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DAILY ANALYSIS .. with OnThePunt's Tennis expert

Tournament Summary: +45.06 units

MEN'S FINAL - SUNDAY

Lleyton Hewitt 1.15 AUS (1) v. David Nalbandian ARG (28)

- Not much to say here, except that Hewitt will have to be careful not to take the Argentinean too lightly. Don't be perturbed by the 'clay courter' tag - Nalbandian plays a great game on the grass. He is the first person ever to reach the final in his first attempt at the All England Club and plays a similar game to Schalken, who as we all remember troubled Lleyton in the quarter final. It's a shame that the Argentinean will be seeing Centre Court for the first time, but it is a final so don't discount a boilover.

NO PLAY

SEMI FINALS - FRIDAY

PLAY:

Lleyton Hewitt AUS (1) v. Tim Henman GBR (4) (M1 Ctr)

- Dim Tim has been winning matches without playing his best tennis, so if he were to lift his game today, he must be rated some chance. I was ready to declare Hewitt a certainty in this one, but the Aussie showed some definite signs of vulnerability in his match with Schalken. As soon he let the match points go by in the 3rd set, he started to look very tentative and was clearly struggling with the forehand from the back. I know that the Brit is yet to come out on top in five meetings, but experience counts for a lot late in the second week of Wimbledon, and Henman in his fourth semi here compared to Hewitt's first, looks to have the edge in that department.

Henman (3 units at 3.50 - Sportodds) -3

Other Matches (Selections in Bold):

Xavier Malisse 1.50 BEL (27) v. David Nalbandian ARG (28) (M2 Ctr)

- Both players are making their first appearance in a Grand Slam semi-final. Malisse has got past two of the best servers in the game is his last two five set matches. He had too much for the physically exhausted Krajicek in the quarters and as previously noted, continues to display a new found maturity and patience in his tennis. The 20 year-old Nalbandian is still undefeated in his first main-draw appearance at the All England Club after a stunning run that continued yesterday with a five set win over Lapentti. He has the game to be dangerous on the grass and is competitive at the net. The Belgian looks to have the edge in class but has come up too little short for mine.

QUARTER FINALS - THURSDAY (+1.4 units)

PLAYS:

Xavier Malisse BEL (27) v. Richard Krajicek NED (M2 Ct1)

- Malisse is through to his first Grand Slam quarter final with wins over Blanco, Spadea, Kafelnikov - all in straight sets - and a five set win over Rusedski. The new found maturity and patience worked a treat in his match with Rusedski. He may not get as much of a chance to work his back court game against the big serving Dutchman, but surely this is the end of 31 year-old Krajicek's Herculean run. Malisse will return and pass with more accuracy than the 'Scud', and if he can keep playing the smart tennis he's been displaying this week, I like his chances today.

Malisse (4 units at 2.35 - Centrebet) +5.4

David Nalbandian ARG (28) v. Nicolas Lapentti ECU (22) (M2 Ct2)

- You wouldn't have put bad money on one of these two making the semi final, but it once again shows how the young clay courters are more willing to adapt their games to the grass. The winner will be the first South American to reach the semis in the last 43 years. Lapentti, the only Ecuadorian to get this far other than cousin Andres Gomez, who reached the 1984 quarters, has posted wins over Jamie Delgado, Cowan, Pavel and Clement. Having played just one short of the maximum twenty sets on his way to this point, one might expect tiredness to kick in but with a rest day and a tremendous fighting ability (now an impressive 20-8 in five setters) he looks a narrow fave in my book. Nalbandian got past an out of sorts Arthurs in the round of 16 and looks to have edge in the firepower stakes but might be left wanting at the net with Lapentti's dangerous drop volley. The Ecuadorian also has the advantage of playing two of his previous matches on Court 2.

Lapentti (4 units at 1.85 - Sportodds) -4

Other Matches (Selections in Bold):

Lleyton Hewitt 1.16 AUS (1) v. Sjeng Schalken NED (18) (M3 Ct1)

- Everybody's already talking about a Hewitt/Henman semi final, but this won't be a walk in the park. Schalken has only dropped one set here with wins against Pless, Chang, Morrison and Vacek to take his record to 12-1 on the grass in the last four weeks. His only loss was to Hewitt in the semi of Queens and he also lost to the Aussie at the French Open, taking a set off him, but also losing two set 6-1. Comments from Schalken regarding his game plan and attempt to turn the tables on Hewitt is of some concern: "I don't have my tactics yet against him. I play two times a little different, but I have to think about that. Obviously, I am not storming to the net against him, because my volleys are not good enough. But I think you are going to see a lot of baseline rallies. But, yeah, I tried to play in Queen's like that, but he still beat me. He was the better player, so I don't know. I'll see how it works in the quarterfinals in two days." Hewitt has been in devastating form this week - straight sets wins over Bjorkman, Carraz, Knowle and Youzhny - completing an 11-1 record on the turf this month - second only to Schalken. The price does look a little prohibitive, but I can't be taking a guy who sounds beaten before he hits the court.

Tim Henman 1.12 GBR (4) v. Andre Sa BRA (M2 Ctr)

- Sa is the just second Brazilian to to reach the quarters at SW19 - after Kuerten in 1999. He has posted wins over Dupuis, Koubek, Saretta and Lopez - all in four or five sets. The 1st round win over Dupuis was probably most impressive, but what it does show is that he is willing to adapt his games to the lawn. He is essentially a baseliner who has improved his net game with a lot of doubles' play in recent times, but it won't be enough today. Dim Tim has had a tough run to the quarters with hard fought wins over Draper, Ferreira and Kratochvil, but will get a welcome breather today.

4TH ROUND - MONDAY (+8.4 units)

PLAYS:

Xavier Malisse BEL (27) v. Greg Rusedski GBR (23) (M3 Centre)

- Both have impressed on their way through to the last 16. It was a dominating display of serve and volley tennis from the Brit that saw him past a perplexed Roddick, while Malisse looks to have discovered a new found maturity and patience in recent times, as evidenced in his win over Kafelnikov. If he can keep this up he has huge potential on the tour. The talented Belgian returns and passes with much more accuracy than Roddick and looks over the odds against the inconsistent Brit.

