[Tennis - 14-20 February]

Re: Tennis - 14-20 February Nothing for me today, leaving the Dubai tennis today after a good week so far. GL to everyone else. :ok

[Tennis - 14-20 February]

Re: Tennis - 14-20 February

Just taking one tomorrow in Dubai involving you know who ;) Shahar Peer vs Yanina Wickmayer- Peer to win- 11/10 Ladbrokes- (4/10) Was hoping to get this kind of price on Shahar and happy to take her for the third day in a row. Not sure I agree with the whole Wickmayer being favourite in this one. See it more as a 50/50, if not a slight edge in Peer's favour. Wickmayer hasn't shown me anything this season to suggest that she's capable of troubling the big guns of the WTA. Granted she made the final in Brisbane, but none of the players she faced there were of great quality and she needed 3 sets to overcome the likes of Safina and Lisicki before falling to Greta Arn in the final. Her being favourite is completely down to her win over Li which if you watched the match, you could see that Li was nowhere near her best and had 4 MPs in the second set tie break. Yanina also looked like she was suffering from fatigue at the end of the match also. Peer on the other hand has had few problems in her two matches and looks like she is relishing again in the Dubai conditions. She's had mixed results this year so far, nothing special but Dubai could bring the best out of her. She beat Wickmayer last year in Dubai in 3 sets so she will have that slight psychological boost. This could well go the distance but hopefully Shahar can provide the goods for the third day on the trot.

WIN Really good comeback from Peer, Wickmayer eventually running out of steam.

[Tennis - 14-20 February]

Re: Tennis - 14-20 February Just taking one tomorrow in Dubai involving you know who ;) Shahar Peer vs Yanina Wickmayer- Peer to win- 11/10 Ladbrokes- (4/10) Was hoping to get this kind of price on Shahar and happy to take her for the third day in a row. Not sure I agree with the whole Wickmayer being favourite in this one. See it more as a 50/50, if not a slight edge in Peer's favour. Wickmayer hasn't shown me anything this season to suggest that she's capable of troubling the big guns of the WTA. Granted she made the final in Brisbane, but none of the players she faced there were of great quality and she needed 3 sets to overcome the likes of Safina and Lisicki before falling to Greta Arn in the final. Her being favourite is completely down to her win over Li which if you watched the match, you could see that Li was nowhere near her best and had 4 MPs in the second set tie break. Yanina also looked like she was suffering from fatigue at the end of the match also. Peer on the other hand has had few problems in her two matches and looks like she is relishing again in the Dubai conditions. She's had mixed results this year so far, nothing special but Dubai could bring the best out of her. She beat Wickmayer last year in Dubai in 3 sets so she will have that slight psychological boost. This could well go the distance but hopefully Shahar can provide the goods for the third day on the trot.

[Tennis - 14-20 February]

