|
|
|
JULY 14-20 |
ATP
KITZBUHEL
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 32 |
POSTED APPROX. 1800 AEST (0800 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 KITZ. = 1900
AEST/0900 GMT) |
ATP AMERSFOORT
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 28 |
POSTED APPROX. 1800 AEST (0800 GMT)
(STARTS 1200 AMERS. = 2000
AEST/1000 GMT) |
ATP UMAG
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 28 |
POSTED APPROX. 1800 AEST (0800 GMT)
(STARTS 1700 UMAG = 0100
AEST/1500 GMT) |
ATP INDIANAPOLIS
SURFACE: HARD - DRAW: 32 |
POSTED APPROX. 2200 AEST (1200 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 INDY = 0100
AEST/1500 GMT) |
|
Date |
Match |
Rec Unit/Price |
Rec Bookie |
Bet to |
Result |
|
AMERSFOORT |
| Jul 18 |
Montanes to
bt Acasuso |
3 at 2.10 |
 |
1.95 |
 +3.3 |
| We were getting
2.60 about Montanes a few weeks ago in Stuttgart (where he went 2-0 vs the
Argentine on clay in '08) so one has to consider whether this is still
value, but it's fair to say that Acasuso was hardly tested in his only match
here against Vasselin. If Montanes can maintain a relatively error-free game
then he looks a solid choice against a player with little match fitness in
recent times. |
| Jul 17 |
Navarro to
bt G-Pujol |
2.5 at 2.40 |
 |
2.25 |
 -2.5 |
| Navarro has been
jet setting around the world and is now on his third surface in as many
weeks. But he is in-form and now on his favoured clay. He has had time to
rest up from his opening match here. Gronollers-Pujol is 0-2 against his
countryman and is first-up since a terrible loss to Bjorkman last week in
Bastad. |
| Jul 16 |
de Bakker to
bt Gicquel |
2 at 2.75 |
 |
2.50 |
-2 |
| The number one
seed Gicquel comes in with a bye and it must be said that he was most
unimpressive losing to O Rochus in his only clay lead-up match at Bastad
last week. The young Dutchman De Bakker plays very well at home. He took a
set off Gicquel here a few years ago and looks to have improved immeasurably
since. |
|
KITZBUHEL |
| Jul 15 |
Devilder to
bt Seppi |
2 at 2.83 |
|
2.50 |
Void |
| Devilder has been
absolutely flying at challenger level over the past four weeks with two
wins, a final and semi out of four starts. Winning form is good form and
when you put that up against Seppi's only clay lead-up - a loss to Meffert
in Gstaad last week - it looks impressive. |
| Jul 15 |
A Beck to bt
Schuettler |
2 at 2.72 |
|
2.50 |
-2 |
| This match would
just about have to be take your pick had Schuettler not made the Wimbledon
semis and while he will have some newfound confidence, this is on a totally
different surface. Beck showed enough in Stuttgart last week to suggest that
he will be right in this. |
|
UMAG |
| Jul 15 |
Berlocq to
bt Daniel |
2 at 2.61 |
|
2.40 |
-2 |
| Berlocq has
struggled to perform at ATP-level in recent times, but he looks well suited
here in an event where he made the quarter finals last year. Daniel has lost
four in a row and lost his Bundesliga match (Vanek) on the weekend so he
cant be too confident. Have to oppose him in his first match in Umag at
these prices. |
|
INDIANAPOLIS |
| NO PLAYS FOR THIS
TOURNAMENT |
|
JULY 7-13 |
ATP STUTTGART
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 28 |
POSTED APPROX. 1800 AEST (0800 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 STUTTGART = 1900
AEST/0900 GMT) |
ATP GSTAAD
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 28 |
POSTED APPROX. 1800 AEST (0800 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 GSTAAD = 1900
AEST/0900 GMT) |
ATP BASTAD
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 28 |
