Gianluca Mager vs Attila Balazs Odds and Pick: ATP Rio Open Semifinals

• There is just one win remaining for one of these men to reach the Rio Open Final on Sunday
• Ginaluca Mager and Attila Balazs have been putting on a clinic
• Check out the odds and who we believe will win this showdown Saturday night

After a bit of a rain delay, the other side of the bracket of the Rio Open semifinals are officially set for Saturday night on February 22, 2020.

It may not be the sexiest match in the world, but both Gianluca Mager and Attila Balazs have earned their way to this stage. Coming into this tournament, both men were unseeded but have quickly proven that it doesn’t matter at all.

With one more victory punching the winner’s ticket to the finals, the oddsmakers believe it will be Gianluca Mager that cashes in.

Gianluca Mager vs Attila Balazs Odds

Odds taken Feb. 22nd

Upsets Galore

When the draw of the Rio Open was first announced, Gianluca Mager was an afterthought. At 25 years of age, he has steadily climbed up the rankings but he wasn’t considered elite.

But with a career-high 48 wins in 2019 and 31 of them coming on the clay courts, he should have been viewed as a much bigger threat to the title.

Mager’s first round match with Casper Ruud was a blow out in the making. Ruud was a young star after all. He currently occupies the 34th rank in the world and he already took home a title during the early portion of this 2020 season.

The credentials are great but were meaningless to Mager as he took down the number 8 seed in straight sets.

https://twitter.com/EllAugusto/status/1231276760337088514?s=20

Next up for Ruud was Joao Domingues. The two battled for over an hour and a half but it was Mager who came out on top with a straight sets win.

With two wins under his belt, it was time for Mager to go home. He made a bit of a name for himself during this run but it was time for him to go.

That was the prevailing thought when he was matched up with number one seeded Dominic Thiem. Yet, not only did Mager take him down, but he did so in straight sets. That coupled with his other upset over Casper Ruud, has made him a healthy favorite over Attila Balazs. But should he be?

Attila Balazs Has Been Impressive as Well

Much like his semifinal opponent, Attila Balazs was expected to be bounced in the opening round. When you’re matched up against clay court specialist Pablo Cuevas and world number 46, it’s easy to see why. With that being said, it was Balazs who won in straight sets victory.

Another clay court lover in Thiago Monteiro awaited Balazs in the following round. After splitting the first two sets, it was Balazs who squeaked by in the decider to set up a contest against you guessed it, another clay court player. This time in the form of Pedro Martinez.

Balázs Attila ütői a győztes meccs után kelendőek. Jópofa, ahogy magyarázza a szurkolói gyerekeknek, hogy neki az még ma kellene az elődöntőhöz. 23.00 körül 500-as döntőbe juthat. Nem esélytelen, miután ellenfele, az olasz Mager megverte Thiemet. #RioOpen #balazsattila #TeamHUN pic.twitter.com/oRtlAqOStp

— Sergő Z. András (@ryzsy) February 22, 2020

Things didn’t come easy in this one as Balazs dropped the first set. The second didn’t look too great for him either but as luck would have it, a rain delay forced play to the next day. Balazs took advantage of the break in momentum and took home the win in the three sets.

How Do They Matchup?

When you’re comparing two players that have a bit of history with one another, sometimes it can be difficult to use that information with confidence.

Players are constantly getting better. So just because one particular player has another’s number, it doesn’t mean that’s how the match is going to play out going forward.

In the case of Gianluca Mager and Attila Balazs, their history with one another will absolutely play a huge role in this contest. It was just a few days ago, six to be exact, that these two men met. During that encounter, it was Mager who walked away with the straight sets victory.

Balazs will obviously look to put that loss behind him but with Mager clicking on all cylinders right now, this contest might just be on the racket of Mager.

Mager vs Balazs Stats

Final Pick: Gianluca Mager

Not much has changed between now and their first contest. It was after all less than a week ago. Gianluca Mager has some impressive scalps on his list of victories so far and expect him to add Attila Balazs to it.

Take Gianluca Mager for the win.