Re: Tennis - 14-20 February

Taken 5 for tomorrow's action in Dubai. Was considering taking both Azarenka and Zvonareva with their respective handicaps but opted against it. Agnieszka Radwanska vs Anastasija Sevastova- Radwanska -3.5 handicap- 8/11 Bet365- (5/10) Suprised to see such a low handicap for Agy here, was expecting at least a 4.5 so happy to go with the 3.5. She recieved a bye into the second round due to her seeding so she'll be fresh and ready to go tomorrow and looking to repeat her good form that she produced here 12 months ago. She has only lost two matches this year, to Clijsters and Azarenka, and her Latvian opponent is nowhere near the standards of either of those two players. Sevastova IMO is being overrated simply due to her AO performance. Granted she made it to the fourth round but she didn't have the toughest draw in the world and eventually fell to Wozniacki. Traditionally her best results have over in America and she does seem to struggle in the humid conditions of the west. In her first round match, she was broken 7 times and it was only because Rodionova was even worse on her service that Sevastova progressed. She actually played on the Dubai courts in a challenger event at the end of last year where Jovanovski beat her after bagelling her in the third set. Just can't see the Pole having too much trouble tomorrow and expect her to knock the Latvian out like she did in their only meeting in the same tournament last year. 6-3 6-3 was the score then, might be something similiar again. Chanelle Scheepers vs Jelena Jankovic- Scheepers +4.5 handicap- 8/11 Bet365- (5/10) Know IAG spoke a bit about the South African in her thrashing of Kirilenko in R1 and again I expect her to perform well again tomorrow. I find it near enough impossible to back Jankovic atm. 2 wins in her last 10 matches is poor for any players, but for a women who is meant to be one of the best in her field it isn't happy reading for the Serb. Losses to Rezai and Peng this year are really bad results and watching her at the AO, she was playing like she'd never played a competitive match before and with a severe lack of confidence. Scheepers should be the complete opposite after her victory over Kirilenko and by now, she's played enough tennis to be completely at home under these conditions. Will be interesting to see how Jankovic adapts to the new conditions. Prefer the handicap to the outright just in case Jankovic does win this one but even if she does, Scheepers could well take a set and make this a close one. Shahar Peer vs Alexandra Dulgheru- Peer -5.5 handicap- Evens Bet365- (4/10) Taking Shahar with the handicap for the second day in a row here. She was extremely comfortable today, winning the majority of the points and having little trouble after securing the first set against Sanchez. Dulgheru, who she plays tomorrow is a consistent player without any major weapons. Peer is better than her in every aspect of them game and although I'm always a little wary with handicaps above the 4.5 region for Peer, she should be good enough on the day to take the match in 2 comfortable straight sets. She beat Dulgheru only last week 6-0 7-5 and see no reason why she can't cover the handicap again. Kaia Kanepi vs Andrea Petkovic- Kanepi -1.5 handicap- 5/6 Bet365- (3/10) Favouring Kanepi to pull through after today's performances. Kanepi wasn't anything special today despite the favouring score but the fact is she was only on court for little over an hour so she will be fresh for tomorrow. Petkovic had a lengthy match with Kerber and in these humid conditions, fitness and freshness is likely to be key. If Kanepi was on court for longer I would be completely against her as when she is tired, her shots are all over the place and her unforced errors go through the roof. Would just fancy her to edge this one though if her hitting is on song and her serve isn't too erratic. She has the ability to either hit Petkovic out of this match, or hit her way out of the tournament. Hopefully it will be the former. Yanina Wickmayer vs Na li- Li -3.5 handicap- 4/5 Bet365- (3/10) Much better price on this handicap over on Pinnacle if you want this handicap. Opposed Wickmayer on the handicap today and see no reason not to do so again today. Wickmayer in truth is fairly fortunate to have got past Jovanovski today. Was 5-3 behind in the first but managed to take 7-5 and then lost the second. Bojana could have easily taken this in two however it wasn't to be. Li will be a step up and she will be fresh and full of confidence after her AO final appearence. Wickmayer was broken 5 times today and saved a further 8 break points. Putting this together with her 8 DFs says to me that something still isn't right with Wickmayer and Li is the kind of player who will exploit these weaknesses it Wickmayer is still struggling with a little niggle. Only thing I would worry about is Li's lack of practise in these conditions so she may take a bit of time to settle in but a 3.5 handicap, break in both set looks fully within her range.

WIN LOSS WIN WIN LOSS Decent profit but not great after Peer and Radwanska just about cleared the handicaps this morning. Thought Scheepers would give Jankovic more of a match, especially after breaking in the first game of the match. Kanepi swung me into the profit though and could have been better if Li had broken Wickmayer at 0-40 in the second set to serve for the handicap. Looks like she could lose that one as Ivanovic did yesterday.

[Tennis - 14-20 February]