POSTED APPROX. 1800 AEST (0800 GMT)
(STARTS 1200 BASTAD = 2000
AEST/1000 GMT) |
ATP NEWPORT
SURFACE: GRASS - DRAW: 28 |
POSTED APPROX. 1800 AEST (0800 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 NEWPORT = 0100
AEST/1500 GMT) |
|
Date |
Match |
Rec Unit/Price |
Rec Bookie |
Bet to |
Result |
|
GSTAAD |
| Jul 11 |
Cilic to bt
Andreev |
2.5 at 2.50 |
 |
2.30 |
-2.5 |
| The big servers
continue to prosper at altitude in Gstaad with conditions lending themselves
more to a slow hardcourt. Cilic has the booming service advantage on his
side. Andreev also goes very well here, but surely there wont be too much in
it at the end of the day so the underdog looks worthy of support. |
| Jul 9 |
Cilic to bt
Mathieu |
2 at 2.63 |
 |
2.30 |
+3.26 |
| Cilic has been a
hard one for me to get right, but he looks a huge chance today with a match
under the belt. Mathieu is first up since Wimbledon and while he is the
defending champ, Cilic did make the semi's here in '06 and looks suited at
altitude. He also beat Mathieu twice (albeit on grass) last month, so must
come in with some confidence. |
| Jul 9 |
Serra to bt
Andreev |
1.5 at 3.70 |
|
3.20 |
-1.5 |
| Andreev has a good
record at this venue but I'm going to need some convincing to justify his
short price today. Serra beat him in their only prior meeting on dirt and
put in a solid enough performance in the first round here. Andreev is far
too inconsistent to warrant this price, and on his first round form (Daniel
failed to take his chances), will need to lift. |
| Jul 8 |
Hanescu to
bt Patience |
4 at 1.83 |
 |
1.75 |
+3.32 |
| Patience has
started to find a little bit of form in his last two clay challengers, but
he faces somewhat of a rise in class here (although he did beat Canas last
week). Hanescu will appreciate the slightly faster conditions at altitude
and has the clear edge in the service department. |
| Jul 8 |
Chardy to bt
Horna |
2.5 at 2.26 |
|
2.20 |
+3.15 |
| Horna is backing
up after a busy week last week which saw him qualify to win the Lugano
challenger. Wont be easy regrouping for this one in slightly different
conditions. Chardy has had two matches here to acclimatise and will be
looking to reproduce the stellar French Open form from last month. |
|
STUTTGART |
| Jul 11 |
Del Potro to
bt Kohl. |
2 at 2.55 |
|
2.40 |
+3.1 |
| Del Potro hasn't
done much wrong with wins over Korolev and the in-form Bolelli so he looks
to be running into some form. Kohlschreiber usually goes okay at home and
while he has one of the sweetest backhands on the tour, he can go missing at
times, so the value is with the Argentine here. |
| Jul 8 |
Melzer to bt
Calleri |
2 at 2.65 |
|
2.40 |
-2 |
| Really cant see
much in this one. Both players had a stint in the German Bundesliga on the
weekend so they will have had their feet on the dirt post-Wimbledon. Melzer
will mix it up and wont give Calleri the pace he likes. Have to be on the
dog at this price. |
| Jul 7 |
Prodon to bt
Berrer |
3 at 2.10 |
 |
2.00 |
-3 |
| Prodon is no
spring chicken, but he played three very solid matches in a clay challenger
last week. Berrer is 0-5 at his home tourney and is currently on a six match
losing streak. Clay is certainly not his favoured surface while Prodon
boasts a terrific record against left handers. |
| Jul 7 |
Giraldo to
bt Cuevas |
3 at 2.10 |
|
2.00 |
-3 |
| Couldn't see too
much between these two under normal circumstances - indeed they fought out a
five setter in a Davis Cup tie earlier in the year - but Giraldo looks to
have the superior preparation this time. He has had time to acclimatise with