Malisse (3 units at 3.00 - Bet365) +6

Feliciano Lopez ESP v. Andre Sa BRA (M2 Ct3)

- The confident Lopez in looking to become the first Spaniard since Manuel Orantes in 1972 to reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. "If I play the way I played today in the next round, I think I have a possibility to reach the quarter-finals.", he said after his upset win over Schuettler. By all accounts, the Spaniard has been serving well and has been using his reach to good effect at the net. The Brazilian Sa looks to have the edge in experience, but youth and exuberance will come out on top for mine.

Lopez (5 units at 1.83 - William Hill) -5

Nicolas Lapentti ECU (22) v. Arnaud Clement FRA (M1 Ct2)

- The Frenchman received muscle treatment to his right thigh in his match with O Rochus, but it is not expected to pose a serious problem today. With two five setters in his past three matches (taking his five-set record to 19-8), Lapentti, who is now highest-seeded player in the draw's bottom half at No. 22, will appreciate the two rest days. Lapentti does enjoy playing at SW19 - two seasons ago he stunned Greg Rusesdki in a Davis Cup match on Court No. 1 and led his county to upset over England. Clement is in some very handy form at the moment, but I feel Lapentti might have too much fighting ability to win what should be another lengthy encounter.

Lapentti (4 units at 2.85 - Sportodds) +7.4

Other Matches (Selections in Bold):

Lleyton Hewitt AUS (1) v. Mikhail Youzhny 5.50 RUS (M1 Centre)

- The young Russian has progressed well through the first week. He has been serving well and with one of the most dangerous backhand's on the tour certainly has the ability to upset Hewitt (they met at he Dutch lead up with the Aussie, motivation questionable, winning a tight encounter in three sets), who remains far from convincing at the net. Whether he has the mental stability and strength to go the distance on Centre Court is only doubt for me.

Sjeng Schalken 1.22 NED (18) v. Jan Vacek CZE (M1 Ct13)

- These two met as recently as Queen's with the Dutchman winning 4 & 2. Expect a similar result today. Vacek, having never progressed past the 1st round of a slam before, has done very well to get to this stage, but he comes up against a much tougher opponent in the round of 16. Schalken, now 11-1 on the grass the last 3-4 weeks, looks to have to far too much all-round game for the Czech.

Tim Henman 1.16 GBR (4) v. Michel Kratochvil SUI (M2 Ct1)

- The Brit looked to be mentally tough in his win over Ferreira but it could have become very interesting had the South African snared one of those two tie-breaks. Kratochvil has proved himself to be more than capable on grass, but is yet to prove himself against a player of Henman's quality on centre stage.

Mark Philippoussis 1.57 AUS v. Richard Krajicek NED (M3 Ct 2)

- A classic grass court game has got the Dutchman through to the round of 16 - a stunning effort when you consider that he had only played one match in the preceding 20 months. The Thai Srichaphan played straight into the Dutchman's game plan the the 3rd round match - rarely coming to net, but don't expect the Scud to do the same. He'll be sure to target the weaker backhand and will have far too much power.

David Nalbandian ARG (28) v. Wayne Arthurs 1.33 AUS (M1 Ct18)

- Nalbandian won his first Tour title in Estoril, and found himself seeded 28th in his debut Wimbledon, despite having never even played a tour-level grass court match before. His win on Friday means that he is still undefeated on grass and this is further than he has ever gone in a Grand Slam. He does possess a powerful groundstroke and a good passing ability, but he'll have to improve his 1st percentage of just 41% versus Bastl in his last game and I doubt he'll be able to find any rhythm today. The 31 year-old Arthurs, who has matched his '99 performance at Wimbledon, has not had his service broken in 52 games and has put down 81 aces, a total equalled only by compatriot Philippoussis and served 32 aces and just 2 double faults in his match with Dent.

3RD ROUND - SATURDAY (+/- 0 units)

PLAYS:

Adrian Voinea ROM v. Jan Vacek CZE

- Both players are in uncharted waters when it comes to the third round at Wimbledon. Vacek, 3-14 for '02 coming to SW19, has got past a retiring Golmard and an inexperienced qualifier Ancic. The Romanian is coming off an impressive win over Santoro and has shown some very handy form on the faster surfaces this year. He looks to have the superior form and ability at the net to have the edge today.

Voinea (5 units at 1.83 - Bet365) -5

Andre Sa BRA v. Flavio Saretta BRA

- Yes, a Brazilian will make it to the round of 16 at Wimbledon! Saretta with his powerful groundstrokes, hit the headlines by taking out Aus Open champ Johannson in a marathon 1st round match and followed that up with a four-set win over German qualifier Waske. His countryman Sa, in his 5th straight Wimbledon, has played well off the dirt before and has wins over Dupuis and Koubek to his credit. The more experienced Sa has the clear edge at the net and better all-round grass court game to take this one.

Sa (4 units at 2.25 - Bet365) +5

Other Matches (Selections in Bold):

Lleyton Hewitt 1.04 AUS (1) v. Julian Knowle AUT

- The Austrian does have a style of play that lends itself to grass court tennis. He was tremendously successful when coming to the net in his 2nd round match against Nieminen, winning 40 of 49 net approaches. The Aussie will have to guard against getting too far ahead of himself here, but should have too much backcourt game.

Mikhail Youzhny 2.50 RUS v. Nicolas Escude FRA (16)

- I've been a big fan of the Russian in the lead-up, but he'll have to lift his game if he is to get past the Frenchman today. He racked up a mammoth 95 unforced errors in an unconvincing five-set win over Gaudio on Thursday. Escude, who put Hewitt out in the round of 16 last year and has been troubled by an abdominal strain this week, has dropped a set each to Bogdanovic and Rosset on his way through and has also been far from convincing. Experience will probably get him over the line, but the value looks to be with the young Russian.

Jeff Morrison 3.75 USA v. Sjeng Schalken NED (18)

- The American played a great game on Thursday, when as predicted, he played all over J-C Ferrero. This will be much tougher. The grass loving Dutchman is a stunning 10-1 on the grass this month and will have the edge in experience. Having said that, Morrison, who is now the last American draw, won't go down without a fight and this price does look attractive.

