Tennis: Australian Open 2012

[IAmGooner]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Sharapova -3.5 games vs Lisicki @ 8/11 (S James:5pts) Fancy Maria strongly in this one tbh, she seems to be playing very well and although she hasnt been tested hugely, I think she can dispose of Lisicki with a bit to spare. Lisicki has had some mighty struggles, was way off game in the heat vs average Voegele going to 3 sets, beat Peer easily who has been useless for over a year now, and should have went in straights vs Kuzzie who imploded and ended up making tons of errors and forgetting how to serve. Sharapova seems to be getting that confidence back in her game, worth noting that she beat Lisicki 3 and 4 at Wimbledon last year, a surface which both players love but Lisicki was playing great at that time while Maria wasnt as good as she is now IMO. Now it seems to be the reverse, and on this surface I'd favour Sharapova to come through.

[kronko]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 My match for today is Ferrer vs Gasquet -4 @ 1.86 I think that Ferrer is too good player for Gasquet and he is in better form and Gasquet is always weak in big tournaments and he often make mistakes that call the match,Ferrer should won in three sets and -4 seems more than reasonably.:hope

[homunculus]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Should have been a tight match, but JJ was not good enough. She has told in an interview, and it could have been seen, that she has a cold as hell (she said it was from the airconditioned places). WTA should adopt a rule that players that are not healthy must not enter the match. I am lucky I did resist and left this match go. I was really tempted for backing JJ. edit: going for Ivanovic to bt Kvitova @4.20 Pinnacle This opened around 3.9, now 4.20 is little bit off for H2H 3-0 for Anna. OK, Petra improved ALOT since their last match in 2009, but still. Petra killed Dushevina in R1, but Dushevina was not mentally there. Then she struggled against Suarez Navarro (LOL) in R2, going to a three setter and even being a break down in the decider. In R3 she was given a gift as Kirilenko was injured. All in all, Petra was absolutely not tested so far. Moreover, the match is scheduled 11 AM local time, while Petra loves evening sessions much better and does not like playing in the heat. It all depends on how Anna manages to enter into the match. Once sh's in fire, noone can stop her. But 4.20? C'mon.... Also been thinging about Sharapova-Lisicki, but -5 games hcp may be little bit too much. Lucky IAG to get -3.5 :p I am still thinking about ATP, perhaps Ferrer x Tsonga double could be good idea...

[WinningTipster]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Hi guys, 1 more pick for me for the Australian Open tomorrow: FERRER TO DEFEAT GASQUET @1.52 on betfair Gasquet is playing great but Ferrer is just the worst type of opponent for him - he is more consistence from the baseline so Gasquet will have to go for winners and Ferrer is a great counter attacking player. The Head-to-Head reads 5:1, with 5 easy wins to Ferrer.

[sportxtipster]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Serena Williams to win Australian Open @ 4.00 with StanJames I have watched all the players so far and I think that the best so far was Serena. If she will not have any injuries I see her winner of this tournament. She is absolutely deadly on her serve, she has a lot of mental strength when the opponent tries a better performance and she has a great control of every match.

[sportxtipster]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Nishikori vs Tsonga Tsonga is the favorite but let's not forget that he has been defeated by Nishikori twice so far. Last time in Kooyoung and previously in Shanghai. Now Tsonga will look for the revenge being very careful. Nishikori plays a very exact tennis and I think he can get a set to the French. over 3.5 sets @ 1.83 with bet365

[sportxtipster]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Ferrer vs Gaquest This Gasquet played great in the match with Tipsarevic and everyone sees him as one that will win at least one set in this one! I do not think will be the case. Ferrer is playing very good and cannot be compared with Tipsarevic which played very bad with Gasquet and also in the previous matches. I think Ferrer will overplay this guy as he did always when they met. under 3.5 sets @ 2.82 with unibet

[sportxtipster]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Errani vs Zheng Great match for Errani against Sorana and she i snow against an op[ponent that looks on fire, but an opponent defeated by hger in 2010. Zheng gain more experience and became the favorite in front of her. Zheng won against Bartolli and that makes her one of the most dangerous players here. Think that Errani has enough power to win at least one set! Errani +1.5 set @ 1.94 with Pinnacle Sports

