[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) One thing they have in common, both are French idiots who if they went back to basics, would be better for it.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Think Tsonga's on the wrong side of tennis. Only such erratic and idiotic play is seen in the WTA.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Right let's try and get a full house today. Robin Soderling vs Jan Hernych- Under 27.5 games- 4/5 Bet365- (5/10) This is hardly likely to be a 5 set thriller, and Soderling should romp to victory here. Hernych had an epic with Bellucci and admitted that he was completely shattered and would need a miracle to put up a fight today. Hernych only just got through his first qualifier last week, and although wins over Istomin and Bellucci are good results for the Czech, Soderling will dominate all areas of the game. Soderling has won 8 on the spin now and is playing close to his best which just underlines the class difference between the two. Would be suprised if Robin doesn't wrap this up in much over an hour/hour and a half. Alexandr Dolgopolov vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga- Dolgopolov +3.5 handicap- 5/6 Bet365- (5/10) Not too much I can add to what Atko has already said earlier on in the forum. I've backed the Ukranian so far and taken him again here. Tsonga, against Seppi went missing for the latter end of the second set but due to Seppi's incompetence and idiocrisy, he allowed Tsonga to break him and take it to a tie break, which the Frenchman ultimately won. Seppi was complaining about the crowd which made him lose focus, and if he hadn't have done this, he would have served the set out and maybe gone on from there. Dolgopolov has matured and come on leaps and bounds in the last year and he won't let up like Seppi did. He is serving extremely well, hitting plenty of aces in his matches, whilst his return game, which will be so important against Tsonga, is working well as he broke big serving Becker on numerous occasions in the last round. Dolgopolov has a fair chance of taking the match IMO, but the handicap gives some extra security if he loses a close 5 setter like he did at Wimbledon last year, in their only meeting. He covered the handicap there, hopefully he'll do the same tonight. Lucie Safarova vs Vera Zvonareva- Zvonareva -5.5 handicap- 4/6 Bet365- (5/10) Not a fan of taking women's handicaps after Kleybanova's poor show the other day but feel the number 2 seed should cover this one. Safarova has endured two 3 setters in her previous rounds, against opponents much weaker than the Russian. Interestingly enough, Safarova's last 7 matches have all gone to 3 sets but don't see Zvonareva hanging about. She won in 3 against a tricky Jovanovski, and hammered Bammer in the first round after a dodgy start. With Henin and Williams out, Wozniacki looking vulnerable and Clijsters going missing for parts of her matches, Vera will feel this is her best chance yet to win a slam and she'll be looking to impress and get her matches done in a quick and routine fashion. She's already beaten Williams, Clijsters and Wozniacki this year, expect her to get through here by winning at least 6 more games than her opponent. Flavia Pennetta vs Shahar Peer- Peer to win- 11/10 Bet365- (4/10) Here it comes. Saw IAG mentioned this one and I have to agree that Peer shouldn't be the underdog here. Considered taking her with a handicap in the last round but didn't but she's clearly in good form and repeating her good performances that served her well in Flushing Meadows last year. Peer has won both her matches comfortably in straight sets, but she continues to impress through her on court attitude. Last match, Cirstea had a mental breakdown on court and needed a time out. So often we see in the women's game that this will affect both players but not Peer. She stayed focused and relaxed and when they started again, she continued to play her normal game and won. Pennetta has also won her matches easily but I still feel she is slightly vulnerable and still finding her feet again after her injury towards the end of last season. She recently lost to Jovanovski and if her fitness isn't completely there yet, and it perhaps went to 3 sets, the counter-punch style of Peer will trouble the Italian. Peer has come on and is now a familiar face in the top 15/20. Clever shot selections, not afraid to come to the net and can serve some aces now. She's won the last 2 on hard between them, both last year, and she's worth a shot here at above evens. Taken one round 4 match as well early. Andrea Petkovic vs Maria Sharapova- Petkovic to win- 11/8 Bet365- (4/10) Odds have since dropped on this one so happy I got in when I did. This bet is slightly for Petkovic, but mainly against Sharapova. Maria is still struggling with her serve big time, and from that she loses momentum and her confidence in the rallies. She just came through against Goerges in 3, but still had 11 double faults and still prone to errors. Mentioned it before in the forum, whenever she has a second serve, you always feel it's going to be a double with her shoulder holding her game back all the time. One of the main reasons why she was so dominant was because of her serve and without that, she does really struggle. Petkovic is certainly no mug, reaching the fourth round at the US open last year, and making the final in Brisbane a couple of weeks back. Bit fortunate with Williams being forced to retire after just 6 minutes, but even if Venus was fit, I wouldn't rule Petkovic out from taking it anyway. Only meeting was last year when Sharapova won easily, but that was when the German was losing against very average opponents and even Safina no less. Since then she's winning matches again and gained her confidence back. She won't let Sharapova settle when they play and will force her into errors. Good price and hopefully it will pay dividends.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)