Tim Henman 1.28 GBR (4) v. Wayne Ferreira RSA

- The Brit leads the head-to-head 4-2, including a three set win at Queen's last year. The veteran South African, with wins over Portas and Ljubicic, always seems to make hard work of his matches but certainly represents a dangerous opponent for Dim Tim today. Scott Draper's 1st set win on Thursday showed that Henman can be vulnerable to the attacking style of play. The patriotic fervour might just get him through, but I won't be touching this price.

Radek Stepanek CZE v. Michel Kratochvil 1.57 SUI

- The Czech impressed with his win over the more fancied Sluiter in the second round. The qualifier, who has only dropped one set dating back to Roehampton, looks to have the serve and ability at the net to be quite a proposition on grass. Whether he has the experience and poise to take out Kratochvil is another question.

Feliciano Lopez ESP v. Rainer Schuettler 1.28 GER (17)

- The 'marathon man' Spaniard has progressed via two five setters - 11-9 in the 5th versus Greek qualifier Economidis and 10-8 in the 5th against Canas, after saving four match points in the 3rd set. He has served well and by all accounts been quite impressive at the net, but the German is playing some of the best tennis of his career this year and was very impressive with his win over Sargsian on Thursday.

3RD ROUND - FRIDAY (+13.7 units)

PLAY:

Yevgeny Kafelnikov RUS (5) v. Xavier Malisse BEL (27)

- The Belgian looks overs for mine after coming up at a general 7/4. The Russian did turn his horror stretch around with a win at Halle, but the highest ranked player he defeated there was the 49th ranked Bjorkman. Both came through their 2nd round matches without dropping a set, but Kafelnikov was stretched by the back court play of Thomann in the 1st set to 10-8 in the breaker. Malisse is yet to drop a set here this week, and if he can stay strong mentally, he has the returning ability and the game to cause the upset today.

Malisse (4 units at 2.75 - Bet365) +7

MULTI:

Taylor Dent USA v. Wayne Arthurs 1.67 AUS

- The 21 year-old son of Phil has notched up confidence building wins over Mirnyi and Gambill after a dreadful lead-up to SW19. Arthurs, who defeated Dent 4 & 2 on clay earlier in the year, is also playing with great confidence at the moment having got past a couple of dangerous opponents in Russell and Novak since his Nottingham final. He looks to posses the better all-round game and expect the Aussie to put his experience to good use today.

Arnaud Clement 1.40 FRA v. Olivier Rochus BEL

- The in-form Frenchman will give the younger Rochus brother more fight than Safin did on Wednesday. He has backed up last week's final with wins over Montanes and Todd Martin, had already defeated Rochus 2 & 5 on hardcourt this year. Should be too experienced and grass court savvy for the youngster.

(5 units at 2.34 - SportingOdds) +6.7

Greg Rusedski 2.00 GBR (23) v. Andy Roddick USA (11)

- Don't expect too many rallies in this one. The ways things have gone this week, the American looks to have the edge in the serving department, but I'm still not convinced about his returning ability. Rusedski failed to impress me in the lead-up, but took care of the dangerous H-T Lee in the 2nd round and will be confident coming into this. Roddick's lack of grass court experience and limited success against the left-handed serve-volley types have me leaning towards the Brit. Very tough.

Mark Philippoussis 1.45 AUS v. Nicolas Kiefer GER

- The Scud lived up to his reputation by serving up a massive 30 aces in his straight sets win over Enqvist in the 2nd round. The heavy reliance on serve is always a concern, but he should have too much power for Kiefer, who despite defeating Federer on the way to the final of Halle in the lead-up, has been very disappointing in '02.

Richard Krajicek NED v. Paradorn Srichaphan 2.50 THA

- The Dutchman has surprised many with his comeback here. To win 11-9 in the 5th against the match-fit Blake was a great effort, and while it was by no means a 'marathon' at just over three hours, the effort will surely take something out of him. Srichaphan meanwhile, claimed the huge scalp of Agassi in the 2nd round, and while still questionable at the net, looks overs at this price.

George Bastl SUI v. David Nalbandian 1.70 ARG (28)

- Bastl took out Sampras but the untold errors and slowness of the past champ was more the deciding factor for mine. He advances passed the 1st round for the first time while a lengthy five-set doubles match yesterday might not be the ideal lead-up to this one. Nalbandian, while a stranger to lawn tennis, can play off the dirt and looks to have the ability at the net to take this one.

Andrei Pavel 1.55 ROM (15) v. Nicolas Lapentti ECU (22)

- Tough match to pick with any confidence. Pavel must be given the edge at the net, but Lapentti, holding a 3-0 head-to-head record and coming off a solid win over Cowan, is a fighter and has already cost us a few plays this week.

2ND ROUND - THURSDAY (-1.48 units)

PLAYS:

Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (9) v. Jeff Morrison USA

- The Spaniard put the French Open disappointment behind him with a four set win over a disappointing Godwin, while the lucky loser Morrison had very few errors in his straight sets win over Okun. I'm still prepared to oppose Ferrero - he's still left wanting at the net and Morrison, winner of the Surbiton Challenger in the lead-up, should have the smarts to exploit the weakness.

Morrison (4 units at 2.63 - Bet365) +6.52

Wayne Ferreira RSA v. Ivan Ljubicic CRO (30)

- The veteran South African put his bad back behind him when getting past Portas while Ljubicic had an expected win over Ramon Delgado. These two met in a classic encounter at the Aussie Open in January when Ljubicic led two sets to none and 5-2 in the third only to lose the match (and my confidence!). That history should have the big serving Croatian fired up for revenge today.

Ljubicic (4 units at 2.50 - Sportodds) -4

MULTI:

Gaston Gaudio ARG (24) v. Mikhail Youzhny 1.45 RUS

- As expected, Gaudio got past Guzman on Tuesday showing he is not totally lost on the grass. But Youzhny, despite a second set lapse, made light work of Vahaly, and does look very comfortable on this surface.

Michael Chang USA v. Sjeng Schalken 1.18 NED (18)

- It was a typical fighting effort from the aging American that saw him win only his 2nd match on the ATP Tour for '02. He got past Burgsmuller despite being down a break in each of the last two sets. Expect Schalken, now 9-1 on grass this month, to have far too much game for the Yank today.