2x qualifying matches here while Cuevas cant be too confident after two
Bundesliga losses on the weekend before travelling to this tourney. |
|
BASTAD |
| Jul 11 |
Soderling to
bt Ferrer |
2 at 2.78 |
|
2.50 |
-2 |
| Soderling boasts a
4-1 head-to-head advantage (1-1 clay) and he took a set 6-1 in his only loss
on the slow clay in Hamburg last year. He looks confident at home and came
through against Ollie Rochus after a struggle in the opening round. Ferrer
is defending champ and hasn't lost too many matches on dirt this year, but
the match-up is obviously an issue. |
| Jul 8 |
Starace to
bt Moya |
2.5 at 2.40 |
|
2.30 |
+3.5 |
| Moya is first up
since the French Open. While he appears to be coming in fit and does play
well here, he would have to be a little low on match fitness. Starace played
the Swiss challenger last week and looks better prepared. He boasts a 2-1
head-to-head record against the Spaniard when he was playing his best
tennis. Cant see much in it. |
| Jul 8 |
M Lopez to
bt Safin |
1.5 at 3.97 |
|
3.50 |
-1.5 |
| Safin is backing
up from his shock semi-final appearance in Wimbledon. Cant be easy for him
to mentally prepare for such a small event - indeed Lopez beat him at a
similar event (Sopot) a few years ago. Lopez quallied in straight sets and
if he can maintain a relatively error-free game, should go very close. |
|
NEWPORT |
| Jul 9 |
Ledovskikh
to bt Kunit. |
1.5 at 3.10 |
|
2.60 |
-1.5 |
| Mikhail Ledovskikh
battled past Pless in the opening round here and while the stats (broken 7
times) don't make for great reading, he should be better for the run,
particularly up against a player first up since the opening round of
Wimbledon. Kunitsyn is just a solid player so if Mikhail can find a few
winners he looks a very decent show at odds. |
| Jul 7 |
Evans to bt
Capdeville |
3 at 2.25 |
 |
2.00 |
+3.75 |
| Brendan Evans
looks a decent chance to overturn his head-to-head record against Capdeville
today. He has two qualifying matches under the belt and went okay at last
weeks challenger. Capdeville hasn't played at ATP level since failing at
Wimbledon quallies so his prep might come up a little short today. |
| Jul 7 |
Jun to bt
Young |
2 at 2.80 |
|
2.00 |
-2 |
| Young might have
started to win a few ATP matches, but my word he has come up short today.
Jun breezed through quallies here and was very competitive in his grass
matches at Queens and Wimbledon quallies. Young can play on grass but is on
an 0-5 run so I have to oppose him when he is going to be so low on
confidence. |
|
JUNE 23 - JULY 6 |
WIMBLEDON 2008
SURFACE: GRASS - DRAW: 128 |
POSTED APPROX. 1900 AEST (0900 GMT)
(STARTS 1200 LONDON = 2100
AEST/1100 GMT) |
|
Date |
Match |
Rec Unit/Price |
Rec Bookie |
Bet to |
Result |
|
WIMBLEDON |
| Jul 2 |
Schuettler
to bt Clement |
3 at 2.07 |
|
2.00 |
+3.21 |
| I cant say I
thought I'd be backing Rainer Schuettler on making the semi finals at the
start of the tournament, but that's exactly what I'm doing today. The German
is playing very confident tennis and boasts a significant 4-1 head-to-head
advantage over Clement. I can just see him wearing down the Frenchman. |
| Jul 2 |
Lopez to bt
Safin |
2.5 at 2.39 |
|
2.20 |
-2.5 |
| Lopez was forced
to dig deep against Baghdatis but he starts fresh today and looks to have a
good match-up. He wont give Safin the rhythm off the back that he enjoys -
as a 4-1 head-to-head advantage (inc. straight sets win here in '05)
indicates. When the pressure is on I want to be with the bigger and more
reliable swinging lefty Lopez serve. |
| Jun 28 |
Tursunov to
bt Tipsar. |