Agreeing with most of what's been said and taking four myself. Tomas Berdych vs Richard Gasquet- Berdych -4.5 handicap - 4/5 Bet365- (6/10) Simply have to fancy the Czech here over a much indifferent Frenchman. Gasquet's form cannot be ignored here. He recently lost to a lesser opponent in Phau, as well as dropping a set to Seppi. His opponents in the slam would have been a dream for him tbh. A guy ranked outside the top 200, and a youngster who is still developing and has played a ton of games recently. Despite this, he didn't blow either of them off the court in any of the sets, and if young Mannarino took the tie break a couple of days ago, he may well have gone on and took the match. He will have to play a couple of levels above this standard if he is to trouble Berdych today. The Czech is now vastly experienced in going into the second week of the slams after his final loss to Nadal at Wimbledon, and his semi show at the French Open. He came on leaps and bounds and shows he can now mix it with the big boys, beating the likes of Federer and Roddick last year in big tournaments. He played some good stuff against Kohli in the last round and I would arguably say Gasquet isn't a better opponent than the German atm. Berdych is likely to want to make amends for his early exits 12 months ago and also against Llodra in the US open. The H2H stands at 2-1 to the Frenchman but more relevantly, their only recent meeting last year Berdych won at the expence of 2 games in Monte-Carlo. Only way that Gasquet will have a chance is if Berdych hits wildly and Gasquet ups his level. Can't see if happening and fancy Berdych, even if Gasquet nicks a tight set, to cover the handicap. Andy Roddick vs Robin Haase- Haase +6.5 handicap- 8/11 Bet365- (5/10) Fancy the Dutchman to keep this relatively close. He's made the step up from challenger level to the big boys at the start of this season with some good results. Taking sets of Wawrinka and Isner, whilst beating Monaco and Cuevas have given him some confidence and he shouldn't fear Roddick today IMO. He's quick around the court with a big serve and that will certainly give Roddick something to think about. Last year, players with a good first serve gave Roddick problems. The likes of Cilic, Fish and Ljubicic beating him whilst Anderson took a set off him in Brisbane a couple of weeks back. Always feel when watching Roddick now, in a long rally, I'm never confident that he will win the rally unlike the other top 7 players. If Haase gets his game going early, he should be able to force a tie break or to, and maybe even pinch a set. Tommy Robredo vs Sergiy Stakhovsky- Stakhovsky -1.5 handicap- Evens Bet365- (5/10) Annoyed I didn't take Stakhovsky for the outright when the prices were out yesterday as you could have got above evens. However, the handicap is low enough so if he does take the match, he should cover it. Simply cannot favour Tommy here, after his two previous matches and his show in Auckland the week before. He needed a tight 3 set win over Devvarman, a 4 setter against Fish who hasn't practiced and who hammered him in the first set, whilst in the Kiwi Land, Venus managed to take a set off him and he lost to Bellucci. Stakhovsky on the other hand came into this week off the back of victories against Becker and GGL, two very different opponents who would have tested different parts of the Ukranian's game. Two comfortable straight set wins over Brands and Kubot as well so he should be mightily fresh for tonight. Robredo's form just means he cannot be backed IMO. Lasy year he went through spells of hot and cold and although he has managed to win his last two, think Stakhovsky will be the 2nd Ukranian through to round 4. H2H is 1-1, both played on the hard courts last year, but these were played when Robredo was playing better tennis than he is now. Fancy Stakhovsky here, and hopefully alongside this, the marginal handicap. Nicolas Almagro vs Ivan Ljubicic- Ljubicic -1.5 handicap- Evens Bet365- (4/10) Like Stakhovsky, annoyed I didn't take Ljubicic early and would have got a better price for the outright which is annoying. Like the Ukranian though, if he wins the match, the handicap should go hand in hand. There's still some fitness concerns over Ljubicic but Almagro is hardly likely to be fresh out the packet either. Extremely lucky to get past Andreev, who to put it bluntly, fcuked it up in the fourth. But Almagro also dropped a set against Robert in the match before which is in truth really poor for a top 20 player to do. Ljubicic is serving very well though, and this should cause Almagro all sorts of problems as he won't be able to get into any sort of routine or gain any consistent rhythm. Ljubicic leads the H2H 3-1 as well, which will give him some extra confidence, as he's won the last 2 on Almagro's favoured clay, so he will know how to beat him. Will probably be a tight one, with shifts in momentum, but just giving the edge to Ivan here.

