with OnThePunt's resident Tennis expert
Updated 5:01 PM AEST, Saturday 27 June
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JUNE 22 - JULY 5
WIMBLEDON
SURFACE: GRASS - DRAW: 128
POSTED BY 1900 AEST (0900 GMT)
(STARTS 1200 LOCAL = 2100
AEST/1100 GMT)
Date
Match
Units/Price
Rec Bookie
Bet to
Result
2009 WIMBLEDON
ANY PLAYS POSTED DAILY BEFORE 1900 AEST (0900 GMT)
Jun 27
Ferrero to bt Gonzalez
2 at 2.71
2.50
+3.42
Gonzalez's knees looked to hold up okay
against Mayer but one has to expect him to be pushed much harder today.
Ferrero has fared a little better at this tournament over the years and if
he can serve close to his best today he should be right in it. Well over the
odds.
Jun 27
Hanescu to bt Simon
3 at 2.12
2.00
-3
I'm still not convinced that Simon is over his
form and confidence slump of '09. He is certainly down a level or two on his
stellar '08 season. Both play faster surfaces well, but as far as
consistency is concerned, I have to give the edge to the Romainian. Hanescu
beat Simon in straight sets at the French Open recently so it's hard to see
why he isn't a slight fave here.
Jun 26
Sela to bt Robredo
2.5 at 2.27
2.20
+3.17
Robredo hasn't done anything of note off clay
for quite some time. He has equalled his best performance here already in
what is clearly his worst slam. He escaped from 2 sets to love down against
Koubek in the last round but I can't see the same happening today. Sela was
impressive last round with a straight sets win over Schuettler and boasts a
2-0 head-to-head (both hard) advantage over Robredo.
Jun 26
Fish to bt Djokovic
1 at 4.33
3.75
-1
Djokovic has just been going okay over the
last month or so and does look vulnerable today. He has won all three prior
meetings between the two but all have been very competitive. The serve
should dominate, but given that Djokovic was broken 4 times in a straight
sets win over Gruel last round, the edge in that department might even have
to go with Fish on this surface.
Jun 24
Tipsarevic to bt Fish
2.5 at 2.40
2.25
-2.5
This one looks very close on paper. Tipsarevic
has made the 4th round in his last two appearances at Wimbledon whereas Fish
is past the first round for the first time since '06. I just feel that
Tipsarevic will be a little bit more solid should it go the distance. They
are split 1-1 this year, with the underdog winning each time - lets hope for
three in a row today.
Jun 24
Darcis to bt Karlovic
1 at 4.50
3.50
-1
Karlovic broke his horror run here with a
straightforward win over Lacko in the opening round. Darcis meanwhile got
past the well-backed Dancevic. Winning in straight sets over a big-server
must bode well coming into this encounter. Karlovic has the obvious weapon
to dominate serve, but while the rest of his game has improved, it remains a
big weakness. If this goes the distance I can see him struggling mentally.
Jun 23
Gil to bt Mathieu
1.5 at 3.49
3.00
-1.5
Gil is a predominant clay courter but he is
far from the worst going around on faster surfaces. He form is a bit
scratchy but he did take a set of Hewitt at Queens in a fast start. Mathieu
has a decent record here but has struggled to get any decent run going all
year. With the Frenchman low on confidence, I expect them to be fighting
this one out over the distance.
Jun 23
Devilder to bt N Lapentti
2 at 2.90
2.60
+3.8
Lapentti is coming into this match with a
somewhat limited preparation having not played at this level since retiring
from the French Open with an ankle injury. We know he can play on grass but
I dont like the prep. Devilder posted a tight loss to Schuettler last week
which shows enough for me suggest that he will be very competitive today.
Jun 23
Pavel to bt Alves
3 at 2.11
2.10
-3
I didnt see myself backing the 35 year-old
Romanian again but I must say that I thought he deserved to start a narrow
favourite in this one. He has a wealth of experience to fall back on and his
form has been satisfactory in his 3x lead up matches. Lucky loser Alves lost
the last two sets 1 & 1 to Peya in final round quallies so he will need to
lift on that form.
Jun 22
Seppi to bt Blake
1 at 5.75
4.00
+4.75
Blake is coming off the final at Queen's but
I'm not that convinced about his form. He has never done that well here in
the past with some poor losses to the likes of Mirnyi, Ferrero and
Schuettler in recent years. Seppi is no stranger to posting the odd upset
and has been very competitive on grass in the past.