[sportxtipster]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Ivanovic vs Kvitova Ivanovic has been great so far, but so did Kvitova .... with some reserves for the last one ... she benefit from Kirlenko's retirement, she had a hard amtch with Carla Suarez-Navarro and an easy match with Dushevina. Ivanovic is a fighter and is the type of player that can outplay you if you are not 100 %. I do not think Kvitova is at her 100% and this is a logic bet for me! Ivanovic +5 games @ 1.95 with Titan bet

[homunculus]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 in addition to the Ivanovic outright bet against Kvitova I go for Ivanovic +4.5 games > Kvitova @2.02 Pinnacle ... just in case Kvitova will have slight edge :-) and Ferrer (vs gasquet) x Sharapova (vs Lisicki) double @1.902 Pinnacle Both Ferrer and Sharapova are favs that IMO should easily win over their opponents. Gasquet win over Tipsa looked more impresive than it really was, as Tipsa was not really healthy ATM. As to Lisicki, Maria for sure will not melt down being set and break up, and brainless ball-hitter Sabina will be finally sent packing. Nishikori (+2.5 sets) to bt Tsonga @1.699 Pinnacle Kei is bad matchup for Tsonga. Actually, H2H is 2-0 for Kei, and both matches were on hard and are no older than 4 months. Tsonga is prone to temporarily mental breakdowns in his matches, and I would be surprised if he won 3-0 exactly now. Kei has superb movement and shots, and has proved he can handle big servers in his match with Benneteau. At least one set over Tsonga is fully within his range.

[Dylan]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Nothing for me for todays matches. Did feel that the games line is set a little low in the Murray game (26.5 in some places) but don't have complete confidence to take the overs. Good luck to all getting involved. Looking forward to Tuesday's matches I would be very interested in backing Clijsters, however it seems she rolled her ankle in the match against Li Na. Did anyone see this match, and if so would anyone have any concerns about her fitness for this one. It appears that the injury happened in the first set and Kim still managed to win the next two, so doesn't seem that bad.