WIN WIN LOSS LOSS Virtually broke even. Really thought Stakhovsky would push on after the first set but wasn't to be.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Well think it would be fair to say that although you'd expect the same names to win the trophies for the men, it is certainly more competitive than the women's game. Think this is shown by how many different female players hammer their opponents by the scores of 6-1 6-2 or worse. Although Nadal has done the equivalent of this, you wouldn't expect the top 10 players all to do this like most do in the WTA. Take tonight for example, Roddick, ranked 8 and Haase is outside the top 50. In the women's game, highly unlikely that the top 8 player would lose a set so comfortably.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Not Williams, or Henin IMO, only Clijsters. Williams is vulnerable most times I see her and doesn't play regularly enough to be up there with Clijsters. With the men, it's obviously Fed and Rafa, with Djoko, Murry and Soderling just behind. With the women, it's dominated by Clijsters only, who is on another level to the rest.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Yeah Ljubo bottled it and looks done now. Needed to take his break points in the first set to give him the momentum.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)

Djokovic-Troicki ; over 3.5 sets ; 10units ; 1.90 at bet365 Djokovic and Troicki are good friends and they won Davis Cup a month ago. Their previous meeting on US Open ended 3:2 to Novak. But he was very close to losing that match. Now Troicki is much more consistent than he was then so I think even without them being good friends Troicki has quality to win at least one set. Even if Novak gets a 2:0 lead tonight he will let Troicki take a set.