3 at 2.31 |
|
2.10 |
-3 |
| Big ask for
Tipsarevic to back-up after his huge win over Roddick. While he played a
great game, Roddick certainly was a long way off his best there. Tursunov
figures to be able to get a bit more on the ball and put the hard running
Serb on the back foot more often. I like Tursunov's chances should it go the
distance which is a good possibility. |
| Jun 28 |
Haas to bt
Murray |
1.5 at 3.14 |
|
2.80 |
-1.5 |
| Murray came in
under somewhat of an injury cloud and hadn't shown much in the grass lead-up
but he hasnt done much wrong getting past Santoro and Malisse. This is a big
step up however. Haas looks to be running into some very solid form and his
big-time experience wont go astray. Murray can easily fall back into his
ultra-defensive game and that will spell trouble. |
| Jun 27 |
Verdasco to
bt Berdych |
3 at 2.09 |
|
2.00 |
+3.27 |
| These two always
play out tight encounters and while another one is on the cards today, the
form line has to go with the lefty Verdasco. The pretty boy can go missing
but conditions here look very suitable. Berdych has had what can only be
described as a disappointing year. He didn't get a lot of lead-up on the
grass and hasn't been all that convincing in his two matches here. |
| Jun 27 |
Ferrer to bt
Ancic |
4 at 1.83 |
|
1.80 |
-4 |
| The value in this
one is fast disappearing, but I still like Ferrer as a slight favourite
today. The unrelenting Spaniard beat Ancic on the way to the Dutch grass
title last week and on seven-match winning streak on the surface, comes in
with great confidence. Ancic is always a danger with his booming serve, but
you can mark Ferrer down for winning the majority of the rallies. |
| Jun 27 |
Seppi to bt
Safin |
1.5 at 3.25 |
|
2.90 |
-1.5 |
| Safin has to deal
with all the emotion that came with knocking out Djokovic in the last round.
If we ignore that match its not hard to make a case for this match being
pick-em. Safin remains very inconsistent and up a against a solid flat
hitter in Seppi, he will need to play as well as he did on Wednesday. The
Italian is in unchartered waters at this stage of a Slam, but he has shown
enough on grass to suggest that he will be right in this. |
| Jun 26 |
Malisse to bt Murray |
1 at
6.30 |
|
5.00 |
-1 |
| A bit
like Safin yesterday, Malisse will appreciate the big stage and has
absolutely nothing to lose. Murray never does it too easy on the centre
court and if nerves push him back into defensive mode Malisse has the tools
to pounce. The Belgian hasn't played a lot in recent times but he going
around at a very big price today. |
| Jun 26 |
Nieminen to bt Cilic |
2 at
2.78 |
|
2.60 |
-2 |
|
Nieminen hasn't had the best of seasons to date, but he looks a very decent
chance to absorb everything the big serving Croatian can throw his way
today. The Finn has a wealth of Grand Slam experience to fall back on and
has a far superior record in best-of-five set matches. Can easily see this
going the distance - I want to be on the dog. |
| Jun 26 |
G-Lopez to bt Almagro |
2 at
3.00 |
|
2.50 |
+4 |
|
Almagro got past my man Granollers in four but I'm opposing him again today
with a more experienced back court Spaniard. Garcia-Lopez suffers from
inconsistency but if he can serve well and play solid from the back today I
like his chances of inducing plenty of errors off the Almagro racquet. |
| Jun 25 |
Del Potro to bt Wawrin. |
2.5
at 2.51 |
|
2.20 |
-2.5 |
|
Wawrinka did what he had to in getting past Daniel in the opening round but
in just his second match since the French Open, this will be a lot tougher.