Re: Tennis - 14-20 February Taken 5 for tomorrow's action in Dubai. Was considering taking both Azarenka and Zvonareva with their respective handicaps but opted against it. Agnieszka Radwanska vs Anastasija Sevastova- Radwanska -3.5 handicap- 8/11 Bet365- (5/10) Suprised to see such a low handicap for Agy here, was expecting at least a 4.5 so happy to go with the 3.5. She recieved a bye into the second round due to her seeding so she'll be fresh and ready to go tomorrow and looking to repeat her good form that she produced here 12 months ago. She has only lost two matches this year, to Clijsters and Azarenka, and her Latvian opponent is nowhere near the standards of either of those two players. Sevastova IMO is being overrated simply due to her AO performance. Granted she made it to the fourth round but she didn't have the toughest draw in the world and eventually fell to Wozniacki. Traditionally her best results have over in America and she does seem to struggle in the humid conditions of the west. In her first round match, she was broken 7 times and it was only because Rodionova was even worse on her service that Sevastova progressed. She actually played on the Dubai courts in a challenger event at the end of last year where Jovanovski beat her after bagelling her in the third set. Just can't see the Pole having too much trouble tomorrow and expect her to knock the Latvian out like she did in their only meeting in the same tournament last year. 6-3 6-3 was the score then, might be something similiar again. Chanelle Scheepers vs Jelena Jankovic- Scheepers +4.5 handicap- 8/11 Bet365- (5/10) Know IAG spoke a bit about the South African in her thrashing of Kirilenko in R1 and again I expect her to perform well again tomorrow. I find it near enough impossible to back Jankovic atm. 2 wins in her last 10 matches is poor for any players, but for a women who is meant to be one of the best in her field it isn't happy reading for the Serb. Losses to Rezai and Peng this year are really bad results and watching her at the AO, she was playing like she'd never played a competitive match before and with a severe lack of confidence. Scheepers should be the complete opposite after her victory over Kirilenko and by now, she's played enough tennis to be completely at home under these conditions. Will be interesting to see how Jankovic adapts to the new conditions. Prefer the handicap to the outright just in case Jankovic does win this one but even if she does, Scheepers could well take a set and make this a close one. Shahar Peer vs Alexandra Dulgheru- Peer -5.5 handicap- Evens Bet365- (4/10) Taking Shahar with the handicap for the second day in a row here. She was extremely comfortable today, winning the majority of the points and having little trouble after securing the first set against Sanchez. Dulgheru, who she plays tomorrow is a consistent player without any major weapons. Peer is better than her in every aspect of them game and although I'm always a little wary with handicaps above the 4.5 region for Peer, she should be good enough on the day to take the match in 2 comfortable straight sets. She beat Dulgheru only last week 6-0 7-5 and see no reason why she can't cover the handicap again. Kaia Kanepi vs Andrea Petkovic- Kanepi -1.5 handicap- 5/6 Bet365- (3/10) Favouring Kanepi to pull through after today's performances. Kanepi wasn't anything special today despite the favouring score but the fact is she was only on court for little over an hour so she will be fresh for tomorrow. Petkovic had a lengthy match with Kerber and in these humid conditions, fitness and freshness is likely to be key. If Kanepi was on court for longer I would be completely against her as when she is tired, her shots are all over the place and her unforced errors go through the roof. Would just fancy her to edge this one though if her hitting is on song and her serve isn't too erratic. She has the ability to either hit Petkovic out of this match, or hit her way out of the tournament. Hopefully it will be the former. Yanina Wickmayer vs Na li- Li -3.5 handicap- 4/5 Bet365- (3/10) Much better price on this handicap over on Pinnacle if you want this handicap. Opposed Wickmayer on the handicap today and see no reason not to do so again today. Wickmayer in truth is fairly fortunate to have got past Jovanovski today. Was 5-3 behind in the first but managed to take 7-5 and then lost the second. Bojana could have easily taken this in two however it wasn't to be. Li will be a step up and she will be fresh and full of confidence after her AO final appearence. Wickmayer was broken 5 times today and saved a further 8 break points. Putting this together with her 8 DFs says to me that something still isn't right with Wickmayer and Li is the kind of player who will exploit these weaknesses it Wickmayer is still struggling with a little niggle. Only thing I would worry about is Li's lack of practise in these conditions so she may take a bit of time to settle in but a 3.5 handicap, break in both set looks fully within her range.