The beautiful world that tennis revolves around now :lol

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Agreeing with most of what's been said and taking four myself. Tomas Berdych vs Richard Gasquet- Berdych -4.5 handicap - 4/5 Bet365- (6/10) Simply have to fancy the Czech here over a much indifferent Frenchman. Gasquet's form cannot be ignored here. He recently lost to a lesser opponent in Phau, as well as dropping a set to Seppi. His opponents in the slam would have been a dream for him tbh. A guy ranked outside the top 200, and a youngster who is still developing and has played a ton of games recently. Despite this, he didn't blow either of them off the court in any of the sets, and if young Mannarino took the tie break a couple of days ago, he may well have gone on and took the match. He will have to play a couple of levels above this standard if he is to trouble Berdych today. The Czech is now vastly experienced in going into the second week of the slams after his final loss to Nadal at Wimbledon, and his semi show at the French Open. He came on leaps and bounds and shows he can now mix it with the big boys, beating the likes of Federer and Roddick last year in big tournaments. He played some good stuff against Kohli in the last round and I would arguably say Gasquet isn't a better opponent than the German atm. Berdych is likely to want to make amends for his early exits 12 months ago and also against Llodra in the US open. The H2H stands at 2-1 to the Frenchman but more relevantly, their only recent meeting last year Berdych won at the expence of 2 games in Monte-Carlo. Only way that Gasquet will have a chance is if Berdych hits wildly and Gasquet ups his level. Can't see if happening and fancy Berdych, even if Gasquet nicks a tight set, to cover the handicap. Andy Roddick vs Robin Haase- Haase +6.5 handicap- 8/11 Bet365- (5/10) Fancy the Dutchman to keep this relatively close. He's made the step up from challenger level to the big boys at the start of this season with some good results. Taking sets of Wawrinka and Isner, whilst beating Monaco and Cuevas have given him some confidence and he shouldn't fear Roddick today IMO. He's quick around the court with a big serve and that will certainly give Roddick something to think about. Last year, players with a good first serve gave Roddick problems. The likes of Cilic, Fish and Ljubicic beating him whilst Anderson took a set off him in Brisbane a couple of weeks back. Always feel when watching Roddick now, in a long rally, I'm never confident that he will win the rally unlike the other top 7 players. If Haase gets his game going early, he should be able to force a tie break or to, and maybe even pinch a set. Tommy Robredo vs Sergiy Stakhovsky- Stakhovsky -1.5 handicap- Evens Bet365- (5/10) Annoyed I didn't take Stakhovsky for the outright when the prices were out yesterday as you could have got above evens. However, the handicap is low enough so if he does take the match, he should cover it. Simply cannot favour Tommy here, after his two previous matches and his show in Auckland the week before. He needed a tight 3 set win over Devvarman, a 4 setter against Fish who hasn't practiced and who hammered him in the first set, whilst in the Kiwi Land, Venus managed to take a set off him and he lost to Bellucci. Stakhovsky on the other hand came into this week off the back of victories against Becker and GGL, two very different opponents who would have tested different parts of the Ukranian's game. Two comfortable straight set wins over Brands and Kubot as well so he should be mightily fresh for tonight. Robredo's form just means he cannot be backed IMO. Lasy year he went through spells of hot and cold and although he has managed to win his last two, think Stakhovsky will be the 2nd Ukranian through to round 4. H2H is 1-1, both played on the hard courts last year, but these were played when Robredo was playing better tennis than he is now. Fancy Stakhovsky here, and hopefully alongside this, the marginal handicap. Nicolas Almagro vs Ivan Ljubicic- Ljubicic -1.5 handicap- Evens Bet365- (4/10) Like Stakhovsky, annoyed I didn't take Ljubicic early and would have got a better price for the outright which is annoying. Like the Ukranian though, if he wins the match, the handicap should go hand in hand. There's still some fitness concerns over Ljubicic but Almagro is hardly likely to be fresh out the packet either. Extremely lucky to get past Andreev, who to put it bluntly, fcuked it up in the fourth. But Almagro also dropped a set against Robert in the match before which is in truth really poor for a top 20 player to do. Ljubicic is serving very well though, and this should cause Almagro all sorts of problems as he won't be able to get into any sort of routine or gain any consistent rhythm. Ljubicic leads the H2H 3-1 as well, which will give him some extra confidence, as he's won the last 2 on Almagro's favoured clay, so he will know how to beat him. Will probably be a tight one, with shifts in momentum, but just giving the edge to Ivan here.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)

Decided to leave the Peer handicap, just a tad too high. Have taken a last one for tonight though. Andreas Seppi vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga- Over 3.5 sets- 10/11 Bet365- (4/10) Expect a close one here between these two and not so sure the unders should be at a skinnier price. Both players were involved in epic 5 setters in the first round against opponents who you'd feel they should have beaten more comfortably. Seppi had a terrible end to the season rarely winning a match whilst Tsonga missed alot of the mid-end of the season through injury. Due to this, can't see either of them closing it out in straights, despite Tsonga's ranking. Not too sure how he will be feeling after that match against Petzschner, fair chance he may feel it early on and then get into his swing. So if Seppi gets off to a decent start, he may pinch a set early on. One match played between the two so far, which went all the way into 3 sets and feel it may be a close one today.

LOSS Turned my day into a small loss. Seppi served for the second set and blew it. Still the biggest mug when it comes to tennis players. Hope for better tomorrow.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)