[fishy25]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Some really really crappy calls from me last night, emphasized through Goerges being as much use as an inflatable dartboard. She was shocking. Thankfully Nadal, Federer and Azarenka's matches went the way I thought they would, giving me +0.49 for the day and +19.42 for the tournament. Still have Nadal and Del Potro outrights going as well with both guys looking pretty good so hopefully they can make up one of the 2 semi finals. Some good calls by Dylan last night :ok Like the card quite a bit more tonight and taking a few. That line you got IAG on Sharapova looks criminal to be honest, would be on that like a rash if I had an account with StanJames. Novak Djokovic (-9.5 games) to beat Lleyton Hewitt- 4/5 Ladbrokes- (6/10) Traditionally Hewitt has been able to keep it close with the Serb but Djokovic's game is at a much higher level now than it was in the previous meetings between the two. He's looked unstoppable this week and despite Hewitt beating a couple of good players in Roddick and Raonic last week, this is a massive step up for the home boy. To be perfectly honest, if Roddick wasn't struggling with injury, there's a good chance Hewitt would have been gone and Raonic didn't impress me too much last week either but Djokovic right now, is playing somewhere near to perfection. Losing just 10 games in 9 sets in a slam is nothing short of sublime and it's hard to see Hewitt troubling him despite having the crowd firmly behind him. He looked pretty exhausted towards the end of that Raonic match and given he doesn't play a great deal throughout the season, I'm not so sure how well he'll hold up when it comes to the second and third sets. Djokovic will be as fresh as ever though and although Hewitt could keep it close in the first set, I'd fancy Djokovic to physically and mentally wear the Aussie out and take a couple of sets by a couple of breaks or so which should cover the handicap here. Andy Murray (-9.5 games) to beat Mikhail Kukushkin- 5/6 Sportingbet- (4/10) Really liked what I saw of Murray against Llodra both in the match and then in the interview after where he even managed to smile and have a couple of jokes which I think is something the Scot should do more. He did play extremely well though during the match and never looked like he wasn't going to win with ease and should be fresh and ready to play Kukushkin here. He shouldn't be suffering from fatigue in the slightest which is always a good thing for the Scot as we've seen in the past how clumsy his game is when he isn't completely fresh. Kukushkin however is coming off the back of 2 grueling 5 setters against Troicki and Monfils and I don't care who you are, those matches will take their toll. Playing one 5 setter you can get away with, but 2 in a row is not the preparation you want coming into a match against one of the best returners in the game and Kukushkin I think will suffer quite a bit. Upsetting Troicki and Monfils in the way he did are fine efforts but this is on a whole new level when you're 100%, let alone below that. He did take a set of Murray in Brisbane in Murray's first match of the season but this is a completely different situation. The Scot looked to be really enjoying his tennis against Llodra and I think now the crowd has warmed to him a bit more, it may well benefit him and his game and think he'll dispatch of Kukushkin with relative ease here. David Ferrer (-3.5 games) to beat Richard Gasquet- 4/5 Bet365- (4/10) Know a lot of people who fancy the Frenchman here but I'm with Ferrer and I think the Spaniard will be too consistent for Gasquet here. The head to head speaks volumes here, with Ferrer winning 5 of the 6 matches between the two, all in straight sets which can't be ignored here in my opinion. Gasquet has got better as the tournament has gone on and easily beat Tipsarevic but the Serb wasn't anywhere near his best in that one and I'm not still convinced with Gasquet's consistency as he is still prone to throw in a couple of games where he just doesn't look interested. Ferrer however is the complete opposite and fights for every point which is where the problem lies for the Frenchman. He started slowly against Chela but once he found his feet, he comfortably saw him off and I fancy him to play even better in this one. Playing Ferrer is a bit like Murray, in that he will tire you out all round and that is not something Gasquet is entirely comfortable with. The head to head really slows that fact and I'd expect Ferrer to carry on his dominance over the Frenchman and make the quarters of another Aussie Open. Kei Nishikori (+6.5 games) to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga- 4/6 Bet365- (4/10) Not sure the reason for this pretty hefty handicap other than Tsonga's result against Gil but from watching that match, Tsonga's performance was nothing to write home about. He won well but in truth he didn't have to do that much as you always felt if Tsonga stuck about long enough in the rallies, the unforced error would come from Gil and more often than not it did. He also missed a couple of smashes which caused him to get broken a couple of times so the scoreline does flatter Tsonga a touch, especially as he offered a fair few break points to Gil in the third set but he couldn't take them. Nishikori however is a few classes above that of Gil on the hard courts and has actually beaten Tsonga in both of their previous meetings, including a few weeks back. He's extremely fit so I wouldn't worry too much about his lengthy matches with Ebden or Benneteau as he played doubles yesterday so I'd think he would have withdrawn if he had any problems with fatigue. Nishikori worked hard in the off season and given the quality of players he has beaten this year, it looks to have payed off. I certainly don't think Tsonga will hammer him in this one and he could well make a real game of it Nishikori so I'll back the man from Japan to go well in this one.

[crack]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Sport Tennis Event Player To Win Australian Open 2012 Selection Serena Williams Strength 10/10 Date 29/01/2012 Bookmaker/Price Pinnacle Sports @ 4.40 Reasoning Serena Williams is for me a favorite to win Australian Open. I predicted that Samantha Stosur won US Open. In my opinion it's time for win for Serena Williams. She possesses powerfull service. Her volley is really good, too. In the last match Serena destroyed Arn 6-1 6-1. The match lasted only 59 minutes. Williams won three matches in two sets. She can't be tired. Serena will play against Makarova in the next round. In my opinion Makarova has no chances. Williams can beat everyone so odd like 4.40 is quite good for me.

[mateo]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Australian Open 2012 to win outright Maria Sharapova @ 10,00 stake: 5/10 bookie: bet365 Maria Sharapova will play against Sabine Lisicki in the next match. She leads 2-0 in h2h series so it should be easy win. Maria played the last tournament before Australian Open in Istanbul at WTA Championships. Someone can say that she isn't able to win Grand Slam after break like that but she worked hard and finally she is in great form. The weather conditions are very convenient for her. If Maria Sharapova wins match against Lisicki she will play against Serena Williams in the quarterfinal. If she beats Serena, she will win this tournament, I think. Sharapova's service is strong, she hits balls deep and very strongly. What is more she loves play here. She played in the semifinal here in 2006, in the final the following year and she won Australian Open in 2008 (won all matches in two sets!). I see big chance!