[Tennis - 14-20 February]

Re: Tennis - 14-20 February

Just taken 4 in Dubai tomorrow on the women's side of things. Was looking at the overs in the Peng-Mattek Sands match and also looking to oppose Kvitova on the handicap but line is a little low. Yanina Wickmayer vs Bojana Jovanovski- Jovanovski +3.5 handicap- 8/11 Bet365- (5/10) Expected a 2.5/3 handicap here so happy to take the slightly higher line, although I imagine it will end up being lower. Wickmayer has played alot of tennis recently whilst there has also been reports about a slight injury she has picked up along the way. Was involved in a lengthy match with Kvitova a few days back which she lost after choking in the third. She'd already played a couple of Fed Cup matches before that so chances are she's not going to be 100%. That on top of adapting to conditions over in Dubai, a vast different to that of Paris suggests to me that she could face some problems tomorrow. She has also shown her vulnerable side this year getting beat by the likes of Arn and Sevastova on the hard courts, two players she really should be beating. Jovanovski on the other hand has really emerged as one of the most promising players in the WTA. Already beaten Kanepi and Pennetta this year whilst taking the first set against Zvonareva at the AO. She has also just helped Serbia beat Canada in the Fed Cup by winning her two matches in straight sets which was a week ago so unlike Wickmayer, she has had that extra bit of time to adapt to conditions in Dubai. The young Serbian could have a bit of fun over the next couple of weeks if she plays how she has been doing and Wickmayer tomorrow if she's not on song, could face a R1 defeat two years in a row. Prefer the handicap to the outright though and can see Bojana pinching a set here if not the match. Jelena Dokic vs Flavia Pennetta- Pennetta -4.5 handicap- 4/6 Bet365- (5/10) These days the only events that Dokic really manages to perform in are the challanger events. She's not a bad indoor player as shown by her performance last week in Paris but on the outdoor stage, she is often picked apart by the better players. Petkovic, Kuznetsova and Clijsters have all beaten the Australian easily enough this year. Add this to the fact that she lost to players well outside the top 100 on hard last year then you'd have to fancy Pennetta to win this without too much trouble. The Italian herself looks to be somewhere around her best again this year with impressive wins over Peer, Zvonareva and Stosur last week, to which all three players are a couple of notches above Dokic. H2H is 1-0 for the Italian but this was when Dokic retired but the score at that point was 5-0 to Pennetta first set. The Italian made the third round last year and must surely fancy going further this year given the form she's in. Handicap should be covered here though. Patty Schnyder vs Ana Ivanovic- Ivanovic -4.5 handicap- 5/6 Bet365- (4/10) Not keen on backing Ivanovic with a handicap but she should have enough about her to win this won with some ease. Schnyder hasn't played a great deal of tennis this year. Lost early to a lowly Tsurenko at the AO and then lost 2/3 of her Fed Cup matches. Ivanovic herself hasn't been great this season by any means but fancy her for two main reasons. One is that last week she played some matches over in Thailand and I'm guessing the humid conditions are similiar to that over in Dubai so she should have adapted. The second reason being the H2H. I know sometimes it's wrong to analyse it in great detail but Ivanovic has won the last 5 matches between the pair of them, 4 of them in easy straight sets. (6-1 6-2 most recent at back end of last year) Schnyder is no spring chicken and if it's hot and humid, can see Ivanovic producing a good scoreline in this one so willing to take her with a 4.5 handicap. Saving the best till last. ;) Shahar Peer vs Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez- Peer -3.5 handicap- 4/5 Bet365- (4/10) Fancy Shahar here to cover the handicap. Last year she firmly established herself as one of the top players in the WTA and showed she can hit with the best of them. Last year in Dubai is where her best run happened. Wins over Wickmayer, Razzano, Wozniacki and Li sent her into the semis before she fell to Venus. The conditions in this tournament suit her so perfectly and she said last year how much she enjoyed playing in Dubai. Traditionally her best results in the year will come in the east where it is warm and Peer can make her opponents run all over the court and wear them down. She's also worked on her serve in the last 12 months and it is now full of variation and an effective one. Her results this year haven't been anything special but I fancy her to get some wins over the next couple of weeks. Martinez-Sanchez isn't the best draw for Shahar here as being a lefty, she can cause problems for her opponents with her spin and angles. This worked so effectively against Kanepi who she beat in the Fed Cup, however Peer is alot fitter than Kanepi and will look to make the Spaniard play that extra shot. One thing I feel Sanchez will struggle with is the extra power Peer can get on a ball out of nothing, making her incredibly hard to pcik and read. Kleybanova and Cornet, both reasonably big hitters have beaten the Spaniard this year in straight sets which to me says she is vulnerable against the powerful groundstrokes. Peer may indeed have to work a bit in this one but if she takes a close first set, can see her covering the handicap in the second.