The Swiss is just 3-8 on grass and obviously doesn't feel that confident on
the surface. Del Potro looks to be over his injury problems and comes in
with four solid matches at last weeks Dutch tourney. Should be too solid. |
| Jun 24 |
Pashanski to bt Eaton |
2 at
2.72 |
|
2.50 |
-2 |
| Chris
Eaton could well be the new hero of British tennis after today but there is
no way I could have him a favourite here. Pashanski is 0-4 on grass but is
far from hopeless on faster surfaces. He boasts a big class gap and has
experience at this level to back him up. I just have to oppose Eaton playing
his first ATP-level match. |
| Jun 24 |
Granollers to bt Almagro |
1.5
at 3.40 |
|
3.00 |
-1.5 |
|
Almagro steps back on the match court for the first time since his 1/1/1
thrashing from Nadal at Roland Garros. Not having any competitive matches on
grass prior to this is a big minus. Granollers is a big improver and was
very competitive against Clement in the Dutch grass lead-up. Can see him
making life very tough for his fellow Spaniard today. |
| Jun 24 |
Melzer to bt Ljubicic |
2 at
2.63 |
|
2.40 |
+3.26 |
|
Ljubicic never excelled at this tournament in his prime and now that his
career is reaching the crossroads, he figures to struggle even more. Not
that I'm writing the the Croatian off as he has been playing okay of late -
but Melzer has to be right in this. If he can stay mentally stable - and
that is a big 'if' unfortunately, then he should be able to repeat his win
over Ljubicic here from back in '05. |
| Jun 24 |
Tursunov to bt Mahut |
4 at
1.95 |
|
1.85 |
+3.8 |
|
Tursunov's form here for the past four years reads 3rd, 4th, 4th and 3rd
rounds so he likes the conditions. He boasts a significantly better five set
record over his opponent today so if it goes the distance I like his chances
even more. Mahut has been having a decent year, but a loss to the big
serving Reynolds last week doesn't read too good and he does not perform all
that well at the slams. |
| Jun 23 |
Spadea to bt Johansson |
2.5
at 2.48 |
|
2.20 |
-2.5 |
| These
two veterans go a long way back - their first ATP meeting was here 10 years
ago. Spadea comes in with the better form having quallied at Nottingham
before a competitive quarter final loss to Monfils. Johansson was smashed by
Cilic at the same event. A long dour struggle is on the cards but I've got
to side with the better form. |
| Jun 23 |
Verdasco to bt Kohl. |
3 at
2.20 |
|
2.00 |
+3.6 |
| Both
players coming of final appearances in their respective grass lead-ups.
Verdasco has been in great form this year and has only lost in the first
round in one of his last 17 Grand Slam appearances. He plays with great
confidence here with his tidy lefty serve. Kohlschreiber hasn't notched up a
big win at this tourney and he does have a tendency to feel the pressure in
the tight situations. |
| Jun 23 |
Ferrero to bt Querrey |
4 at
1.95 |
 |
1.90 |
+3.8 |
|
Ferrero has a very good record here as opposed to Querrey who has
underperformed on grass. The Spaniard hasn't played since the French Open
when he pulled out with a leg injury. There are some thoughts that he may
have an ab injury now, so I will take with a match complete bookie. I
certainly think he will be far too solid for Querrey if he is fit. |
| Jun 23 |
Guccione to bt Monfils |
1.5
at 3.20 |
|
3.00 |
Void |
|
Monfils edged a tight encounter at Nottingham in the first meeting between
these two last week. If Guccione had taken any of the four break points on
offer there the result and price today may have been dramatically different.
Monfils is a little unreliable over five sets and he did do some damage to
his shoulder in his last round at Nottingham. I'm taking with a minimum
two-set complete bookie in case of retirement. |
| Jun 23 |
Peya to bt Zverev |
2 at
2.65 |
|
2.40 |
-2 |
| Peya
has been around for a while with very little success at the slams but he has
had three solid qualifying matches under the belt. Experience should count
for a lot today. Zverev is still improving but he has only won one of his
last eight matches dating back to Rome quallies so he cant be playing with
much confidence. |
|
JUNE 15-21 |
ATP HERTOGENBOSCH
SURFACE: GRASS - DRAW: 32 |
POSTED APPROX. 1830 AEST (0830 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 HERT. = 1900 AEST/0900 GMT) |
ATP NOTTINGHAM
SURFACE: GRASS - DRAW: 22 |
POSTED APPROX. 1830 AEST (0830 GMT)
(STARTS 1130 NOT'HAM = 2030
AEST/1030 GMT) |
|
Date |
Match |
Rec Unit/Price |
Rec Bookie |
Bet to |
Result |
|
HERTOGENBOSCH |
| Jun 21 |
NO PLAY |
| Jun 20 |
Gicquel to bt Canas |
2 at
2.90 |
|
2.70 |
+3.8 |
|
Gicquel has lifted his game and taken out two quality players in Gasquet and
Melzer in the past two rounds. Canas has won three matches but I'm still not
convinced that he is anywhere back to his best. Gicquel has the match on his
terms and if he can stay attacking I like his chances. |
| Jun 18 |
Granollers to bt Clement |
1.5
at 3.40 |
|
2.80 |
-1.5 |
|
Granollers got past an injured Vliegen in the first round but the dirt-baller
has proven that he can adapt to this surface in the past. Clement is a
two-time finalist here but that was way back in the glory days of '02-03.
