French Open 2012

[Atko]

I too consumed a little too much alcohol last night, but after yesterday's accusations I'm a little loathe to post bets up. I'd rather just talk about the day's play and if people find bets from there then so be it. In terms of the men's action, I think it's a pretty good day to chill out with a beer and just enjoy the tennis. I'd expect Wawrinka to squeeze past Simon although that could be an epic as both men are playing well, Tsonga should get the better of Fognini although the Italian will be his usual complex self and I'd also fancy Kubot to beat Goffin, mainly due to the amount of time the young Belgian has spent on court. Federer and Djokovic will win, but I'm not telling you anything you don't know there. Verdasco should beat Seppi but I'd rather pluck my eyebrows than bet on that match.

[homunculus]

Re: French Open 2012 Kuzzy rolling - I was wrong. Good work Kuzzy backers.

[fishy25]

Re: French Open 2012 And now the rest for today... Roger Federer vs Nicolas Mahut- Under 27.5 games- 10/11 Bet365-(4/10) Think this will be Federer's most comfortable win yet in the tournament and despite being far from his best against Kamke and Ungur, I'm not so sure where Mahut is going to trouble him. You'd expect Federer to beat him comfortably even on a quicker surface, but the clay will seriously hamper the Frenchman's weapons here as his serve won't be troubling Federer as much and Federer should be able to take advantage of Mahut's lack of movement on the clay. The Frenchman has already played a couple of fairly lengthy 4 set matches which could play a part as the match goes on. I'd expect Federer to really be on top of Mahut here though despite the crowd's affection towards him and something like 6-3 6-3 6-3 would be good enough here and I think he could even take one set a little more comfortably than that so the unders here for me. Novak Djokovic (-10.5 games) to beat Nicolas Devilder- 5/6 StanJames- (4/10) Going against another Frenchman here, as I do fear for him a touch here. He's done exceptionally well to make it this far, especially when you factor in he hasn't lost a set throughout qualification or his first and second round matches which is a fine effort, it really is. Facing Djokovic is something completely different though to beating the likes of Krajinovic and Berrer and it's a completely different world to the challenger events he usually tries his hand at. Guys well outside the top 200 have been beating the Frenchman on the clay comfortably enough recently, and and the more I look at his results, the more I think he could well be at the wrong end of a drubbing here. It's been a superb run for him and he actually beat Djokovic in their only previous meeting in a challenger event back in 2005, but as we know, things are just a little bit different this time round. Think Djokovic will win at least 2 sets by a couple of breaks and that should be good enough for the handicap. Fernando Verdasco (-4.5 games) to beat Andreas Seppi- 4/5 StanJames- (4/10) Whilst Atko plucks his eyebrows ;) I'll plump for the Spaniard here as the H2H speaks for itself in matches like these. Verdasco has won the last 6, only dropping 1 set in total in that time and this season it's evident that he's playing far better than last season. He knows he has a huge chance of making the fourth round of a slam, something he hasn't done for a good while now which should motivate him greatly, and he's overcome a couple of tricky opponents in Darcis and Muller well which will also give him confidence which Verdasco severely needs to play well. He's already beaten quality players on the clay this year in Nadal, Almagro and Wawrinka which really shows that his groundstrokes and serves are working far better now than they were. Seppi is still far too prone to going missing, which is highlighted in needing 5 sets to beat Kukushkin in a marathon, dropping a set 2-6 in the process. On top of that epic, he's also played a tough 3 setter against Davydenko so fatigue could well creep into the Italian's game as well here. Verdasco's clay game is a couple of levels above Seppi here, and even if he drops a set, he could still cover the handicap here and I fancy him to make it into the fourth round of a slam comfortably enough here in Paris. David Goffin vs Lukasz Kubot- Under 39.5 games- 4/5 BetVictor- (3/10) This line looks ridiculously high to me. It could be tight for a while but in the end I expect Goffin to run out of steam given the amount of tennis he's been forced to play so far. 3 qualifying matches, plus 2 epic 5 set matches in rounds one and two is a huge effort by the young Belgian, but you have to feel he's going to be far from 100% here. In all honesty, beating Stepanek and Clement haven't been massive shocks in truth but given he's only in the tournament as a lucky loser, it has been a really good week for Goffin. Kubot has perhaps made a little hard work of beating Serra and Beck but he hasn't dropped a set so far and will be the far fresher of the two players. You have to think Kubot will have been delighted with his draw so far given the points he's defending from last year and in actual fact, he has a super chance of gaining some points by reaching round 4. I'm not sure Goffin, with the condition he's likely to be in will have enough about him to get much of a look in on Kubot's serve in all honesty and that will be a bit demoralizing for him. Like I said, this could be close for a while, but I expect Kubot to win with a bit to spare in the end and given how high this line is, a decent 4 set match could still cover the unders here so that's what I'll back. Fabio Fognini (+6.5 games) to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga- 10/11 Bet365- (3/10) Despite the Italian's 5 set match against Troicki, I expect him to be fresh enough for this one considering they paused the match overnight which will have given Fognini that extra bit of rest. I watched him dismantle Mannarino in his first round match and although the Frenchman wasn't great, Fognini looked really solid and impressive and the spirit he showed to save match points against Troicki, really says to me he is extremely driven to defend his points from 12 months ago. That should see him go well today I feel, and Tsonga's performances hardly fill me with confidence over the Frenchman. Dropping sets against Stebe and Kuznetsov really isn't great for Jo-Willie, and despite clay not being his best surface, he shouldn't be struggling that much against those two guys. Fognini is a couple of steps up from both of those guys on the clay and he should be able to really give Tsonga a match here. I'd expect him to at least take a set to be perfectly honest as I don't see Tsonga wrapping this up in 3. If he does, like I said I fancy him to give this one a go and the handicap looks a tad high to me so backing the Italian with it here.