[Mirage]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Some good calls in here so far guys, keep it up :ok

[danytz186]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012

Sport	Tennis
Event	Kei Nishikori - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Selection	1
Strength	10/10
Date	23/01/2012
Bookmaker/Price	Boylesports @ 4.80
Reasoning	Round of 16 at the Australian Open (men) with one of the most interesting match of the day to be played on Hisense Arena between the japanese Kei Nishikori and frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Nishikori is probably the most promicing japanese player at the moment, ranking 26th in the world making a huge leap from outside the top100 into the top50 just in 2 years. First, 2nd and 3rd round he beat Robert, Ebden and Benneteau surprisingly the most "difficult" being Ebden who really streched the japanese player for a 5-setter (coming back from 1-2 down to win two straight 6-1 sets). On the other side Tsonga doesn`t really need any description, big server, very strong forehand, ranked 6th in the world coming to this match with a 8-2 record with a title allready under his belt, at Doha where he beat fellow countryman Monfils in straight sets. In the previous rounds he beat Istomin, Mello and Gil, weeker opponents then he will be facing today. Just like other young promicing players in the ATP circuit there is no chance to underestimate him, even more on hardcourt, his main surface where in the last 3 years he beat players like Djokovic, Tsonga, Roddick and Berdych (all with higher rankings then him). Along with the fact that Nishikori has allready beat Tsonga 2 times in the last 2 months I will base this on the wildness of the frenchman at times, mostly on his backhand that affects his game. Win Nishikori is my pick.

[gamova1989]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Sara Errani to beat Jie Zheng - 3,10 @ Bwin - 6/10 This is a bet based on match-up, beacuse Jie Zheng LOVES pace, and to play against ballbashers with a lot of power in their shots, cause it gives the chines player a lot of chances to counter attack behind the baseline. Sara Errani is the opposite of what you call a "powerplayer" or "ballbasher", she is rather a little, hardworking ant with gigantic fighting skills, and she hardly misses a shot in good shape, which she obviously is now. Errani beat Cirstea in the 3.round, but the romanian was playing really good until a backinjury prevented her to show up her best game and challange the italian. However, the match-up here should be at least as good, or even better, for Errani. Because a player like Sorana Cirstea is a player who can put a lot of pace on the ball no matter what, cause she is strong and big. Little Jie Zheng cant do that, so she will not be able to counter attack that impressive as against Bartoli last round, where she really used Bartolis weakness who is the mobility on the court. I think the right price here is around 2,50. Good Luck ! ------------------------------------ I also have more bets from AO here on my blog: http://winningsafe.blogspot.com/

[Alovenac]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012

1/10 Del Potro - Kohlschreiber CS: 3-0 @ 2.30 Unibet :nana Del Potro playing with every match better. I don't see the 3-0 from Kohlschreiber against Falla as a good result. Falla playing very bad and Kohlschreiber don't play fantastic tennis. Last year Del Potro won two times against Kohlschreiber on this surface, i think a easy win. 2/10 Del Potro - Kohlschreiber under 167.5 minutes @ 1.87 Unibet :nana Same reason as above. I don't think this is a long match. If Delpo win in straight sets he will play max 150 minutes i think so. 3/10 Berdych - Almagro under 37.5 games @ 1.90 SBO :@ I don't see why Almagro can win much games against a good Berdych. Berdych playing good this tournament and Almagro are not steady enough. Growing in this tournament but won easy against a dramatic Wawrinka. I think its a nice line. 5/10 Federer -2.5 sets tb. Tomic @ 1.80 Unibet :nana Tomic overrated here. Playing two long matches and playing not great every match. I think Federer will win this match easy against the youngster. 5/10 Del Potro -5.5 games tb. Kohlschreiber @ 1.77 12Bet See above :).

:nana Great night for me!