I'm expecting him to face a very tough encounter today. |
| Jun 16 |
Santoro to bt Del Pot. |
4 at
1.93 |
 |
1.90 |
-4 |
| Del
Potro has had his struggles with injury this year and is certainly not
performing at the level that saw him shoot into the top-100 early last year.
Santoro has lots of experience on the surface and should be able to mix it
right up to upset the tall Argentine. |
|
NOTTINGHAM |
| Jun 21 |
NO PLAY |
| Jun 18 |
Querrey to bt Karlovic |
1 at
4.15 |
|
3.50 |
-1 |
|
Querrey put his awful loss to Patience at Queens behind him with a solid
performance against Falla in the opening round here. He has a 2-0
head-to-head advantage over Karlovic and if he can get a look at some 2nd
serves today he looks right in it to me. I may go broke doing it, but I just
have to oppose Ivo at these silly prices. |
| Jun 17 |
Young to bt Simon |
2.5
at 2.26 |
|
2.10 |
-2.5 |
| Simon
notched up a dirt tourney win about a month ago at Casablanca but apart from
that his form has been very patchy in recent times. I like the chances of
the lefty Donald today. He will take the attack right up to the Frenchman
and as the junior Wimbledon champ last year, knows how to play on the
surface. |
| Jun 16 |
Cilic to bt Mathieu |
2.5
at 2.40 |
|
2.20 |
+3.5 |
| Cilic
has an 0-3 head-to-head (0-1 grass; last week at Queens) to overcome, but
all three matches have gone the distance. His booming serve has to be an
advantage on this surface so I do like him as an underdog today. |
|
JUNE 9-15 |
ATP HALLE
SURFACE: GRASS - DRAW: 32 |
POSTED APPROX. 1830 AEST (0830 GMT)
(STARTS 1200 HALLE = 2000 AEST/1000 GMT) |
ATP LONDON
SURFACE: GRASS - DRAW: 56 |
POSTED APPROX. 1830 AEST (0830 GMT)
(STARTS 1230 LONDON = 2130
AEST/1130 GMT) |
ATP WARSAW
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 32 |
POSTED APPROX. 1830 AEST (0830 GMT)
(STARTS 1130 WARSAW = 1930 AEST/0930 GMT) |
|
Date |
Match |
Rec Unit/Price |
Rec Bookie |
Bet to |
Result |
|
LONDON |
| Jun 13 |
Karlovic to bt Nadal |
2 at
2.88 |
|
2.50 |
-2 |
| Nadal
has lost at the quarter final stage of this tournament in each of his last
two appearances and there is a feeling again that he has had his few matches
on grass as a Wimbledon preparation. Karlovic continues to serve bombs and
if he can hold his nerve in the breakers, looks a very big show. |
| Jun 13 |
Hewitt to bt Djokovic |
1.5
at 3.08 |
|
2.80 |
-1.5 |
| It's
been a long while since Hewitt has defeated such a highly ranked player, but
this does look his best chance for a while. He boasts a great record on the
surface and especially at this event. Djokovic wasn't all that impressive
yesterday by all reports. They played out a tight encounter at SW19 last
year - hard too see too much in it again in these conditions. |
| Jun 12 |
Gasquet to
bt Ancic |
2.5 at 2.34 |
|
2.20 |
+3.35 |
| The Frenchman
Gasquet is coming off a horror run which dates back to March but the solid
win over Bolelli will have his confidence up. He's beaten Ancic at the venue
before and looks to match-up quite well. Ancic is a tough proposition on the
grass, but the Croatian hasn't been as convincing at he could have in the
opening two rounds in London. |
| Jun 11 |
Seppi to bt
Gulbis |
2 at 2.78 |
|
2.50 |
-2 |
| The 19 year-old
Gulbis is obviously riding high on confidence from his Roland Garros
quarter-final and he was able to edge the volatile Vliegen in the opening
round. But lets not get too carried away. Seppi can play a very solid game
and has more experience on the surface. I'm looking for the Italian to force
the errors. |
| Jun 11 |
Guccione to
bt Fish |
1.5 at 3.25 |