Fed got the job done eventually, impressive stuff from Simon though. Taking a couple today, may come back with a couple more later depending on the odds shift. Benjamin Becker vs Alexandr Dolgopolov- Dolgopolov - 3.5 handicap- 10/11 Bet365- (6/10) Favoured the Ukranian against Kukushkin a couple of days ago and will happily do so again today. He was impressive on Monday winning in 3 comfortable sets, having opportunities to break in most of Kukushkin's service games. Alongside this, he served 16 aces in just 3 sets, which is a very good return. Came into the slam in decent form with wins over Querrey, and home boy Tomic, with a good show against Simon as well. Becker beat Gulbis in round one in what was the mentally weak affair. Gulbis often after losing the first set, lets his head get down and feels like the world is his enemy. Becker isn't much better in this respect as if things go against him he will play wild shots and get off the court as quick as possible. He is really all power with not too much else, and if his serve isn't firing, he will struggle. Traditionally he doesn't perform too well in the slams, only getting past round 2 in any of the slams way back in 2006 in the US. Dolgopolov is improving all the time and expect him to shoot up the rankings this year. Becker won their only meeting back in 2006 but even then, Dolgopolov took the first set easily, and since then he has matured and developed. Fancy him to cover the handicap here if he is solid throughout. Alisa Klebanova vs Simona Halep- Kleybanova -5.5 handicap- 8/11 Bet365- (4/10) Not the best price for this handicap in a women's match but feel the Russian can cover it. Hit a really good patch of form at the start of this season, with wins over Schiavone and Cibulkova, before pushing Clijsters all the way in the third set. If she carries her good form on for a sustained period of time, a top 10 place isn't out of her reach given her age as well. Watched her match against Clijsters, and I've never seen anyone outside the top 5 make Clijsters work so much around the court. Alisa hit winner after clean winner and for the best part of 2 sets, outplayed Clijsters. Looks like she has a mass of confidence after that performance, hammering Falconi for th expense of one game in the first round, meaning she will be fresh for tonights match. Halep needed 3 sets to beat Kremer of Luxumbourg in round one, who it is fair to say is nowhere near Kleybanova's standard. If she struggled against her, Kleybanova should dominate most of the rallies with her hard hitting and win a good percentage of the points. Feel the handicap is a good one also as the best player Halep has played this year is Wickmayer, where she lost to love, and to two. She then lost in the qualifiers in Hobart. Two players very different in ability wise, and form wise, expect Kleybanova to win this without too many worries.

WIN LOSS Minimal profit, too many errors for Kleybanova today. Dolgopolov serving extremely well on a happier note.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)

Kleymanova ruined my day :-(

Always the risk with her, very much hit or miss. Approached 50 unforced errors today, which is a stat that's never going to win you matches, no matter how many winners she hits. Thought she would blow Halep off the court today though, not to be :\

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Decided to leave the Peer handicap, just a tad too high. Have taken a last one for tonight though. Andreas Seppi vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga- Over 3.5 sets- 10/11 Bet365- (4/10) Expect a close one here between these two and not so sure the unders should be at a skinnier price. Both players were involved in epic 5 setters in the first round against opponents who you'd feel they should have beaten more comfortably. Seppi had a terrible end to the season rarely winning a match whilst Tsonga missed alot of the mid-end of the season through injury. Due to this, can't see either of them closing it out in straights, despite Tsonga's ranking. Not too sure how he will be feeling after that match against Petzschner, fair chance he may feel it early on and then get into his swing. So if Seppi gets off to a decent start, he may pinch a set early on. One match played between the two so far, which went all the way into 3 sets and feel it may be a close one today.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)

guys i m quite new to tennis so apologize any bs thoughts my thoughts are 1)there are no big upsets so far in AO 2)Alisia Kleybanova is a great but unstable player.She lost to Sally Peers recently 3)So AH+6games for Halep @ 2,16 pinnacle is great value is it ? opinions?:unsure

Did a write up on this one earlier. I'm on Kleybanova with a (-5.5) handicap. You're right, at times she can be erratic and unpredictable, shown through her defeat to Peers. But since then, she beat Schiavone and Cibulkova, and almost Clijsters. I think she'll cover it but if you think not then go with your heart. :ok

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Wow loads of bets going about today, still only taking the two I posted thoughh but looks like there's some value to be had in most bets. Anyone else interested in taking a 5.5 handicap on Peer, feel it would be wrong to not back her at least once in a slam :tongue2