WIN WIN LOSS WIN Shame about Ivanovic, had plenty of chances but looks like she could well lose that one, serve extremely erratic. Other 3 got the job done though, Peer and Pennetta with ease, Jovanovski managed to secure the 2 games in the third set to cover the handicap. Shame I didn't take the overs in the Peng match, or opposing Kvitova but can't complain. Good start to the week :ok

[Tennis - 14-20 February]

Re: Tennis - 14-20 February Didn't think Jovanovski was gunna hold those two crucial games in the decider for the handicap but she managed it. But jealous of IAG for getting the handicap at 2s though :tongue2

[Tennis - 14-20 February]

Re: Tennis - 14-20 February

That's it, I'm done betting on WTA if Petkovic doesn't win this match. Yesterday I bet on Pavluchenkova who took the first set 6-4 and went up a break 4-2 in the second, only to lose something like TEN GAMES IN A ROW to Kleybanova and lose in 3 sets. Today, I jump on Petkovic whilst she's a break down early in the 1st and she comes back to take the first set 6-4, vindicating me right? Well no, she goes from 4-3 up in the 2nd set to losing what looks like 6 straight games to end up 3-0 down in the 3rd. And it looks like Seppi is gonna win, who I turned down in favour of Petkovic. Unbelievable. Makes me sick.

That's the risk with the WTA unfortunately mate. Similiar thing happening to Jovanovski atm. Was 5-3 up in the first, not dropping points on her serve and in the space of 5 mins she's lost the set 7-5 with Wickmayer breaking her last 2 service games to love. Strange.

[Tennis - 14-20 February]

Re: Tennis - 14-20 February Scoreboad in Dubai has been broken for the best part of an hour and a half. Looks like the guys over there need to stop buying football clubs and work on their technology.

[Tennis - 14-20 February]