Raemon Sluiter 1.43 NED v. Radek Stepanek CZE

- The Czech has come through qualifying and a 1st round match with Saulnier without dropping a set, but he comes up against a Dutchman in some very handy form. Sluiter, well suited to the grass, disposed of Robredo in the 1st round and looks a solid bet today. 

Michel Kratochvil 1.30 SUI v. Irakli Labadze GEO

- Kratochvil followed up a solid preparation with a straight sets win over Davydenko while Labadze, as predicted, had too much for an ill-prepared El Aynaoui. The Georgian will have his work cut out today however and will struggle to match the grass court game of his opponent.

Guillermo Canas 1.10 ARG (10) v. Feliciano Lopez ESP

- Canas has shown to be surprisingly skilful at the net despite his clay court pedigree. He got past Kohlmann in straight sets in the 1st round and in doing so just making 12 errors over 214 points. Lopez did well to get through 11-9 in the 5th against Greek qualifier Economidis, but this is much tougher.

(4 units at 3.50 - Sportodds) -4

Other Matches (Selections in Bold):

Lleyton Hewitt 1.03 AUS (1) v. Gregory Carraz FRA

- The French journeyman got through qualifying without dropping a set to get in only his second Grand Slam tourney, the first since the '96 French Open. A four set win over Mamiit will earn him a nice cheque but Hewitt impressed against Bjorkman and will be right for this.

Julian Knowle AUT v. Jarkko Nieminen 1.67 FIN (32)

- The Austrian can consider himself a little fortunate to get past Llodra by all reports, after a mammoth 83 unforced errors. Nieminen had a scratchy lead-up with 1st round losses to Motomura and Parmar while a win over the wildcard Brit MacKin doesn't give us much to go on. Very tough.

Marc Rosset SUI v. Nicolas Escude 1.40 FRA (16)

- The Frenchman made a lot of errors in his four set win over 18 year-old British wildcard Bogdanovic in the 1st round, while I can't help thinking the problem with the stomach muscle is causing some problems. He should have too much for the veteran player and "part-time" coach, but this looks like one to avoid.

Fabrice Santoro 1.40 FRA (25) v. Adrian Voinea ROM

- The Frenchman made rather hard work of the clay courter Calleri who was by all accounts going for broke at every opportunity. The determined Romanian is through to the 2nd round for the 1st time in five appearances at Wimbledon, but is likely to be outplayed today.

Jan Vacek CZE v. Mario Ancic 1.67 CRO

- Goran #2 steps up to the plate again. As I mentioned on Tuesday, the 18 year-old is no stranger to the grass courts after finishing runner-up in the boy's singles here in 2000. Vacek, through to the 2nd round of a Slam for the 1st time in five attempts, has been very ordinary this year, so if the youngster can put Tuesday behind him, he must be favoured again today.

Tim Henman 1.05 GBR (4) v. Scott Draper AUS

- No problems for Henman in the 1st round while Draper had a hard fought win over Caratti to continue his form through Roehampton qualifying. The talented Aussie will relish the chance to get a shot at the hometown fave and will try his best to force the play, but the obvious gap in class and ability looks insurmountable. Henman in four.

Sargis Sargsian ARM v. Rainer Schuettler 1.53 GER (17)

- The Armenian, who made the 3rd round here last year, is running into some decent form since returning from minor surgery and clearly appreciates playing on the grass. Schuettler got past the dangerous Arazi in the 1st round after surprisingly deciding to play his home clay challenger last week. Looks under the odds at this price.

Stefan Koubek 1.66 AUT (31) v. Andre Sa BRA

- Very tough to pick this one. Both won their 1st round encounters in five sets and it's not to see this one going the distance as well. The Austrian will run all day and might just get enough balls back to come out on top.

Alexander Waske GER v. Flavio Saretta 1.57 BRA

- As previously mentioned, Saretta took Escude to two tie-breaks in the Dutch tourney last week and he backed up that form with a marathon win over Johansson 12-10 in the 5th. It won't be easy to get back up for this as the German qualifier does have some solid form of late, allbeit at Challenger level.

2nd ROUND - WEDNESDAY (-9.15 units)

PLAYS:

James Blake USA (29) v. Richard Krajicek NED

- The 1996 champion Krajicek, who just a month ago considered giving up tennis completely, did as expected got past the clay courter Squillari in the first round. The Dutchman, returning from injury is short on match practise however and will find the match fit Blake very hard to get past. While lacking experience, the American is by all accounts smart enough to become and excellent grass-court player and should have the goods here. Well over the odds.

Blake (5 units at 2.25 - Bet365) -4

Barry Cowan GBR v. Nicolas Lapentti ECU (22)

- Cowan was impressive in his first round win over Savolt, while Lapentti once again showed his fighting ability when saving four match points versus our play, another British wildcard in Jamie Delgado. With Lapentti's lack of success on grass, this looks take your pick for mine.

Cowan (4 units at 2.40 - Sportodds) -4

Paul-Henri Mathieu FRA v. David Nalbandian ARG (28)

- Both players are tremendously inexperienced on grass, but the edge must be with the Argentinean. Mathieu had a win over the aging Clavet in the 1st round and took Agassi to five in the French, but lacks the experience and preparation of his opponent.

Nalbandian (5 units at 1.83 - SportingOdds) +4.15

MULTI:

Vincent Spadea USA v. Xavier Malisse 1.35 BEL (27)

- Spadea has been playing some solid tennis in recent times with a couple of decent wins at Queen's and a fighting five-set win over Larsson in the first round. This will be much tougher however, with the Belgian having few problems against Blanco on Monday.

Taylor Dent USA v. Jan-Michael Gambill 1.58 USA

- The son of Phil impressed with a 1st round win over Mirnyi 1st after round exits at the lead-up Queen's (Sluiter) and Nottingham (Llodra). In the battle of the two big serves, expect Gambill, a quarterfinalist here in 2000, to have the superior all round game and grass court smarts.

Olivier Rochus BEL v. Marat Safin 1.10 RUS (2)

- Olivier, as expected, got past his elder brother and is developing into quite a player, but this will be much tougher. Safin impressed against Pioline and looks a class above here.

