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Przysiezny has been lost so far this year, and nothing suggests he'll improve. He is so far at a 6-24 won-lost score, which speaks by itself. Apart from that, he rather struggled against Travaglio in the first round, a man with seven wins on concrete in his career and 14 matches played. The Polak played three tie breaks, won less points than a pure clay player on concrete, and Travaglia could have done even better were it not for his 1/6 break points. If we consider everything, his form, games, the impression he left this season and in the first round match here in New York, I just don't see why he is any kind of a favorite against Kravchuk. The Russian is a good server and specializes in faster surfaces. He would also like to play indoors or on grass, but he played nine matches on concrete after Wimbledon as well, and this was the first one for Przysiezny, and he did not exactly shine. He is in terrible shape and only managed to take Travaglia's serve once in a three set, three tie break match, which goes to prove his bad rhythm, lack of confidence. I think the Russian will know how to take advantage of that, especially as he is a player ho goes with the strikes, does now wait, has distinct strengths in the form of his serve and aggressive playstyle, and I believe that will be enough to beat Przysiezny in this state. Details

The New Zealand team play a game of basketball atypical for Europe, looking for a lot of three point shots, with lots of screens and rhythm in their game. In all three of their matches at the Lithuanian tournament they went over the 149 margin, and their opponents were Lithuania, Greece and Slovenia, meaning teams on par with Serbia. This Serbian team, led by Aleksandar Đorđević, also looks for tempo, and those of you who saw their match against Turkey a few days ago could hear plenty of him during time-outs saying that he wants the team to play faster. Compared to that game against Turkey, as well as in the game against Argentina before that, and at the tournament in France, Miloš Teodosić will be on the rotation again, and with him involved Serbia's offense gets a whole different dimension. Teodosić was brilliant on offense at the tournament in Italy, and did a superb job on point guard. Today Krstić should play as well, and such a Serbian team should go over 85 points, which should, in my opinion, be enough to cross the 150 margin. Details

I'm continuing with Bedene as I'm convinced he is a level above everyone else here. The Slovene was underrated due to his wrist issues, but he learned to play through that, and is usually OK after some resting. His performance in the first round showed he is not having any problems at the moment, as he had a 100% first serve (23/23), with Marti unable to get even a break point. Basilashvili will not fare much better either. He beat Gerasimov only after a major battle, in a match with 30 break points where both players asked for help from the physiotherapist. Bedene is ATP material, while the Georgian has yet to prove himself at challengers. Experience will play a major role here as well, as will stronger strikes by the Slovene. He should be through in two sets. Details

Rapid entered this season rather weaker than in the previous one, and the results are the best proof of that - they won just five points in five matches. They've got some issues with absences as well, while Helsinki are entering this match with a much better situation. They have a clear situation in the championship where they are doing games at literally 50% power with plenty of rotations, and are much more prepared for this game. I think the worse they can do today is a draw, but I believe the home team will win, and will back them up with this handicap. Details

Dinamo have high hopes in the championship this season, and don't have the least interest to make things complicated against Omonia. They could use a rest for their key players in the rematch, so I believe they will go go in a bit harder to resolve matters right away, in the first match. Omonia looked solid in their recent games, especially on defense, but the teams they played against are nowhere near Dinamo, so one should take that with caution. Quality is undoubtedly on the side of Dinamo, now that they also have Valbuena, who will feed passes to Kuranyi and Kokorin. I expect a heap of chances for Dinamo to score, and a victory with at least a 2 goal lead. Details

There is a big difference between Jaziri and Chiudinelli at the moment. The Swiss' career is in decline, while the Tunisian's is gaining momentum. While the Swiss played challengers and lost to Mannarin and Cipolla, Jaziri played at the highest level over the past weeks, beating two Top 50 players and holding a break advantage against Čilić. Here he beat the tricky Buchanan in three sets, who is ranked better at 23 years old than the Swiss is. This handicap can play in three sets too, as if it comes to hat, 32-year old Chiudinelli will feel it worse. Details

This has to be played, as Netherlands are unjustifiably underrated here. Less than a month and a half ago they easily beat Greece, and some might say the Greeks did not care back then. For the Croatian junior team that was an extremely important match in the third round of qualifications, as a win by Netherlands eliminated them from this EC. They watched the match in the arena, and held not grudge against the Greeks. The Greek team played to the max and fought, but the Dutch were too strong that day, destroying Greece with their blocking and unpleasant serves. Netherlands won a total of 23 small points more in three sets, so it's no wonder their selector is saying he knows what to do to win against Greece. The Match-up here favors the Dutch, whose block and serve will be a problem for the Greeks today. Compared to their last match Greece have Psoma this time, and seem to be in better form, but let me repeat, the was Netherlands play does not suit them at all. There will be no shortage of motive on either side, as the Dutch secure the elimination round, while Greece may advance even if they lose, as the Czech will hardly managed to beat Serbia. Taking all that into account, the Dutch have much more of a chance here than the bookmakers give them, and anything above 2.00 on Netherlands is worth playing for a smaller stake. Details