The best tennis bets for Thursday

The world number 57 came through two qualifiers just to make the main draw and came back from losing the opening set in his last two matches,  so he has shown plenty of grit in reaching the last eight.

Albot, like Dzumhur, has generally struggled on clay this season and needed two tie-breaks to eliminate Lorenzo Sonego and then came from behind to beat Juan Ignacio Londero.

The two players met at last year's French Open and you won't be surprised to learn it went to a deciding set, so we favour this match to go the distance as well.

Albert Ramos-Vinolas vs Federico Delbonis

Ramos-Vinolas and Delbonis have met four times in the last two years, twice this season, and there is nothing to split the players at two wins apiece ahead of their Geneva Open quarter-final.

Although Delbonis leads 3-2 overall in main-draw matches, the Spaniard looks to have a slight edge having won the last two ties from behind, the latest coming in Rio de Janeiro in February.

However, the last match between the two went the way of the Argentinean 7-5 6-0 in qualifying for the Monte Carlo Masters so it appears these two are in for another ding-dong battle.

One stat that stands out, though, is that Delbonis has won the first set in his last six meetings with Ramos-Vinolas and at close to evens with most bookmakers that looks the way to go with this match.

Benoit Paire vs Denis Shapovalov

Paire has won nine of his last 12 matches on clay and he starts his Lyon Open quarter-final with Shapovalov as a slight favourite.

However, the 20-year-old Canadian won their only previous meeting on clay in three sets in Madrid last year and we're expecting a similar outcome today.

Shapovalov was two points away from defeat against Ugo Humbert in the last round but came back from a set down to reach the quarter-finals and if he shows the same resolve that he did in the latter half of his match, he should get past the inconsistent Frenchman as he did 12 months ago.

Recommended bets

Damir Dzumhur and Radu Albot to go to three sets
Federico Delbonis to win first set vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Denis Shapovalov to beat Benoit Paire 2-1

Takeaways

Federico Delbonis has won the first set against Albert Ramos-Vinolas in their last six meetings.

Damir Dzumhur's last three matches at the Geneva Open have gone to three sets.

Benoit Paire has won nine of his last 12 matches on clay.

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