(5 units at 2.35 - Centrebet) -5

Other Matches (Selections in Bold):

Yevgeny Kafelnikov 1.17 RUS (5) v. Nicolas Thomann FRA

- The Russian is coming off a win at Halle, but there is still a slight concern about his foot injury. He made hard work of Hrbaty in two tie-breaks, while Thomann got through 11-9 in the 5th set versus Hipfl. Too short for mine.   

Greg Rusedski GBR (23) v. Hyung-Taik Lee 6.00 KOR

- The Brit got past the Austrian qualifier but this won't be as easy. H-T Lee might lack the grass court experience but he looks to be a fast learner, taking a set off Henman in the quarters of Queen's. Rusedski's form in the lead-up failed to impress, so I have to give the Korean some chance today.

Alberto Martin ESP v. Andy Roddick 1.06 USA (11)

- Should be a formality for the Yank, but the leg injury still looks to be a concern so be wary of putting this one in your multi's with "ball served" bookies.

Thomas Enqvist SWE (14) v. Mark Philippoussis 1.57 AUS

- Both players got through the 1st round impressively - Enqvist over the British wildcard Parmar and 'Pou' over Boutter. The Swede has what it takes to trouble the Aussie, but the big-serve might just be worth too many free points. In what should be a tight encounter, this price looks slightly under the odds.

Nicolas Kiefer 1.40 GER v. Fernando Gonzalez CHI

- Gonzalez has shown he's adept off the dirt with some decent wins on hardcourts over the past few years, but has very limited history on grass. Kiefer hardly impressed by taking five sets to get past Balcells on Monday, but should have too much experience to win this.

Paradorn Srichaphan THA v. Andre Agassi 1.04 USA (3)

- Agassi, a semifinalist or finalist each of past three years at Wimbledon, had no problems against Levy on Monday, but this won't be a walk in the park. The #1 Thai got past Brasington in five sets and does have a solid game for grass. Not at this price.

Pete Sampras 1.06 USA (6) v. George Bastl SUI

- Sampras faced 19 break points (he saved 18), five more than he has ever faced in a single match here in his win over Lee on Monday. He had 13 double faults and did look slow to come the net at times. Having won 57 of 58 matches here, it's hard to bet against the falling champ and even on the 'Graveyard' No. 2 Court, he should have too much for Bastl.

Wayne Arthurs 1.57 AUS v. Jiri Novak CZE (12)

- The Czech got off to a slow start vs Meligeni on Monday, but took Todd Martin to five sets here last year and has been playing some of the best tennis of his career in '02. Wayne Arthurs meanwhile, did well to get past the dangerous Russell in three with the big serve working nicely. If the serve is on, should have too much, if not, expect a close encounter.

Andrei Pavel 1.16 ROM (15) v. Karol Beck SVK

- The qualifier Beck made hard work of Simoni after coming back from two sets down on Monday. Pavel on the other hand, impressed with a win over Carlsen and coming off an excellent French Open, should have too much experience for the youngster.

Todd Martin USA (26) v. Arnaud Clement 3.00 FRA

- Expect a tight encounter. The Frenchman is coming off the Dutch final last week, while Todd Martin, despite possessing a great record at the AEC, is certainly not getting any younger. The Frenchman looks overs for mine.

1st ROUND - TUESDAY (+19.75 units)

PLAYS:

Irakli Labadze GEO v. Younes El Aynaoui MAR (13)

- Labadze looks to be a promising type who played three grass court tourneys in the lead-up - losing to Draper, Ferreira and Stoliarov in the first round of each. El Aynaoui, a winner three times this year, is another who played in the clay challenger last week but retired in the quarters with "injured fingers". He had a similar lead-up last year and made the 3rd round, but this won't be easy.

Labadze (3 units at 2.75 - Bet365) +5.25

Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (9) v. Neville Godwin RSA

- It will be interesting to see if the young Spaniard can put the disappointment of the French final behind him for this difficult encounter. Expect the savvy grass court game of Godwin to bring Ferrero into the net at every opportunity. The South African, who reached the 4th round here in '96, took Henman to a tiebreak at Queen's and definitely looks to have what it takes to send the Spaniard home from his second Wimbledon appearance.

Godwin (4 units at 2.50 - SportingOdds) -4

Lleyton Hewitt AUS (1) v. Jonas Bjorkman SWE

- Very tough opener for the number one seed. Hewitt holds a 4-0 head-to-head record, but three have been very tight encounters. Hewitt has just a 5-3 match record at the All England Club, but has shown to be potent on grass by winning three straight Queen's Club titles. Bjorkman won the Nottingham lead-up and has won his first-round match at Wimbledon four straight years, and has made at least the third round three of the past four years. Don't read too much into Hewitt's withdrawal last week other than his camp not wanting to overdo his preparation. Bjorkman summed it up, "I'm not sure if he has a stomach virus, maybe he just wanted a couple of days off. I'm sure he will be sharp when we play." The Swede will use his experience in this one and might just have the edge at the net.

Bjorkman (2 units at 4.33 - William Hill) -2

Tommy Robredo ESP (20) v. Raemon Sluiter NED

- The Spaniard got through to the semis at 's-Hertogenbosch last week but wins over Lee, Kohlmann and Allegro don't give too much away. Sluiter beat Dent, Mirnyi and Ferreira before taking a set off Henman in the semi final of Queen's before a 1st round loss to Russell in his home tournament. The Dutchman, who reached the 3rd round here in his first appearance here last year, has the game for grass and looks well over the odds in this one.

Sluiter (4 units at 2.45 - Sportodds) +5.8

MULTI #1:

Jose Acasuso ARG v. Marc Rosset 1.33 SUI

- Rosset, in his 13th appearance at the All England Club in '02, reached the 4th round here in 2000, and despite a loss to Ginepri at Queen's, must be supported to get past the clay courter in Acasuso who played in a clay challenger in Germany last week (players who did this went 1-7 on Monday).

Nikolay Davydenko RUS v. Michel Kratochvil 1.22 SUI

- The young Russian, who is at his first Wimbledon, also choose to compete in the clay challenger in Germany last week, and has very little experience on the grass. Kratochvil on the other hand, went 4-2 on grass in the lead-up inc. taking Arthurs to a tie-break in the semi of Nottingham last week.