[Alovenac]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 For tonight two picks! 2/10 Murray - Kukushkin over 26.5 games @ 1.85 Tipico I see a little value here. Why shall Kukushkin not can win nine games against Murray? Playing nice last matches and 6-3 6-3 6-3 is enough here. Last match was in Brisbane this year, a 3 setter :). 5/10 Ferrer tb. Gasquet @ 1.50 Stan James Only value i can find for this match. Don't play the AH in sets or games for Ferrer but maybe this match will be a thriller. I think Ferrer must can win this match.

[oneofthebest]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012

Sport	Tennis
Event	Ivanovic - Kvitova
Selection	Ivanovic +5 (Asian-handicap)
Strength	2/10
Date	23/01/2012
Bookmaker/Price	Titanbet @ 1.90
Reasoning	Too high line in my opinion. Ana Ivanovic before this match leading 3-0 in h2h against Petra Kvitova, all matches on the hard courts.. Ana Ivanovic in this tournament look very strong, especially on the serve. Won all matches in straight sets. Kvitova against Suarez-Navarro lost set and looked very bad in second set. Yesterday won against Kirilenko, but after Maria retiretment. Sport Tennis Event Murray - Kukushkin Selection Under 28.5 Strength 2/10 Date 23/01/2012 Bookmaker/Price Boylesports @ 1.83 Reasoning Murray is a banker. Murray played in this year against Kukushkin, lost first set, but take 6-2, 6-3 next two. Murray in last two matches destroyed rivals, two French players Llodra and Vasselin. Kukushkin is after two 5 setters and for sure is very tired, I can't image too much chances for him to take set or something. Sport Tennis Event Tsonga - Nishikori Selection Tsonga -1.5 sets (Asian-handicap) Strength 2/10 Date 23/01/2012 Bookmaker/Price Boylesports @ 1.45 Reasoning Tsonga for me take this match with 3-0 or 3-1 score. Tsonga lost two times against Nishikori, but tonight I see break of bad streak and easy win. Tsonga in this tournaent lost one set in first round against Istomin, is fresh. Not spend too much time on the court. Nishikori on the other hand played two long 5 setters in last two rounds and concended a lot energy. 3-1/3-0 for Jo-Wilfried

[CzechPunter]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Smaller stakes. Kei Nishikori to beat J.W.Tsonga @ 5.21 with Pinnacle No need to overrate Tsonga here, he has never beaten Nishikori and he might not be able to get through him again. Nishikori can be very tough, improved his fitness in the off-season and fought back against Benneteau nicely, so he will be ready for this one. Bad match-up for Tsonga I fell, have seen their matches and he was never in control. Fair odds about 3.20, not above 5. Ekaterina Makarova (+1.5 sets) to beat Serena Williams @ 4.85 with Pinnacle Not stopping with these either, Makarova was good against Zvonareva, completely destroyed her in the second now. Now Williams will be a tougher challenge, but her tricky lefty game should be good enough here. Serena still with movement problems I feel. The +7 handicap is good too, but I would rather go for the huge odds.