Jun 22
Serra to bt Kohlschreiber
1 at 4.55
3.50
-1
The edge in form over the lead up has to go
with the German, but I'm not sure it will have too much of an impact as the
match unfolds. Serra beat Kohlschreiber in straight sets here a few years
ago and while its hard to see the same happening today, I do think Serra
will be right in it. He is often underrated by the bookies and has shown a
new level of self belief at times over the past few years.
Jun 22
Schuettler to bt Malisse
3.5 at 1.90
1.80
+3.15
Malisse quallied for this and played plenty of
grass court tennis in the lead-up but this is clearly not the ideal match-up
for the sometimes streaky Belgian. Excluding-clay he is 0-4 against the
solid German over the years. Schuettler is defending semi final points from
last year and while its hard to see him going that far again, he should be
good for at least one win against a spasmodic opponent.
JUNE 14-21
EASTBOURNE
SURFACE: GRASS - DRAW: 32
POSTED BY 1900 AEST (0900 GMT)
(STARTS 1200 LOCAL = 2100
AEST/1100 GMT)
s-HERTOGENBOSCH
SURFACE: GRASS - DRAW: 32
POSTED BY 1900 AEST (0900 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 LOCAL = 1900
AEST/0900 GMT)
Date
Match
Units/Price
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Result
EASTBOURNE
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s-HERTOGENBOSCH
ANY PLAYS POSTED DAILY BEFORE 1900 AEST (0900 GMT)
Jun 17
De Bakker to bt Schuet.
3 at 2.20
2.00
-3
The local boy De Bakker earnt his spot in the
main draw through quallies and then brushed away a second set lapse to get
past Phau in an interupted first round match. He beat Schuettler 3 & 3 on
clay last month in Munich and should be more suited today with the clear
service advantage. Schuettler was only winning 59% of his 1st serve against
Devilder last round so the Dutchman should get plenty of chances.
Jun 16
Sela to bt Kunitsyn
2.5 at 2.33
2.15
+3.83
Kunitsyn was convincing in his first round win
over Clement here. He had lost his previous six ATP matches however and is
far from the most reliable player going around. Sela came out on top when
the two met in fast indoor conditions last year and he did not face a break
point in his win over C Rochus last match.
Jun 15
Hernandez to bt Koellerer
3.5 at 2.00
1.90
+3.5
I never thought I'd be backing Hernandez on
grass - but here we go, the time has come. The Spaniard is winless in six
prior matches on grass but he did enough for me against Youzhny last week to
suggest that he is playing some solid tennis. Koellerer is spasmodic at the
best of times. He just never plays on grass either but his mental
fragilities cause him to lose so many matches he just has to be opposed at
ATP-level.
JUNE 8-14
LONDON (QUEENS)
SURFACE: GRASS - DRAW: 56
POSTED BY 1900 AEST (0900 GMT)
(STARTS 1200 LOCAL = 2100
AEST/1100 GMT)
HALLE
SURFACE: GRASS - DRAW: 32
POSTED BY 1900 AEST (0900 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 LOCAL = 1900
AEST/0900 GMT)
Date
Match
Units/Price
Rec Bookie
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Result
ATP LONDON (QUEENS)
ANY PLAYS POSTED DAILY BEFORE 1900 AEST (0900 GMT)
Jun 10
Dimitrov to bt Simon
2 at 3.00
2.60
-2
I'm still not convinced that Simon is out of
his form slump. He is first up on grass today up against a very promising
youngster in Dimitrov. The 18 year-old Bulgarian had plenty of match last
week in the Nottingham challenger and won the boys title at Wimbledon last
year without dropping a set so he can play on grass.
Jun 9
Llodra to bt Fish
3 at 2.10
1.95
-3
Hard to see too much in this one given their
suitability to the surface so I would'nt want to be taking too short, but
Llodra with the match under the belt yesterday (d. Korolev) should have some
advantage. He also boasts a 3-0 grass record against Fish, though the last
meeting was back in '02.
Jun 9
Anderson to bt Querrey
1.5 at 3.00
2.70
-1.5
Really cant see more than a few points in this
match between two big servers, so the value has to be with the 2/1 dog.
Querrey has won both prior meetings (both went the distance on hardcourt)
but he is an unconvincing 5-8 on grass. Anderson has already won 4 matches
in the last few days and is sure to be high on confidence.
ATP HALLE
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GMT)
Jun 9
Sirianni to bt Zverev
2 at 2.70
2.40
-2
The Aussie veteran has quallied with three
solid wins (including one over Dent) so he must be playing well. He is 3-0
against Zverev. The German is 13 years his junior but he has lost his last
four with his last two matches being retirements due to a leg injury. First
up on grass he is sure to take some time to get going and must represent a
good risk.