Fernando Vicente ESP v. Sargis Sargsian 1.36 ARM

- Sargsian has returned from minor surgery and fell to Arthurs in the two lead-up's, but it was a very close result at Nottingham. He made the 3rd round here last year and will have too much for the ill-prepared Spaniard on this surface. 

(6 units at 2.21 - Bet365) +7.26

MULTI #2:

Gaston Gaudio 1.44 ARG (24) v. Juan-Pablo Guzman ARG

- Guzman surprised by getting through the Roehampton qualies to get in the main draw of his first Grand Slam, but Gaudio, while yet to win a match here in three attempts, has shown better form on faster surfaces in recent times.

Brian Vahaly USA v. Mikhail Youzhny 1.12 RUS

- Vahaly, who replaces Kucera as a lucky loser (lost to Bachelot), is performing well at the Challenger level - winning a hardcourt tourney a fortnight ago - but Youzhny has a solid game for grass, has impressed in the lead-up and will cause a few problems this week.

Kristian Pless DEN v. Sjeng Schalken 1.25 NED (18)

- Pless was runner-up in the junior here in '99, but the Dutchman, 8-1 on the grass in the lead-up with a semi final loss to Hewitt at Queen's and a win at 's-Hertogenbosch, will be very hard to beat today.

Albert Portas ESP v. Wayne Ferreira 1.11 RSA

- The Spaniard was in awful form through the clay season leading up to the French and while he did attempt Nottingham (lost to Koubek) will find this tough. Only a slight concern over Ferreira's back injury that forced him out of the quarter at Queen's.

(6 units at 2.24 - William Hill) +7.44

Other Matches (Selections in Bold):

Gregory Carraz FRA v. Cecil Mamiit 1.67 USA

- The French journeyman got through qualifying without dropping a set, to get in only his second Grand Slam tourney - the first the '96 French Open. Mamiit's lead-up includes a win over Jamie Delgado at Queen's and a loss to Massu last week at Nottingham.

Julian Knowle AUT v. Michael Llodra 1.50 FRA

- Knowle has 1st round losses to Sargsian and Canas in the lead-up while Llodra took out Dent at Nottingham. The Frenchman has proved himself to be more than capable on the grass in the past so I do like his chances today.

Alan MacKin GBR v. Jarkko Nieminen 1.28 FIN (32)

- Hard to assess the wildcard Brit, but you would expect the more experienced Nieminen to come out on top in the battle of the two twenty year-olds - both in their Wimbledon debut. Having said that, the Finn did have 1st round losses to Motomura and Parmar in the grass lead up.

Alex Bogdanovic GBR v. Nicolas Escude 1.05 FRA (16)

- Slight injury could over the Frenchman (withdrew last week citing a stomach muscle), but he will have far too much for the 18 year-old British wildcard.

Noam Okun ISR v. Jeff Morrison 1.53 USA

- Morrison gets another chance here as a lucky loser after entering qualifying as the #1 seed. He won the grass challenger at Surbiton and should have far too much game on the grass for Okun.

Michael Chang 1.57 USA v. Lars Burgsmuller GER

- The veteran Yank looks to be winding down his career, and a 1-11 on the regular tour in '02 is hard to ignore, but he did take Hewitt to two tie-breaks last week, while the German choose to play in the clay challenger. 

Fabrice Santoro 1.25 FRA (25) v. Agustin Calleri ARG

- The Argentinean clay courter can be commended for playing a grass lead-up tourney, but Santoro, by no means in the best form of his career should have too much.

Nicolas Coutelot FRA v. Adrian Voinea 1.53 ROM

- Coutelot, in his 1st appearance here, made Arthurs work in the 1st round of Queen's then decided to play the clay challenger in Germany. Voinea meanwhile is yet to advance to the 2nd round in four appearances. He had a win at each of the local lead-up tourney's so this could be the year. 

Jerome Golmard 1.61 FRA v. Jan Vacek CZE

- Both players have losses to Schalken in the lead-up. Vacek is a disappointing 3-14 this year and does lack the grass court experience of Golmard.

Mario Ancic CRO v. Roger Federer 1.10 SUI (7)

- Federer is remembered for nocking Sampras out in fourth round last year (quite a feat at the time!) and has been a quarterfinalist or better at last five grass tourneys. Ancic was runner-up in the boy's singles in 2000 (Federer won in '98), so is no stranger to the surface.

Tim Henman 1.04 GBR (4) v. Jean-Francois Bachelot FRA

- Another year for Henman so they say about the semifinalist in three of past four years. Bachelot reached the quarter-finals of the recent grass Challenger event at Surbiton and had a good hit-out at the Roehampton qualifying, so the 1/100 about Dim Tim at Hills might be slightly under the odds!

Cristiano Caratti ITA v. Scott Draper 1.57 AUS

- The Aussie progressed without dropping a set at Roehampton, but he also has an excellent pedigree on grass - winning the Stella Artois at Queen's in 1998. He has never progressed beyond the second round here, but is sure to chip and charge the Italian and cause all sorts of problems.

Ramon Delgado PAR v. Ivan Ljubicic 1.33 CRO (30)

- Delgado took Todd Martin to three sets in the 1st round of Queen's, but at 4-14 for the year is really struggling on the ATP Tour. Ljubicic is always hard to back in the early rounds but should be good enough for his first win at Wimbledon today.

Radek Stepanek CZE v. Cyril Saulnier 1.83 FRA

- Both through qualifying without dropping a set, Saulnier taking out the #1 seed Morrison in the 3rd round. Both are yet to progress to the 2nd round. Very tough.

Guillermo Canas 1.17 ARG (10) v. Michael Kohlmann GER

- The Argentinean has proved to be quite a versatile player - reaching finals on clay, grass and indoor hard courts. He had a semi final appearance in the Dutch lead-up and reached fourth round here last year. The German, out in the 1st round in two previous appearances at SW19, looks outclassed in this one.

Feliciano Lopez ESP v. Konstantinos Economidis 1.72 GRE

- The Greek qualifier, #238 in the world, is through to his first main draw at a Grand Slam but might have too much for the clay courter in Lopez who will be lost on the grass.