[captaincool]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Andy Murray (-9.5 games) v Mikhail Kukushkin - £50 @8/11 Murray was very good against Llodra and returned brilliantly and even bageled the Frenchman in the last set. He was also good against Vasselin and covered this handicap in both of those matches. Kukushkin has done well to get this far and surprised me by beating Monfils but he made hard work of that match after being 2-0 ahead and two five setters will take their toll. Murray's a bad player to play when tired and I don't see him giving up very much tonight. They played in Brisbane this month and Murray won 5-7, 6-3, 6-2. He won't have to work out Kukushkin tonight so I doubt there'll be an awkward first set and it should be fairly routine. Jo-Wilfiried Tsonga v Kei Nishikori Over 3.5 Sets - £50 @5/6 This is a very interesting game and there are a lot of people who think Nishikori can cause an upset. I don't think he's good enough to beat Tsonga but 2-0 head-to-head has to be respected. I definitely think the Japanese can cause some problems though and he can take a set from the fifth seed. Tsonga crushed Gil in the last round but the Portuguese beat himself. Nishikori isn't reliable but I think he'll stay alert enough to take advantage of a dip in Tsonga's level and sneak one break which will be enough for a set. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga v Kei Nishikori Tie Break in Match - £50 @8/11 As I've said, I think that Nishikori can cause a little bit of trouble for Tsonga and I'd be surprised if there isn't a tie-break in one of my predicted four sets. Tsonga hasn't had a tie-break in Oz but his big serving/weak returning game means that he is no stranger to long sets and 3 of his 9 sets in Doha recently went the distance. Nishikori had two breakers in four sets v Benneteau and one against Robert. The pair didn't have a tie-break when they met in Kooyong but that was an exhibition, they had one in the competitive match in Shanghai a few months ago. Petra Kvitova (-4.5 Games) v Ana Ivanovic - £50 @4/5 I watched Kvitova v Kirilenko and was very impressed. The Czech looked great and although Kirilenko retired her injury wasn't sustained until she was well beaten so Petra has to be respected. Ivanovic, on the other hand, was weak against King. She dropped serve too often and faced loads of break points. She was just lucky that King was hopeless on her own serve. Kvitova won't be so generous. Serena Williams (-7.5 Games) v Ekatarina Makarova - £50 @11/10 I backed Makarova against Zvonareva but it's the end of the line for her tonight. She basically beat Vera because Zvonareva is garbage on serve. Even then she had a chance and stayed competitive in virtually every game, even forcing a few breaks of Makarova's serve. Serena's been ruthless so far in Oz and she won't give anything up and I see her steamrollering the Russian tonight. Jie Zheng v Sara Errani - Zheng to win 2-0 - £50 @Evens I was on Bartoli against Jie and I'm not too proud to admit I made a mistake. Hoping to rectify it by backing the Chinese tonight. She was comfortable against Bartoli and hasn't yet dropped a set in Oz. Errani beat Cirstea but she lost the first set before the Romanian picked up an injury and lost 6-0 in the second. Provided there's nothing similar tonight I think Zheng takes the first and the second. Price is better than the 10/11 offered on -4.5 and allows a bit more leeway. Total Staked: £300

[oneofthebest]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012

Sport	Tennis
Event	Sharapova - Lisicki
Selection	Sharapova
Strength	2/10
Date	23/01/2012
Bookmaker/Price	Pinnacle Sports @ 1.30
Reasoning	Sharapova for me is clear favourite of this match. In this tournament show amazing form, won all matches with huge difference - Dulko, Hampton, Kerber - lost 5 games in this tournament. 2-0 in h2h for Maria, two matches in previous season - one on hard court, one on the grass. Lisicki two times concended set in this tournament and for sure Maria form is better.

Sport	Tennis
Event	Gasquet - Ferrer
Selection	Over 3.5 sets
Strength	2/10
Date	23/01/2012
Bookmaker/Price	Paddy Power @ 1.53
Reasoning	The best option for this match in my opinion. Ferrer is favourite, because leading 5-1 in h2h. Gasquet in my opinion can't win this match 3-0, but I really can't image 0-3. Gasquet in last round against Tipsarevic show amazing stuff on the court, winner after winner, not makin unforced errors. Ferrer lost 2 sets against poor Sweeting and have troubles against Chela, especially in first set. Close match