Re: Tennis - 14-20 February Just taken 4 in Dubai tomorrow on the women's side of things. Was looking at the overs in the Peng-Mattek Sands match and also looking to oppose Kvitova on the handicap but line is a little low. Yanina Wickmayer vs Bojana Jovanovski- Jovanovski +3.5 handicap- 8/11 Bet365- (5/10) Expected a 2.5/3 handicap here so happy to take the slightly higher line, although I imagine it will end up being lower. Wickmayer has played alot of tennis recently whilst there has also been reports about a slight injury she has picked up along the way. Was involved in a lengthy match with Kvitova a few days back which she lost after choking in the third. She'd already played a couple of Fed Cup matches before that so chances are she's not going to be 100%. That on top of adapting to conditions over in Dubai, a vast different to that of Paris suggests to me that she could face some problems tomorrow. She has also shown her vulnerable side this year getting beat by the likes of Arn and Sevastova on the hard courts, two players she really should be beating. Jovanovski on the other hand has really emerged as one of the most promising players in the WTA. Already beaten Kanepi and Pennetta this year whilst taking the first set against Zvonareva at the AO. She has also just helped Serbia beat Canada in the Fed Cup by winning her two matches in straight sets which was a week ago so unlike Wickmayer, she has had that extra bit of time to adapt to conditions in Dubai. The young Serbian could have a bit of fun over the next couple of weeks if she plays how she has been doing and Wickmayer tomorrow if she's not on song, could face a R1 defeat two years in a row. Prefer the handicap to the outright though and can see Bojana pinching a set here if not the match. Jelena Dokic vs Flavia Pennetta- Pennetta -4.5 handicap- 4/6 Bet365- (5/10) These days the only events that Dokic really manages to perform in are the challanger events. She's not a bad indoor player as shown by her performance last week in Paris but on the outdoor stage, she is often picked apart by the better players. Petkovic, Kuznetsova and Clijsters have all beaten the Australian easily enough this year. Add this to the fact that she lost to players well outside the top 100 on hard last year then you'd have to fancy Pennetta to win this without too much trouble. The Italian herself looks to be somewhere around her best again this year with impressive wins over Peer, Zvonareva and Stosur last week, to which all three players are a couple of notches above Dokic. H2H is 1-0 for the Italian but this was when Dokic retired but the score at that point was 5-0 to Pennetta first set. The Italian made the third round last year and must surely fancy going further this year given the form she's in. Handicap should be covered here though. Patty Schnyder vs Ana Ivanovic- Ivanovic -4.5 handicap- 5/6 Bet365- (4/10) Not keen on backing Ivanovic with a handicap but she should have enough about her to win this won with some ease. Schnyder hasn't played a great deal of tennis this year. Lost early to a lowly Tsurenko at the AO and then lost 2/3 of her Fed Cup matches. Ivanovic herself hasn't been great this season by any means but fancy her for two main reasons. One is that last week she played some matches over in Thailand and I'm guessing the humid conditions are similiar to that over in Dubai so she should have adapted. The second reason being the H2H. I know sometimes it's wrong to analyse it in great detail but Ivanovic has won the last 5 matches between the pair of them, 4 of them in easy straight sets. (6-1 6-2 most recent at back end of last year) Schnyder is no spring chicken and if it's hot and humid, can see Ivanovic producing a good scoreline in this one so willing to take her with a 4.5 handicap. Saving the best till last. ;) Shahar Peer vs Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez- Peer -3.5 handicap- 4/5 Bet365- (4/10) Fancy Shahar here to cover the handicap. Last year she firmly established herself as one of the top players in the WTA and showed she can hit with the best of them. Last year in Dubai is where her best run happened. Wins over Wickmayer, Razzano, Wozniacki and Li sent her into the semis before she fell to Venus. The conditions in this tournament suit her so perfectly and she said last year how much she enjoyed playing in Dubai. Traditionally her best results in the year will come in the east where it is warm and Peer can make her opponents run all over the court and wear them down. She's also worked on her serve in the last 12 months and it is now full of variation and an effective one. Her results this year haven't been anything special but I fancy her to get some wins over the next couple of weeks. Martinez-Sanchez isn't the best draw for Shahar here as being a lefty, she can cause problems for her opponents with her spin and angles. This worked so effectively against Kanepi who she beat in the Fed Cup, however Peer is alot fitter than Kanepi and will look to make the Spaniard play that extra shot. One thing I feel Sanchez will struggle with is the extra power Peer can get on a ball out of nothing, making her incredibly hard to pcik and read. Kleybanova and Cornet, both reasonably big hitters have beaten the Spaniard this year in straight sets which to me says she is vulnerable against the powerful groundstrokes. Peer may indeed have to work a bit in this one but if she takes a close first set, can see her covering the handicap in the second.

[Tennis - 14-20 February]

Re: Tennis - 14-20 February Outrights look tough to call this week IMO. In Memphis Roddick is the big favourite but judging by his current form, could well slip up. Might consider Isner despite his form to make the final like he did 12 months ago or maybe Istomin as a long shot could suprise. Haven't seen the prices yet for Marseille but Youzhny from the bottom half is the only name to stand out. Same half as Berdych but no guarantees whether the Czech will play yet after he pulled out a couple of days ago from his match. Over on the clay in South America is tough. As infamous has said Wawrinka's possible run to the final isn't bad at all but he always can throw in an unexpected result on the clay IMO but he should win those matches. Over on the woman's side in Dubai, most of the top players, excluding Clijsters and the Williams sisters are in action. Azarenka is starting to win again so I may look at that one closer. Probably a quarter with Zvonareva who she beat last year at the same point. That should be a cracker of a tournament though. Not going to even look at the other women's draws as the quality of players there isn't great so that should be as hard to predict as anything. Looks really tough to pick the outrights this week though IMO. Sure the likes of Atko, Czech and others will just dismiss this and pick winners galore ;)