Hicham Arazi MAR v. Rainer Schuettler 1.85 GER (17)

- Arazi leads the head-to-head 3-0 and had a solid lead-up at the Liverpool exhibition as opposed to Schuettler who surprisingly went and played his home clay challenger. The German does have a 4-4 record at Wimbledon and has lifted his game in '02, but Arazi has played well here in the past, reaching the 3rd round in three of the past four years. Very tough.

Stefan Koubek 1.83 AUT (31) v. Justin Bower RSA

- Don't know much about the South Africa qualifier who has been playing on the Challenger Tour with limited success. Koubek has been playing some solid tennis this year and did take Schalken to five here last year, so he may just have the edge.

Anthony Dupuis 1.62 FRA v. Andre Sa BRA

- The Brazilian is playing in his fifth straight Wimbledon and is no mug on the faster surfaces. Dupuis should have the ability to get through, but I won't be touching this one.

Alexander Waske 1.72 GER v. Andrea Gaudenzi ITA

- The Italian is not having a great year at 10-17 while the grass is unlikely to bring out his best game. The German, who won a hardcourt challenger in April, came through qualifying with a win over Bastl and should have too much in his first Grand Slam appearance.

Flavio Saretta BRA v. Thomas Johansson 1.10 SWE (8)

- The Swede, who had never advanced beyond quarterfinals in 24 career majors before winning the Aus Open, has lost in second round at Wimbledon three of past five years. Saretta took Escude to two tie-breaks in the Dutch tourney last week, but will find this a tough Wimbledon debut.

1st ROUND - MONDAY (+15.44 units)

PLAYS:

Jamie Delgado GBR v. Nicolas Lapentti ECU (22)

- Dare I suggest another Brit to make the 2nd round? Cowan's doubles partner Delgado looks to have a decent chance to upset the Ecuadorian today. He went down to Agassi in the 2nd round last year then won and finished second at the two following challengers, so it's clear that he is comfortable on the surface. Lapentti meanwhile has only won two of five matches here on his least favourite surface.

J Delgado (3 units at 2.75 - Ladbrokes) -3

Alexandre Simoni BRA v. Karol Beck SVK

- Beck is a promising youngster who looks to have taken a liking to the grass. He came through the Roehampton qualies with three solid wins, the last over Bob Bryan. Simoni, also fronting up at SW19 for the first time, was defeated 1 & 4 by Santoro in the 1st round of Nottingham last week.

Beck (6 units at 1.83 - Ladbrokes) +4.98

Pete Sampras USA (6) v. Martin Lee GBR

- As much as it's disappointing to see the champ fall from grace, this is the time to profit from it. He's had three coaches in past six months and hasn't won a tournament since taking a seventh Wimbledon championship in eight years in 2000. He did not impress in the lead-up with a loss to Kiefer at Halle and with reports of a back twinge on Saturday, he looks a mile under the odds at 1.06. A big call for the Brit on Centre Court, but I can already picture the Tuesday morning headlines.

Lee (0.5 units at 8.00 - SportingOdds) -0.5

Barry Cowan GBR v. Attila Savolt HUN

- Big chance for the local wildcard to progress here. The Brit had Sampras on the ropes here last year when coming from two sets down to send the match into a 5th set.  He went down to Arazi in the Liverpool tune-up last week, but should have what it takes to get past the genuine clay courter in Savolt.

Cowan (4 units at 1.73 - SportingOdds) +2.92

MULTI #1:

Nicolas Thomann 1.50 FRA v. Markus Hipfl AUT

- Hipfl is yet to get past the 1st round in three appearances, has very little grass court form to get excited about and retired from a match versus Pless in Nottingham last week with a hamstring tear. The Frenchman looks to have a little more experience and came through the Roehampton qualifying with a marathon win over Gimelstob.

Juan Balcells ESP v. Nicolas Kiefer 1.25 GER

- Balcells made the final of Scottsdale (hard) in March, but as far as I'm aware, has not won a singles match on grass in the last four years. Kiefer meanwhile, turned his form around with a final at Halle including wins over Sampras and Federer, but mysteriously retired from his 2nd Rnd match versus Parmar at Nottingham citing fatigue. Should have few problems here however.

(5 units at 1.88 - William Hill) +4.4

MULTI #2:

Alberto Martin 1.36 ESP v. Stefano Galvani ITA

- Both coming in with limited preparation, but you have to favour Martin over the Italian who will play his first game at SW19 and is currently struggling to win challenger matches on the dirt.

Nicolas Massu CHI v. Jan-Michael Gambill 1.28 USA

- Massu had a soft draw to the 3rd round here last year before only taking four games off Agassi, while Gambill, a quarterfinalist here in 2000, had a solid tune-up at the Liverpool tournament.

Paradorn Srichaphan 1.53 THA v. Jack Brasington USA

- The qualifier Brasington is through to the main draw at Wimbledon for the first time after a four set win over veteran Pozzi at Roehampton. Srichaphan, who went out to Todd Martin in four last year, and took a set off Henman the year before, will have too much experience in this one.

(4 units at 2.66 - Bet365) +6.64

Other Matches (Selections in Bold):

Yevgeny Kafelnikov 1.17 RUS (5) v. Dominik Hrbaty SVK

- Slight concern about Kafelnikov's foot injury, but he played through it when winning five straight matches and the trophy at Halle - after being 17-18 without a title in '02. Hrbaty has a 7-3 H-H over the Russian, but they have never met on grass. He elected to play a clay challenger in Germany last week and has gone out in the 1st round in four of five appearances at Wimbledon.

Vincent Spadea USA v. Magnus Larsson 1.50 SWE

- Spadea beat Llodra and Blake at Queen's despite being troubled by a reoccurring shoulder injury. The Swede has has a nice preparation by winning a few matches at Nottingham and a tight quarter final loss to Rusedski, but looks slightly under the odds here. 

Galo Blanco ESP v. Xavier Malisse 1.11 BEL (27)

- The Belgian has come up very short for this, but he did take Federer to five sets in the 2nd round here last year and should progress.

Greg Rusedski 1.13 GBR (23) v. Jurgen Melzer AUT

- The Brit has struggled of late with a loss to Philippoussis at Queen's and a rather unimpressive performance at Nottingham. The qualifier Melzer has reached two finals in Challenger events in '02 - the latest a fortnight ago on clay in Germany - and did win the Wimbledon junior title in '99. Leaving this one alone.