[fishy25]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Would be wrong not to get involved with the women tonight as well especially with Sharapova and Lisicki playing ;) Maria Sharapova (-4.5 games) to beat Sabine Lisicki- 4/5 Ladbrokes- (4/10) Would have backed Sharapova even with a 5 game handicap to be honest as she's looked IMO, the most impressive women so far ahead of Azarenka, Clijsters and Williams. She has hammered Dulko, Hampton and Kerber and she looks to be playing somewhere near her best once again and when she is like that, she's a joy to watch (for tennis reasons as well) Lisicki hasn't been anywhere near as impressive and Kuznetsova should have beaten her really but for a choke. A 3 set win over Voegele and beating an out of form Peer isn't spectacular in the slightest and at the minute Sharapova is playing a few levels above the German. Sharapova beat her in straight sets twice last year including at Wimbledon where Lisicki was playing really well. As IAG has said, Sharapova is playing better than she did in London whilst Lisicki has declined a touch and I'd fancy the Russian to win this well. Serena Williams (-6.5 games) to beat Ekaterina Makarova- 4/6 Ladbrokes- (4/10) Makarova has had a couple of good wins over Kanepi and Zvonareva but both players weren't at their best and Makarova stepped in. To be honest she was struggling against Zvonareva in the first set before coming back and if she starts like she did in that one, she really isn't mounting a comeback against Serena. The American has been ruthless so far without actually playing that well believe it or not. She's still quite a way from her best in my opinion and she will need to up her game to beat the likes of Sharapova and Azarenka. The way she has been playing should take care of the Russian though I believe. Li hammered Makarova back in Sydney and although she beat Kanepi and Zvonareva in straight sets, two victories over top players can wear you out mentally and Williams should pounce on that. The Russian has actually performed well against the top players in the WTA but playing Williams in a grand slam is on a whole new level, even if she isn't playing at her best. Their last meeting ended 6-3 6-2 to the American and a similar score today would cover the handicap. Sara Errani to beat Jie Zheng- 9/4 Bet365- (3/10) Took this price this morning and it's shortened a tad to evens now but even that price I feel is too big for the Italian. You can still get (4.5) games handicaps on her at decent prices if you want but I haven't backed many dogs outright yet so I'll back Errani to win. It's understandable to have Zheng favourite but her price looks way too short to me. Yes she hasn't lost a match this season and yes she hasn't had much trouble in beating Keys, Vinci and Bartoli but with these prices, it's like she should be winning comfortably. I really don't agree with that assessment. I backed Errani to beat Cirstea and she did so after dropping the first set before Cirstea was hampered a touch through injury but it has to be said that the Romanian was playing extremely well in that first set. She was hitting winners on both lines but Errani stuck to her guns and defended well throughout and should have perhaps taken the tie break in truth. Now people may say that the injury was the only reason Errani won but that's bollocks to be honest. I still would have fancied her to win that one as Cirstea wouldn't have kept that performance up for another set or two. Although she hasn't won as many matches as Zheng this season, she has only been beaten by Kerber and Kuznetsova, both of whom have started the season well so there's no shame in those defeats. She's already beaten Wickmayer and Petrova comfortably this season though so she should be confident coming into this one and feel it's a genuine chance of making her first quarter final. Zheng is playing far better than she was early on last season and is in good form but when these two women met before, Zheng had come off wins against Rezai and Dementieva and still Errani crushed her 6-1 6-2 when she was actually a bigger dog than she is today. That result proves she can turn the odds on their heads and beat Zheng and that's what I think she will do again today.

[Pensioner65]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Ok,I've snapped & will venture into tennis betting for the 1st time tonight :eek Kei Nishikori to beat J.W.Tsonga @4.79 Titanbet(5/10) As others have said in previous posts that Nishikori is 2-0 up in their past two meetings.At near enough 5's i'm willing to take the chance that Hishikori can score a hat-trick of wins tonight Ana Ivanovic to beat Petra Kvitova @4.00 Titanbet(5/10) These two are 20 places apart in the rankings but i see a close fought out match tonight.Added to that Ivanovic is 3-0 up in the 3 times they have met.Kvitova record on hard courts in 2011 was 15 wins & 10 loses & Ivanovic has a 20 win & 12 loss record.In Kvitova's hard court career she has nearly lost 50% of her matches(52w/40L).I take Ivanovic for the win tonight Kei Nishikori & Ana Ivanovic both to win double @19.16 Titanbet(2/10) Combining the both for a win double at near 20/1 Good luck all :hope

[IAmGooner]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 I'm surprised at the Ivanovic love tbh, just cannot see it. Petra would have to play crap I think, could happen but in terms of match-up, she should win well IMO. Even thouhg she's lost every other game vs Ana, she was actually good at the time and Kvitova was a nobody.

[IAmGooner]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Murray -8.5 games vs Kukishkin @ 8/13 (S James:3pts) Murray should roll here, I just cannot see Kukushkin maintaining the level needed considering the effort he's put in this week winning big matches vs Troicki and Monfils. Maybe one set at a high level, but Murray the boring pusher will force too many balls back eventually and suck the life out of him. Achievable line I think, think one or two sets will be comfy for Murray tbh.