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13

Bet365 are so lazy not bothering with handicaps, so frustrating when I look at what Pinnacle are offering. Anyways, finally taken one outright this week. Petra Kvitova to win Paris each way- 7/1 Bet365- (2/10) Only worth looking at the bottom half of the draw in this one as Clijsters is in the top half and is an almost guarantee to make the final, but she's around the 2.5 mark which is crazy for an outright. Therefore see some value in Petra here who is more than capable of putting a run together to continue her good form at the start of this year. She already won the title in Brisbane a few weeks back, and despite pulling out of the following tournament in Sydney, she was impressive in the AO open before falling to Zvonareva in the quarters. However there is nobody in her half of the draw who she can't and perhaps shouldn't beat. The seeds of Sharapova, Wickmayer and Petkovic are in the bottom half but she'll only have to beat 2 of them and perhaps only one. She shouldn't be tested until at least the quarters here. She's got a qualifier in the first round, which would set up a second round meeting with either Pironkova or Strycova who Kvitova has a 100% record against both. She should cruise through that hopefully and then she'll probably have Wickmayer in the quarters. That could be her toughest test but think she should take that one. Despite Wickmayer's 3-1 H2H record, she's lost to the likes of Arn and Sevastova this year who aren't the best of players and the Belgian can often become stuck on the indoor courts so would fancy Kvitova to edge that one. If all goes to plan then and she gets through to the semis, have her down to play Petkovic, who I see winning that quarter over Sharapova who is dreadful at the minute. Kvitova's already beaten the German this year to claim her title and has won all 3 meetings on the hard/indoor hard courts. Would expect her by this time to be playing with some freedom and confidence and with that psycholgical advantage which Petkovic struggles with, to make it 4/4 on the hard courts and face Clijsters in the final. A final place would give a decent profit and as we all know, a one-off match can always throw up the odd suprise as we saw last week.

WIN Pretty easy week for her. A monster 3 hour marathon against Strycova in round two, followed by Wickmayer serving for the match at 30-0 in the quarters. :loon Funnily enough her most comfortable victories came in the semis and in the final against Clijsters no less. She was extremely impressive today and it's only a matter of time before she makes the top 10 and perhaps the top 5 in the not so distant future. Soderling came through for Atko as well so a couple of winners in the thread as well as Dolgopolov for Atko and Czech. Hugely profitable thread this week, long may it continue. :ok

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13

Oh well' date=' I am unfamiliar with the "each way" concept. Pinnacle does not offer that. Mind you explain it?[/quote'] Basically an each way bet means two bets. It's a bet on the player to win the tournament but also an additional bet on them getting to the final and losing giving the outright bet a bit more security and a full back if the player doesn't indeed win that final. Think I'm right in saying that if you take an E/W tennis outright before the tournament, the fraction is always 1/2 of the original outright price. This means that if the player in question loses the final, depending on your stake, you would recieve a cut of the original odds, (given by the bookies as a fraction) multiplied by your stake. With odds above 5s, it's usually wise to take the bet E/W. See that Czech and Atko have got Dolgopolov tonight E/W so they are too guaranteed a profit on that one. Before the draw started, I mentioned in my write-up that I would expect Kvitova to meet Clijsters in the final but due to Clijsters skinny odds, she is not worth the E/W bet as unless she wins it, the 1/2 E/W odds would be below 2 and would mean a loss. That's why I took Petra as she was at 7/1 and I fancied her to make the final. So technically tomorrow, no matter who she plays, (pray for Kanepi), I have Kvitova at 7/1 for that match but if she loses I am still guaranteed the profit due to the E/W staking. Hope that clears that up for you. :ok

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13

I cannot see how the profit on Kvitova can be guaranteed. If you managed to get Kvitova future at odds 8' date=' the profit is guaranteed only if Clijsters odds in the final will be above 1.125. Is that guaranteed?[/quote'] Took her each way mate so get some back for being runner up if Clijsters beats her.

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13 Kvitova has put me through hell and beyond this week but thankfully guarantees a profit. Easy over Mattek-Sands in the end. Makes up for the disappointment over Mannarino last week. GL on Dolgopolov tonight guys. :ok

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13 The thread is looking good with the various outrights as well. Dolgopolov, Almagro, Soderling and Kvitova all still in with a shout.