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Fed got the job done eventually, impressive stuff from Simon though. Taking a couple today, may come back with a couple more later depending on the odds shift. Benjamin Becker vs Alexandr Dolgopolov- Dolgopolov - 3.5 handicap- 10/11 Bet365- (6/10) Favoured the Ukranian against Kukushkin a couple of days ago and will happily do so again today. He was impressive on Monday winning in 3 comfortable sets, having opportunities to break in most of Kukushkin's service games. Alongside this, he served 16 aces in just 3 sets, which is a very good return. Came into the slam in decent form with wins over Querrey, and home boy Tomic, with a good show against Simon as well. Becker beat Gulbis in round one in what was the mentally weak affair. Gulbis often after losing the first set, lets his head get down and feels like the world is his enemy. Becker isn't much better in this respect as if things go against him he will play wild shots and get off the court as quick as possible. He is really all power with not too much else, and if his serve isn't firing, he will struggle. Traditionally he doesn't perform too well in the slams, only getting past round 2 in any of the slams way back in 2006 in the US. Dolgopolov is improving all the time and expect him to shoot up the rankings this year. Becker won their only meeting back in 2006 but even then, Dolgopolov took the first set easily, and since then he has matured and developed. Fancy him to cover the handicap here if he is solid throughout. Alisa Klebanova vs Simona Halep- Kleybanova -5.5 handicap- 8/11 Bet365- (4/10) Not the best price for this handicap in a women's match but feel the Russian can cover it. Hit a really good patch of form at the start of this season, with wins over Schiavone and Cibulkova, before pushing Clijsters all the way in the third set. If she carries her good form on for a sustained period of time, a top 10 place isn't out of her reach given her age as well. Watched her match against Clijsters, and I've never seen anyone outside the top 5 make Clijsters work so much around the court. Alisa hit winner after clean winner and for the best part of 2 sets, outplayed Clijsters. Looks like she has a mass of confidence after that performance, hammering Falconi for th expense of one game in the first round, meaning she will be fresh for tonights match. Halep needed 3 sets to beat Kremer of Luxumbourg in round one, who it is fair to say is nowhere near Kleybanova's standard. If she struggled against her, Kleybanova should dominate most of the rallies with her hard hitting and win a good percentage of the points. Feel the handicap is a good one also as the best player Halep has played this year is Wickmayer, where she lost to love, and to two. She then lost in the qualifiers in Hobart. Two players very different in ability wise, and form wise, expect Kleybanova to win this without too many worries.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Fed struggling big time here. Draw could be wide open if Simon gets the job done.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Btw early check on tomorrows odds, no way Robredo is favourite against Stakhovsky is available at above evens. Will wait on the handicap for him though, price is likely to drop and he'll probably have a 2.5 which is a gift IMO.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Think it's more of a psychological thing tbh. Simon is 2 up on Fed, nobody else is like that, or even close to a 100% record over him. Simon is running all over the shop though but expect Fed to come through in 4 tbh.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Hmmm interesting results last night. Thought Fish would romp home after the the first set, Robredo still looks dodgy. Big chokes from Andreev and Tipsarevic as well. Glad I stayed away though as I would most certainly of been down.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)

Sharapova vs Razzano OVER 19.5 games @ 1.840 (Pinnacle:5pts) I still think Sharapova is a bit of a mess tbh.Her performances in Auckland weren't good at all, getting crushed by Arn in 2 sets...improvement against Tanasugarn but she has little to really get at Maria, no serve and she still broke her 3 times aswell as Sharapova serving 10 double faults.Razzano is a decent player, needed 3 sets to beat Vesnina in rd 1 but she should provide a sterner test here. Mannarino +6AH over Gasquet @ 2.050 (Pinnacle:5pts) Dangerous one for Gasquet here IMO....don't think he's in the type of form to be covering big handicaps...OK he had games to spare against Dancevic who was awful but still remained competitive in that loss. Mannarino on the other hand is in the form of his life, crushed Harrison in round 1 and I think can at least win a set here which would give the handicap a chance. Definite value IMO. Gasquet did lose to Phau a few weeks back so I'm not sure he's trustable right now at short prices. Wozniacki vs King OVER 17.5 games @ 1.926 (Pinnacle:3pts)

OK Wozniacki is clearly the superior player here and I expect her to win but considering her form I think the line might be a tad low here. She was schooled by Cibulkova in Sydney and came through 6-3 6-4 against out of form Dulko in rd 1 here, and Dulko did have other break chances which she failed to convert. King started the year in decent form, I thought she'd lose to Paszek in rd 1 but she dominated that one despite losing the first set breaker. Of course top players can steamroll her at times but its not the worst match-up for King as she can be quite crafty, she'll cme forward and try to finish points quickly...if she can keep the errors low then I fancy her to cover this line. They played once last year at Indian Wells and Wozniacki took it in 3 sets 5-7 6-2 6-4.

GL!

Was considering all 3 of these myself :lol. Sharapova when in rallies in the first round was good, but you always felt when it was her second serve, it was inevitably going to end in a double fault. With regards to Mannarino, due to the form over the last couple of weeks for both, Mannarino is too high for the outright, as we see again Gasquet stupidly priced because of his name. Still unsure whether I'm going to take anything, somethings telling me to stay away tonight...