MAY 24-JUNE 7
2009 FRENCH OPEN
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 128
POSTED BY 1800 AEST (0800 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 LOCAL = 1900
AEST/0900 GMT)
Date
Match
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Result
ROLAND GARROS
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May 28
Tsonga to bt Monaco
2.5 at 2.36
2.20
+3.4
Monaco has been one of the best performers on
dirt this year but I think that he will need to be at this very best to
justify this price. A fit and firing Tsonga can beat just about anyone on
his day. He will have the match in his hands to a certain extent as he is
sure to be the more attacking. He must have a huge service advantage also.
May 28
Gicquel to bt A Beck
3 at 2.10
1.90
+3.3
As previously mentioned this week, Beck has
been having a great year on all surfaces but this is a big class jump to a
Slam. He has never been past the second round at this level and today he
comes up against a player with a wealth of experience. Gicquel is no
stranger to long and drawn out encounters here and this promises to be
another, but I favour him to come out on top at home.
May 26
Benneteau to bt Tsonga
1.5 at 3.00
2.60
-1.5
Benneteau is coming off some tough matches
last week, culminating in a lengthy Saturday final loss to Garcia-Lopez. He
has had plenty of time to recover and should be better for the matches.
Tsonga continued his average form in Düsseldorf and is just 1-3 against his
French countryman. A big centre court crowd might fire him up but in what
are expected to be slower and cooler conditions today, I have to have
Benneteau right in it.
May 26
M Gonzalez to bt Fish
2 at 2.60
2.30
+3.2
Fish is another player who would have
preferred to play in yesterdays hot and sunny conditions. The Argentine clay
specialist notched up very solid wins over Bolelli and Korolev last week in
Germany. Fish has been better in recent times, but at just 1-5 here and up
against a player with clay savvy, must be a big risk.
May 26
G-Traver to bt Korloev
2 at 2.50
2.30
+3
Gimeno-Traver might be on an 0-4 run in the
lead-up but his form actually reads quite well. He is 0-3 against Korolev on
dirt, but the last two encounters, most recently in Houston, have been very
tight. He will appreciate the slower conditions against Korolev who
certainly likes it fast. The Russian remains a most inconsistent type and is
well under the odds today.
May 26
Navarro to bt A Beck
1 at 4.33
3.50
-1
Beck has been on a huge run this year, tasting
success on hard, indoor and clay, but there have been some signs in the last
few tourney's that all the tennis is starting to take a toll. The clay
grinder Navarro will hang around all day and isn't one to give in without a
big fight.
May 25
Machado to bt Vliegen
3.5 at 1.83
1.75
+2.9
Machado has notched up two very solid
Challenger tournament wins on clay this year and is a clear improver. He
quallied here without too much fuss so he comes in match fit. Vliegen hasn't
done anything of note recently and is a long way off the sort of form that
saw him defeat Gasquet here a few years ago.
May 25
Andujar to bt Ginepri
3 at 2.11
1.90
+3.33
Ginepri lost all three round robin matches
last week in Düsseldorf in what was his only tournament play since
mid-February. Now he starts a favourite over best of five against a Spanish
clay-courter? Andujar pushed Gonzalez here last year and if he can play
close to his best today, he should be far too solid for the American.
May 25
Massu to bt Koellerer
3 at 2.20
2.00
+3.6
Koellerer has been priced up as a favourite
here on form and it's hard to argue with that formula, but the Austrian is
just far too volatile to justify starting a fave in what is his first main
draw Grand Slam encounter. He got into the draw due to a recent clay
challenger win, but it must be noted that he has attempted to qualify for a
Slam on no less than twelve occasions without success. Everyone is dropping
off Massu these days, but if he can keep it in play, he should be able to
use his experience to good measure. And a 3-0 head-to-head (all clay) wont
hinder his prospects either.
May 25
Ventura to bt Acasuso
2.5 at 2.32
2.15
-2.5
Ventura quallied impressively without dropping
a set. The qualifiers didn't have a good day yesterday, but the matches must
help in this one. Acasuso has been in dreadful form in the lead-up with only
a win over Sela from five lead-up matches on the dirt. I just cant see how
he can turn his form around so quickly. Value with the Spaniard.
May 24
Gulbis to bt Querrey
3.5 at 1.93
1.80
+3.25
Gulbis has struggled to get the wins on the
board in the lead-up but he has been competitive in most matches so I don't
think he is far away. He returns to the venue where he powered to the
quarters last year and has a lot more clay experience than Querrey. The
American's form is just okay, but over best of five his lack of clay skills
should be exposed.