[Simmo]

Re: French Open 2012 Kuznetsova won 6-1, 6-2. I got on her at Pinnacle at 5.3 earlier, many thanks to those who tipped her to win. Well done guys.

[Dylan]

Re: French Open 2012 I'm all done for the day already.

Kevin Anderson vs Thomas Berdych Over 9.5 games in the first set 2.10 at Bet365 (2 / 10 units) :ok Agneiska Radwanska vs Svetlana Kuznetsova Kuznetsova +5.5 AH games 1.85 at Bwin (2.5 /10 units) :ok Maria Martinez Sanchez vs Dominika Cibulkova Martinez Sanchez +5.5 games 1.85 at Bwin (2.5 /10 units) :\

Not too bad +1.83 for the day and back in profit for the tournament. Terrible pick on Martinez Sanchez though, i've had a mare with some of my womens picks this week. Just seen Psycho had the confidence to back Kuznetsova for the straight win, cracking pick at great odds. I wonder if Petrova will be able to repeat the trick.

[keepsakes]

Re: French Open 2012 Is it just me or does anyone else think Cilic has a legit chance to nick this tie?? I d say Cilic is good value at 3.5 (pinnacle). From what I saw, he could have lost against someone slightly better than ER Vasselin. Cilic is looking good. If he can just keep his game, I think Del Potro would just fade. Opinions from Slider Fishy Alo Atko and others would be much appreciated.. cheers

[keepsakes]

Re: French Open 2012 Folks, this is an open invitation to watch me make a complete idiot of my self. I just put 40ish quid on Cilic 3-0 @ 19.. all are welcome

[Bepster]

Re: French Open 2012

I too consumed a little too much alcohol last night, but after yesterday's accusations I'm a little loathe to post bets up. I'd rather just talk about the day's play and if people find bets from there then so be it. In terms of the men's action, I think it's a pretty good day to chill out with a beer and just enjoy the tennis. I'd expect Wawrinka to squeeze past Simon although that could be an epic as both men are playing well, Tsonga should get the better of Fognini although the Italian will be his usual complex self and I'd also fancy Kubot to beat Goffin, mainly due to the amount of time the young Belgian has spent on court. Federer and Djokovic will win, but I'm not telling you anything you don't know there. Verdasco should beat Seppi but I'd rather pluck my eyebrows than bet on that match.

Yep, Verdasco must have peeked on my bet slip and decided to screw me sideways... result? No more eyebrows left at Casa de Bepster :wall ...I should really learn to listen to sound advice... but then again, I would not be betting at all.