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Really don't see any that stand out today. Considering Fish outright, and a few handicaps but nothing looks great. Will have another look but will sit tonight out I thin. Good luck all who play though.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)

Not a great start yesterday but hope for better today. Agreeing with Atko with regards to Ferrer and Dolgopolov. Was also hoping to take unders on the Soderling match but the price is terrible for what the bet actually is. Alexandr Dolgopolov vs Mikhail Kukushkin- Dolgopolov -4.5 handicap- 4/5 Bet365- (5/10) Dolgopolov has really came of sorts in the last year, leading to a top 50 spot for the Ukranian. Already had a couple of warm ups down under, so he'll certainly be settled and raring to go. IMO, he's the kind of player who will beat other guys around the same ability level or slightly lower 9/10 times now as he's matured in the past 12 months. It's only where he'll play the top 20 players where he struggles, but he's still young enough to develop his game further. As Atko pointed out, he does prefer the clay but he certainly is no mug on other surfaces, shown by impressive wins over Baghdatis and Youzhny last year. Kukushkin is a good draw from Dolgopolov here, as he's only played two matches in Australia to warm up, with indifferent results against players well below Dolgopolov's standard. Last season, Kukushkin barely beat anyone of note on the outdoor hard courts, which are slower. H2H is 2-0 in Dolgopolov's favour, he should make it 3 without much trouble. Jarkko Nieminen vs David Ferrer- Ferrer -6.5 handicap- 5/6 Bet365- (5/10) Terrible odds if compared to what Atko got for what is ironically a slightly riskier bet as well but still happy to take it. Ferrer is one of those guys when looked at, you wouldn't expect him to be any good at catching a ball let alone tennis but what I really like about him is he's clever. He knows he's not going to serve ace after ace, nor winner after winner but what he will do is gradually grind down his opponent into making mistakes which is what has made him such a good player. Coming in with good form as well, winning in Auckland beating 4 guys who are certainly no pushovers. The Fin on the other hand is likely to be struggling with fitness concerns here. Had to retire against Gil last week due to a knee injury, which is far from perfect preparation for a grand slam. This could be perfect for Ferrer as he'll make Nieminen run all over the place and monouevre the ball cleverly. Feel it might be a close first set, but if Ferrer gets throught this, it could be all one way traffic. Just to show I'm not copying all of Atko's picks with a different write up with poorer odds :lol : Rui Machado vs Santiago Giraldo- Giraldo -7.5 handicap- Evens Bet365- (4/10) Took a handicap last week with Giraldo against Montanes and he came through so will back him once again here. Although it's a big handicap for someone outside the top 50, Giraldo can certainly cover it if he plays like he's done for the past 2 weeks. Impressive wins over Simon, Montanes and Bellucci will give him alot of confidence going into this week. A year ago, he produced a fine display in the first round knocking out Robredo in straights so he'll not be scared of the ocassion. His opponent only played a total of 5 matches on the hard last year, and those were all qualifiers against lesser players. Then in preparation for this week, he lost both his matches this year against Falla, who is not fo Giraldo's quality, so don't see how Machado is going to seriously trouble the Colombian here. This isn't clay and Giraldo is no qualifier, so hoping for an easy win for him here. Bojana Jovanovski vs Kai-Chen Chang- Jananovski -4.5 handicap- 10/11 Bet365- (4/10) Have to favour the young Serbian here after the strides she made last week. Won 7 matches on on the trot, including wins against Kanepi, Rezai and Pennett before narrowly falling to Li. She played some really impressive tennis though and looks like she has worked hard over the off season to improve her game. Last season she was getting through the qualifiers but mostly getting hammered in the first round by a seeded player. She should have some confidence though from last week and in the women's game, confidence plays a large part. Chang hasn't played a match this season and was playing carpet events at the back end of last year. This is a complete contrast to what is in store today against a very much in form Jovanovski. They've played eachother twice, with the Serbian winning both, last of those coming last year where she covered this handicap. Hopefully she'll carry her good form into this week and take this one with the handicap.

WIN LOSS WIN WIN Not bad, little frustrated that Ferrer couldn't make it a full house but decent profit. Was a little fortunate with Giraldo and Jovanovski though to be honest.

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Nadal 6-0 6-0 6-0? Wouldn't bet against it :lol

[Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January)]

Re: Tennis - The Australian Open (17-30 January) Women's tennis never ever fails to amaze. Jovanovski 5-1 down in the first, comes back to win 7-5 6-1. Madness.