 |
2.50 |
-1.5 |
| Like a few other
matches this week, I just have to be on the underdog in what is surely going
to be a very tight encounter. The Australian obviously doesn't posses the
most solid backcourt game going around but he will chip and charge and put
all the pressure on Fish, who normally likes more pace. Big overs for mine,
but luck in the breakers will count for plenty. |
| Jun 11 |
Minar to bt
Tipsarevic |
1 at 4.50 |
|
3.80 |
-1 |
| Tipsarevic has
played well on grass before, but he never does it easy and I haven't been
convinced by his form over the past month or so. Minar can beat just about
anyone on his day and was impressive in putting away Reynolds in the opening
round without much fuss. |
| Jun 11 |
Troicki to
bt Nalband. |
1 at 4.30 |
|
4.00 |
-1 |
| Nalbandian plays
Queens for the first time in what might be construed as a sign that he is
serious about getting some time on the grass courts under his belt. I'm not
so sure - as always, motivation will be a factor. The Serb Troicki goes okay
on faster surfaces, but he might just need to play a solid relatively
error-free game to be right in this one. |
| Jun 11 |
Isner to bt
Mahut |
2 at 2.63 |
|
2.30 |
-2 |
| The bookies still
don't appear to be giving enough credit to Isner on the grass. Time will
tell, but this is another match that looks like being decided by a handful
of points. Mahut appears to be priced up on his performance of reaching the
final here last year, but I'm not sure how much you read into that today. He
had a long match yesterday which might just take the edge off a little. |
| Jun 10 |
Isner to bt
Anderson |
2 at 2.50 |
|
2.40 |
+3 |
| Anderson is coming
off the final at the Surbiton challenger so he will have the edge in
match-fitness, but I'm not sure he deserves to be quite so short in what
shapes up as a very tight contest. Isner should be near impossible to break,
so like yesterday with Melzer (although it didn't go our way) I'm happy to
support the dog in such a position. |
| Jun 10 |
Bolleli to
bt Dancevic |
2 at 2.67 |
|
2.50 |
Void |
| Dancevic beat
all-comers in an eight match qualifying to final victory in Surbiton but the
quality of opposition was questionable. Bolleli got a lot closer than the
scoreline suggested when these two met in Adelaide earlier in the year and
the in-form Italian doesn't seem to mind the big-serving match-up. Should be
very tight. |
| Jun 10 |
R-Vasselin
to bt Fish |
1.5 at 3.77 |
|
3.50 |
-1.5 |
| Vasselin was very
competitive when going out to Dancevic in the semi final at Surbiton on the
weekend. He is first up at this venue but looks to be playing well. Fish
will be happy to see the back of the clay season and while he figures to go
well on this surface he is on a 1-4 run at this venue and 0-4 run on the
surface. |
| Jun 9 |
Melzer to bt
Cilic |
1.5 at 3.30 |
|
2.80 |
-1.5 |
| Cilic is going to
be going around at short prices on this surface but I'm not convinced by his
recent form and he wont have things all his own way against the lefty Melzer.
The Austrian has shown some signs of improvement recently - if he can stay
mentally fit, he looks to be right in this. |
| Jun 9 |
Vliegen to
bt Gulbis |
1 at 4.00 |
|
3.75 |
-1 |
| Gulbis is surely
going around too short based on his quarter-final appearance in Paris. He
starts from scratch again today and doesn't boast a lot of form on this
surface. If Vliegen can serve close to his best he should at least get to
the breakers and from there I'm happy to be on the 3/1 shot. |
|
HALLE |
| Jun 10 |
Llodra to bt
Ljubicic |
4 at 1.83 |
|
1.80 |
+3.32 |
| | |