MAY 17-24
KITZBUHEL
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 32
POSTED BY 1800 AEST (0800 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 LOCAL = 1900
AEST/0900 GMT)
WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: RR
POSTED BY 1800 AEST (0800 GMT)
(STARTS 1200 LOCAL = 2000
AEST/1000 GMT)
Date
Match
Units/Price
Rec Bookie
Bet to
Result
ATP KITZBUHEL
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ATP WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
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MAY 10-17
MADRID MASTERS 1000
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 56
POSTED BY 1730 AEST (0730 GMT)
(STARTS 1000 LOCAL = 1800
AEST/0800 GMT)
Date
Match
Units/Price
Rec Bookie
Bet to
Result
ATP MADRID
ANY PLAYS POSTED DAILY BEFORE 1730 AEST (0730 GMT)
May 13
Haas to bt Roddick
2 at 2.51
2.25
-2
There is a lot of history between these with
very little separating them over the years. Roddick would generally hold the
edge these days but he is first up on clay here. Haas qualified and then
earned a hard fought win over the up and comer Gulbis in the opening round.
I marked this one a lot closer to take your pick.
May 12
Fish to bt Robredo
1.5 at 3.21
2.80
-1.5
If Fish can serve to the same standard as he
did yesterday then he must be a huge show here. It's taken the likes of
Monaco, Ferrer and Djokovic to get past Robredo in his last three starts on
dirt, but I don't quite think the Spaniard is back to his best. Fish has the
conditions to suit and he has beaten the Spaniard on clay in the past.
May 12
Melzer to bt Montanes
3.5 at 2.10
1.90
+3.85
Montanes is coming off his tournament win at
Estoril, but it's fair to say that he will need some time to acclimatise to
playing in somewhat faster conditions at altitude now. Melzer played well in
Rome and he leads the head-to-head of completed matches 4-0 (8-0 sets) and
3-0 clay. And conditions should be suitable.
May 12
Ljubicic to bt Tsonga
2 at 2.85
2.50
+3.7
I'm not writing off the Croatian just yet and
in these conditions, he should be right in it. The #2 court looked to be
playing quite fast yesterday so the draw looks good for him. Can see a
couple of breakers on the cards and Ljubicic playing solid and hoping to
draw the Frenchman into error. Well over the odds at this price.
May 12
Benneteau to bt Karlovic
2 at 2.55
2.30
-2
I must say I cant really justify Karlovic as
such a short priced fave here. Yes, he has the conditions at altitude to
suit but this one is being played on the outside court so the advantage wont
be great and it is clay after all. Benneteau lost a 3rd set breaker to
Brands in the 2nd round of Munich, but he should be strongly motivated to
bounce back here.
May 11
Fish to bt Tipsarevic
2.5 at 2.30
2.15
+3.25
I could well be questioned for supporting Fish
on European clay, but he looks to have conditions to suit here. Madrid is
played at around 500m altitude so we can expect balls to be flying here and
Fish must be given the edge in the service department. His form through Rome
and Estoril is solid. Tipsarevic has never played well in Spain and has to
be a risk here.
May 11
F Lopez to bt Monaco
2 at 2.67
2.40
-2
There are a couple of factors pushing me
towards Lopez here. Playing at altitude in what are expected to be fairly
fast clay conditions has to be of assistance. And secondly, the Spaniard
loves a big stage and having been given the first night at the new venue on
centre court he should be in his element. Monaco has had a fine clay season
to-date but he is coming down from that form and he wont get the rhythm that
he usually enjoys.
MAY 3-10
MUNICH
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 32
POSTED BY 1830 AEST (0830 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 LOCAL = 1900
AEST/0900 GMT)
ESTORIL
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 32
POSTED BY 1830 AEST (0830 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 LOCAL = 2000
AEST/1000 GMT)
BELGRADE
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 28
POSTED BY 1830 AEST (0830 GMT)
(STARTS 1100 LOCAL = 1900
AEST/0900 GMT)
Date
Match
Units/Price
Rec Bookie
Bet to
Result
ATP MUNICH
ANY PLAYS POSTED DAILY BEFORE 1830 AEST (0830 GMT)
May 6
Chardy to bt Kiefer
3 at 2.08
2.00
+3.24
Kiefer hasn't looked close to being back to his
best this year and could be considered a bit lucky to get past a faltering Gulbis on Monday. The young up and coming Frenchman Chardy is clearly better
than his recent clay results indicate. He should be able to expose the
German here.