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13

Cilic ... where to start? What's gone wrong with him? A year ago he was flying' date=' now he looks bereft of any real ability and desire. Something's happened to him, but I don't know what. Raonic, on the other hand, looks a player. Berankis couldn't live with his serve, and the Canadian covered the line. Baghdatis lost in a final set breaker and Almagro still going on. Not the best day. Hope for better tomorrow.[/quote'] Merci for the Raonic bet Monsieur Atko. When the second set went to a tie-break the handicap was never in doubt.

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13 Kvitova is trying to give me a heart-attack it seems. Checked the score in my lecture and saw that Wickmayer was serving for the match, only to see a few minutes later Kvitova's name in bold. :loon Thought she would crumble after losing the first set but fair play to her. Mattek-Sands in the semis, although it's still tough, dont think she could have wished for a better semi looking at her side of the draw.

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13 Got to love the WTA :lol. Well nobody can dispute it's not entertaining. 3h14 for that Kvitova win. She looked nackered though, hopefully she can recover by tomorrow.

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13 She's made her chances count at the end of the match, needed those conversions on the break points earlier on in the set.

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13 Can't cope with this game anymore. Got heartbreak for punters written all over it.

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13 Tis a strange one. Clijsters even dropped a set yesterday, Moneys on Mattek-Sands now :lol

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13

Fingers crossed mate. Break point conversion is worrying. I have Kvitova in an accumulator I have going on the side but every player I back this week is struggling to convert bp's so I fear the worst here. Think I jinxed your bet Fishy! Break for Strycova.

Yeah not your biggest fan tbh mate ;)

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13

Fishy getting put through the mill by Kvitova.Real fight with Strycova. And Ljubo schools Paire 6-0 in the first set!

She's really struggling tbh. Had the mini-break in the tie breaker but now looks like it's heading the distance. Don't fancy this tbh.

[Tennis - February 7-13]

Re: Tennis - February 7-13

Few shouts on today. Considered Baggy but not 100% over his fitness. Also looked into Llodra with the handicap but not entirely convinced with the Frenchman yet. James Blake vs Milos Raonic- Raonic -2.5 game handicap- 4/5 Bet365- (5/10) Slight bit of risk with this one as it's very much experience against power. Raonic has impressed me in both the AO and again yesterday against Malisse where he failed to drop serve. He hit the ball cleanly and his forehand was filled with immense power and I reckon Blake will struggle to keep up to pace with the youngster. The American's match against Levine was his first of the season so he will still be looking to get his eye back in but due to Raonic's sheer power, Blake won't be able settle or get any rhythm. At the back end of last year he lost to Nieminen and Kubot indoors and he failed to do much throughout the year. Raonic should be pretty confident here and even with one tight set, Raonic should be able to get a read on Blake's serve and break at least once bringing the handicap into play. Marin Cilic vs Jurgen Melzer- Melzer -1.5 game handicap- 10/11 Bet365- (5/10) Just been robbed in this one as someone must have lumped on Cilic as the outright for both is around the 1.9 mark and the handicap I've taken is above evens. Not sure why the shift in odds, haven't heard anything on this one. Cilic as Atko says has looked pretty average in his recent matches. Last week Mayer really dominated the match from start to finish with Marin hitting wild shots way off the court. Melzer is the kind of guy, being a left hander who will make Cilic run about and use the angles in his favour. With his wide kick serve, he should get a number of cheap points against Cilic who isn't the most mobile of guys. The Austrian has had good success indoors in the past and I feel he should beat Cilic here who at the minute isn't anywhere near his best. Richard Berankis vs Donald Young- Berankis -2.5 game handicap- 4/5 Bet365- (5/10) Not much to add that Czech and IAG haven't said already with this one. Young just about scraped through against Brown yesterday but an on song Berankis is a much better player. His all round game is quite solid and he beat Becker, who is also a better player than Young in straight sets yesterday which will give Berankis some confidence. He made the quarters here last tim round and fully expect him to at least get past the American here.

WIN LOSS LOSS Should have been in profit but Berankis choked. Melzer was poor but Raonic did the job. Haven't had a good day in a while it seems :\