[Torque]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 It was very, very close but Clijsters managed to beat Na Li :ok. Lopez, on the other hand, couldn't get anywhere near Nadal and was under pressure from game one :\ Taking two tonight - a shortie and a longie (is that even a word?!) David Ferrer to beat Richard Gasquet - 1.50 Betfair Difficult to add much to what has already been said, but for me this match is likely to be decided by three key attributes - stability, consistency and effort. Gasquet is without doubt a talented player, but Ferrer trumps him in all the attributes I mentioned, as well as being a pretty decent player himself. I expect that he could beat Gasquet by sheer force of will alone if needed, but when you factor in that he is in the top 5 players in the world, I think Gasquet will find this match a step too far. Like others, I feel that Ferrer will just wear him down. Lleyton Hewitt to beat Novak Djokovic - 29.00 Betfair As was the case when I backed Lopez last night, small stakes will be used and I don't expect that this bet will win. However, I have been impressed with Hewitt so far in this tournament. It's hard to know how the match against Roddick would have turned out had he not been injured, but I'm not so sure Hewitt would definitely have lost if Roddick had been fit. Roddick has been on a downward slope for a while now, and that could have been a great leveller for Hewitt. I also think Hewitt's win against Raonic has been downplayed somewhat. Raonic is one of the top young players in the world and did well at this tournament last year, and Hewitt showed great fight and nous to beat him. He was able to break Raonic and that isn't an easy thing to do. There is every chance that fatigue will play a part in this match, and Hewitt did have to work very hard against Raonic, but I'm hoping that the adrenaline of the occasion will help to cancel that out. Hewitt will know that he probably won't get to play too many more matches like this, as he has suffered in recent years with injury. I think this kind of match is very important to Hewitt, so I don't take too much notice about his form on the regular tour. I think he will be very motivated for this match and the support of the crowd will certainly help him. I'm hoping he can stay close to Djokovic early on, and if he can who knows what might happen after that. Djokovic is obviously a terrific player and the chances are this best goes down, so fingers crossed for a shock result.

[fishy25]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012

Lleyton Hewitt to beat Novak Djokovic - 29.00 Betfair As was the case when I backed Lopez last night, small stakes will be used and I don't expect that this bet will win. However, I have been impressed with Hewitt so far in this tournament. It's hard to know how the match against Roddick would have turned out had he not been injured, but I'm not so sure Hewitt would definitely have lost if Roddick had been fit. Roddick has been on a downward slope for a while now, and that could have been a great leveller for Hewitt. I also think Hewitt's win against Raonic has been downplayed somewhat. Raonic is one of the top young players in the world and did well at this tournament last year, and Hewitt showed great fight and nous to beat him. He was able to break Raonic and that isn't an easy thing to do. There is every chance that fatigue will play a part in this match, and Hewitt did have to work very hard against Raonic, but I'm hoping that the adrenaline of the occasion will help to cancel that out. Hewitt will know that he probably won't get to play too many more matches like this, as he has suffered in recent years with injury. I think this kind of match is very important to Hewitt, so I don't take too much notice about his form on the regular tour. I think he will be very motivated for this match and the support of the crowd will certainly help him. I'm hoping he can stay close to Djokovic early on, and if he can who knows what might happen after that. Djokovic is obviously a terrific player and the chances are this best goes down, so fingers crossed for a shock result.

If this comes in I'll never return to the forums again :lol Really don't see it mate. Djokovic is, IMO a couple of levels above Nadal and Federer let alone anyone outside the top 4. Hewitt looked knackered at the end of that Raonic match and you could see that in a couple of his shots whilst he was serving the match out. Raonic's groundstokes are nothing compared to Djokovic's and hard to see Hewitt taking a set, let alone the match. GL with both bets though :ok

[Torque]

Re: Tennis: Australian Open 2012 Thanks Fishy. Completely agree with with you and also the points you made in your earlier post. I think I'm probably being kind on myself if I call it a 'speculative punt' :lol