Dan Evans & Andy Murray v Sander Gille & Joran Vliegen: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Dan Evans and Andy Murray snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the opening round as they came from a set down and survived five match points to defeat Japan's Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori.

They now turn their attention to Belgian pair Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen and, having confirmed last week that the Olympics will be his final event before stepping away from the sport, Murray will be determined to delay those retirement plans.

Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion and a gold medal winner in London and Rio de Janeiro, has already conquered pretty much everything the sport has to offer.

Going out on a high in Paris with a medal alongside Evans would be the icing on the cake, although they face a daunting challenge against Gille and Vliegen.

While Evans and Muirray have focused predominantly on the singles game down the years, the Belgians are prolific winners in the doubles.

Gille and Vliegen won a Masters 1000 title on the clay of Monte Carlo as recently as April and they were impressive 7-5 6-4 winners over French pair Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert in the opening round.

Dan Evans & Andy Murray v Sander Gille & Joran Vliegen betting tips and predictions

Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen to win 2-0 - 10/11

Evans and Murray were pretty fortunate to come through their opening showdown with Daniel and Nishikori as the Japanese duo squandered five match points.

The British pair showed great resolve and character but that may not count for a lot against Gille and Vliegen, who have built up an excellent relationship down the years.

While Evans and Murray have played only six competitive matches as a partnership, the Belgian pair have competed in 13 doubles finals, winning eight titles including the illustrious Monte Carlo Masters earlier this season.

They have been competing together since 2019 and they are excellent clay-court operators - they were runners-up here to Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in the French Open last year - which spells trouble for Evans and Murray.

The Brits' resilience means they will be competitive and, in what may be the last competitive match for Murray, the duo will certainly leave it all out there on the court.

However, the doubles requires a different skillset to singles and it isn't so simple to translate from one to the other, which is why the experience of Gille and Vliegen should count for plenty.

They claimed a pretty decent scalp in the opening round, defeating home favourites Fils and Humbert 7-5 6-4, and it is worth remembering that they are two top 25 players on the ATP Tour.

So defeating that French pair 2-0 shouldn't be underestimated and they are fancied to repeat the trick against the Brits, which would force Murray into a happy retirement.

Under 9.5 games in first set - 1/1

Evans and Murray made a terribly slow start in the opening round against Daniel and Nishikori and found themselves losing the first set 6-2.

If anything, this test looks even tougher than that and they could be left playing catch up with the Belgian pair expected to ease to a first-set success.

The Brits played in the doubles at the French Open in Paris in May, knowing it would be good preparation for their Olympic dream, and it ended at the first hurdle as they lost in straight sets to Sebastian Baez and Thiago Seyboth Wild.

This means Evans and Murray have played only two matches as a pair on the clay and that inexperience is sure to be capitalised on by Gille and Vliegen, who have played in a French Open final as a duo.

The occasion could get to the British pair, especially with Murray knowing it might be his final ever match, so they may be slow out of the blocks again.

With that in mind, going under 9.5 games at even-money is the approach to take.

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Dan Evans & Andy Murray v Sander Gille & Joran Vliegen odds

Dan Evans & Andy Murray - 9/4
Sander Gille & Joran Vliegen - 1/3

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.