Hyung-Taik Lee KOR v. Andrei Stoliarov 2.25 RUS

- Stoliarov had wins over Ferreira and Pioline here last year and defeated Labadze and Koubek last week at Nottingham before getting blown off the court by Bjorkman. Lee had a comfortable run through qualifying and took a set off Henman in the quarters of Queen's, but lacks experience on the surface. Expect a tight one here.

Bohdan Ulihrach CZE v. Andy Roddick 1.17 USA (11)

- The Yank still looks to have a lot to learn when it comes to Grand Slam experience. He went down to Bjorkman in the 1st round of Nottingham citing a leg injury as a contributing factor. Ulihrach has gone out in the 1st round here for the last three years but did have a three set loss to Kafelnikov in the Halle lead up last week. Won't be easy.

Thomas Enqvist SWE (14) v. Arvind Parmar 4.00 GBR

- The Swede, who had a soft run to the quarters last year, hasn't been in the greatest form of late while Parmar will be buoyed on by the home support. The Brit will be confident about progressing to the 2nd round for the fourth consecutive year after wins over Nieminen and Kiefer at Notthingham. Enqvist on the other hand did not impress when going down to Russell at Queen's.

Mark Philippoussis 1.25 AUS v. Julien Boutter FRA

- The 'Scud' returns to the All England Club after three successive quarter final appearances. He had wins over Lee and Rusedski at Queen's with the serve looking on song. The Frenchman doesn't have a bad serve himself, but his grass court pedigree is nowhere near that of the Aussie.

George Bastl 1.36 SWI v. James Auckland GBR Void

- Bastl is a lucky loser from qualifying, replacing Mantilla. Experience should get him over the line against Auckland who failed at the first leg of Queen's and Nottingham qualifying.

Fernando Gonzalez 2.35 CHI v. Juan Ignacio Chela ARG (19)

- Very tough to separate these two. Both clay courters, but both have shown some form on the hardcourts this year - but neither have anything on grass. Chela has been here once before - out in the 1st in '00 - but that's not much of an advantage. Have to go with the dog. 

James Blake 1.29 USA (29) v. Mariano Zabaleta ARG

- The promising American is in his first singles appearance at Wimbledon but was disappointing in his loss to Spadea at Queen's. He can get a little mentally vulnerable at times (eg. loss to Koubek in Aus Open) but should have too much for the clay courter.

Richard Krajicek 1.25 NED v. Franco Squillari ARG

- The Dutchman made his comeback from elbow surgery with a straight sets loss over Federer in his home tourney last week. One would assume the '96 champ has prepared well enough for this to get past Squillari, who has only ever won one match on grass - against Puerta in '98.

Harel Levy ISR v. Andre Agassi 1.03 USA (3)

- Concern over Levy's quad strain at Nottingham could make this a quick opening match for the 3rd favourite who has been a semifinalist or finalist each of past three years at Wimbledon.

Paul-Henri Mathieu FRA v. Francisco Clavet 1.62 ESP

- Both players coming off the clay Challenger in Germany. The Frenchman is on a wildcard for this after leading Agassi two sets to love in the round of 16 at Roland Garros, but I'm not sure he even knows how to spell g-r-a-s-s! Clavet has reached to 4th round here before and will have too much experience.

David Sanchez ESP v. David Nalbandian 1.62 ARG (28)

- Sanchez is about to take the court in the final of the clay challenger in Germany as I write, but whatever the result, it will be a huge ask to back up the next day on grass in another country. Nalbandian, will be playing his first match at SW19 (and grass?), has won before on a hardcourt while Sanchez is yet to win a match off the dirt this year.  

Max Mirnyi 1.67 BLR (21) v. Taylor Dent USA

- Both look suited to the surface but experience might be enough to get the Belarusian over the line. Dent made the semi of the Surbiton challenger, but had 1st round exits at Queen's (Sluiter) and Nottingham (Llodra). The big serve is a bonus, but his game still looks a little one-dimensional for mine.

Michael Russell USA v. Wayne Arthurs 1.33 AUS

- The big serving Aussie will always be a threat in the early rounds but can easily have his off days. A final at Nottingham is a great lead-up, but Russell has been in some solid form of his own in recent times - a win over Enqvist at Queen's and a win over Sluiter last week - and he also took a set off Arthurs when they met in the round of 16 at Queen's. Unders for mine.

Fernando Meligeni BRA v. Jiri Novak 1.17 CZE (12)

- Novak leads the H-H 3-0. The Czech took Todd Martin to five sets here last year and has been playing some of the best tennis of his career this year.

Andrei Pavel ROM (15) v. Kenneth Carlsen 2.00 DEN

- Carlsen has played some solid grass court tennis recently - a lead up to Wimbledon that included semi final appearances at the Surbiton challenger and Halle (wins over Kratochvil & Johansson). Pavel is coming off a quarter at the French but this is a tough opener. 

Todd Martin 1.33 USA (26) v. Davide Sanguinetti ITA

- The veteran Yank will have to be cautious here. The Italian beat him on the hardcourt at Memphis early in the year, is a former quarterfinalist ('98) here and took a set off Arthurs at Nottingham.

Arnaud Clement 1.13 FRA v. Albert Montanes ESP

- Montanes has the preparation of a 1st round exit at the Challenger tourney in Germany while Clement will have to back up from the final in The Netherlands from Sunday. 

Christophe Rochus BEL v. Olivier Rochus 1.57 BEL

- The Rochus brothers usually like to depart tournaments together - but not this week! The younger of the two, Olivier, looks to be developing into quite a promising player and should have the edge today, but as we all know family matches can be unpredictable!

Cedric Pioline FRA v. Marat Safin 1.25 RUS (2)

- Safin is the only man to reach quarterfinals at each of past four major's - semifinals at each of past three.  His big serve makes him always dangerous on grass, but this won't be easy - especially if he is made to come to the net often. Pioline, a past runner-up at Wimbledon, has won his first-round match six of the past seven years. Safin has been bothered by back trouble in the lead up, but did not drop his serve once when beating Gambill in the final of the Liverpool exhibition on Saturday.