May 5
De Bakker to bt Schuet.
2.5 at 2.46
2.20
+3.65
De Bakker notched up some solid hard fought
qualifying wins which should augur well for a top showing today. Some might
think of the Dutchman as a fast court player, but it must be noted that he
plays the majority of his tennis on clay. Schuettler is a poor 0-2 this clay
lead-up and is on a 0-5 run at this venue.
May 5
A Beck to bt Zverev
3 at 2.10
1.95
+3.3
Zverev went on a tear in Rome by taking out
the likes of Ferrero, Berdych, Mathieu and Simon in a stellar run from
quallies to quarters. That form has to be respected but Beck has a few more
runs on the board from the last month or so. He leads the head-to-head 2-0
and should be a bit fresher.
ATP ESTORIL
ANY PLAYS POSTED DAILY BEFORE 1830 AEST (0830 GMT)
May 6
Blake to bt Gil
2 at 2.60
2.30
+3.2
Gil is coming off a Challenger final loss to
Gaudio on Sunday but I'm assuming that conditions are a little warmer and
faster here. Blake has played sparingly recently but he is usually just
about the best American going around on clay and conditions should suit.
May 5
Kukushkin to bt Ferrero
1 at 6.00
4.00
-1
Ferrero is coming off some very poor results
from Barcelona and Rome so his confidence must be low. The Kazak Kukushkin
took a set off Ferrer in Barca after qualifying and has once again come
through in Estoril with three straight forward matches. This will be tougher
but he is clearly in some form.
ATP BELGRADE
ANY PLAYS POSTED DAILY BEFORE 1830 AEST (0830 GMT)
APRIL 27-MAY 3
ROME MASTERS 1000
SURFACE: CLAY - DRAW: 56
POSTED BY 1930 AEST (0930 GMT)
(STARTS 0100 LOCAL = 2100
AEST/1100 GMT)
Date
Match
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ATP ROME
ANY PLAYS POSTED DAILY BEFORE 1930 AEST (0930 GMT)
Apr 30
Cilic to bt Monaco
2 at 2.64
2.50
-2
Monaco staged a great comeback to get past
Murray yesterday but he looks to have been priced up a bit short on that
win. The Argentine has clay form dating back to February but Cilic should
provide a stern test. Rome has been know as one of the fastest clay venues
over the years and the well suited Cilic hasn't done much wrong over the
first two rounds here.
Apr 28
Bellucci to bt F Lopez
3.5 at 2.15
1.95
-3.5
Bellucci took Lopez to two breakers at the
Sunrise challenger recently (hardcourt) and now on clay its easy to make a
case for him today. He comes in having qualified whereas Lopez is 0-5 at
this venue (winning just one set agaisnt Wayne Ferreira back in '03).
Apr 28
Gasquet to bt Tsonga
2.5 at 2.28
2.10
+3.2
Gasquet came back in Barcelona last week and
had a somewhat unexpected loss to C Rochus but despite an average record
here, he should appreciate the matches. Tsonga is first up on clay and
doesn't play much on the surface. He is stronger mentally, but cant start a
fave for me on the dirt.
Apr 27
Cipolla to bt Cilic
2 at 3.66
3.00
-2
Cipolla went down to Cilic in Monte-Carlo a
few weeks back but he did break the Croat three times. Conditions are
normally quite fast here but damp and heavy is expected to be the order of
the day today and playing at home should also give Cipolla a lift. Given
that he was around the 2.80 mark last time they met I have to support
Cipolla again today.
Apr 27
Crivoi to bt Blake
2 at 2.60
2.30
+3.2
Blake certainly isn't the worst of the Yanks
on dirt, but he comes here with a very limited preparation - just a loss to
Canas at Houston. Crivoi had two very solid straight sets qualifying wins
over N Lapentti and Gabashvilli and while this is a jump in class, he should
go very close.
Tiger Woods 3.25
Padraig Harrington 12.00
Sergio Garcia 15.00
Paul Casey 21.00
Phil Mickelson 23.00
Geoff Ogilvy 23.00
Rory Mcilroy 23.00
Ernie Els 26.00
Jim Furyk 29.00
Henrik Stenson 31.00
Anthony Kim 34.00
Vijay Singh 34.00
Ian Poulter 34.00
Lee Westwood 41.00
Justin Rose 41.00
Kenny Perry 41.00
Retief Goosen 41.00
Robert Karlsson 41.00
Andres Romero 41.00
Camilo Villegas 41.00
+3.42
-3
2009
US OPEN TENNIS
