of his game right now. The previous season ended quite horribly for him, but he has recovered from that and looks ready for more victories and titles. And this really is a brilliant opportunity for the Russian to bounce back in style.

Admittedly, Lukas Lacko is also playing well right now and his 2-0 victory over Marcos Baghdatis deserves a lot of respect, but this will be his first final on the ATP tour and he will be under a lot of pressure. Youzhny is an experienced opponent and he will surely know how to take advantage of that. After all, he already has some ATP titles under his belt.

Most importantly, the Russian leads the H2H record 3-0 and the scorelines from those encounters show that Lacko can easily self-destruct against someone like Youzhny. The Russian was a set down in all three matches and still managed to win all of them. And those were just regular battles, not the final matches of ATP events. In my opinion, there can be only one winner here. And with the opening odds starting just below 1.70, I am definitely willing to back the Russian here. He really is a bigger favourite than the odds suggest.

Back Mikhail Youzhny to beat Lukas Lacko for a 3/10 stake at 1.65 with Pinnacle

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