[slider24]

Re: French Open 2012

Is it just me or does anyone else think Cilic has a legit chance to nick this tie?? I d say Cilic is good value at 3.5 (pinnacle). From what I saw, he could have lost against someone slightly better than ER Vasselin. Cilic is looking good. If he can just keep his game, I think Del Potro would just fade. Opinions from Slider Fishy Alo Atko and others would be much appreciated.. cheers

It's similar in some ways to Anderson - Berdych. Both guys with big games but one just does it better than the other and so invariably they come up short. I can never trust Cilic these days since his injury. Can just throw in really odd inept displays whereas before the injury he was always a pretty reliable performer.

[Alovenac]

Re: French Open 2012 Wawrinka WON Verdasco -1.5 set LOST June stats: Picks: 1W/1L/0R Units staked: 7.00 Units returned: 5.34 ROI:

[impressivegol]

Re: French Open 2012 i've taken some stakes on Wozniacki tb Kanepi 1.66 (wagershack) now i know kanepi can be a big hitter and she's in decent form but I'm looking for Woz to continue her run. She has taken on new secondary coaching of Johannson and is coming into the tie confident. h2h reads 3-1 for woz with no meetings on clay, woz has coasted through the first 2 rounds and i think the line might be reflecting more of Woz's subpar lead-up. But when you consider she had an ankle injury and then a respiratory illness during the spain-italy swing of the season i think it's easy to forgive those results. she recovered from those things and had a nice training camp with Johannson for the weeks leading up to paris and I would be surprised to see her fall in this 3r matchup. one more thing, I watched aga play kanepi last week. Kanepi was up a break at several times and looked in control in the first set, up 5-1 or 5-2 then once aga played any sort of medicore tennis, kanepi basically couldn't hold her nerves. errant shots, double faults, etc. So if Kanepi does get a lead on woz, the task of a wozniacki rally doesn't seem like itd be a very difficult one. GL

[fishy25]

Re: French Open 2012

I too consumed a little too much alcohol last night, but after yesterday's accusations I'm a little loathe to post bets up. I'd rather just talk about the day's play and if people find bets from there then so be it. In terms of the men's action, I think it's a pretty good day to chill out with a beer and just enjoy the tennis. I'd expect Wawrinka to squeeze past Simon although that could be an epic as both men are playing well, Tsonga should get the better of Fognini although the Italian will be his usual complex self and I'd also fancy Kubot to beat Goffin, mainly due to the amount of time the young Belgian has spent on court. Federer and Djokovic will win, but I'm not telling you anything you don't know there. Verdasco should beat Seppi but I'd rather pluck my eyebrows than bet on that match.

Don't let those idiots put you off mate. Everyone who is a regular to PL knows full well that you don't copy others in the slightest and tons of people want to read your views, fact. Speaking personally, and I know I'll be speaking for tons of others as well, your posts, as well as a few others on here are the ones I always enjoy reading. Given all the rubbish that has gone on in the tennis threads for the past couple of months, you always bring a distinct level of sophistication (minus the deathly threats yesterday ;)) to the place which is what is needed. I look forward to reading what your thoughts are on tomorrow :ok

[fishy25]

Re: French Open 2012 Weird day today, just can't seem to put together any sizeable momentum in the matches whilst I couldn't call a woman's match to save my life at the minute. Bit frustrated with the results as Federer never should be dropping sets to the likes of Mahut on grass, let alone clay. :eek Should have known better to back Verdasco, the first set just highlights how unreliable he is. Ironically, 2 of the bets that did actually come in I read completely wrong. Thought Kubot would come through against Goffin with ease but that didn't happen, loads of support for the Belgian on court today whilst Fognini covered the handicap in 3 sets which I really didn't anticipate. The Djokovic unders was the only thing I got right in all honesty which although financially isn't a disaster, it slightly worries me that I can't get a read on the matches just at the minute. With today's results, I'm sitting on +4.71 with the Berdych outrights going which look to be okay at the minute given Del Potro and Federer have been far from convincing. Good calls today Dylan btw, and super shout on Kuzzy Psycho. Didn't quite expect her to beat Radwanska so heavily :clap

[fishy25]

Re: French Open 2012 Any views on tomorrow's card chaps? On my little radar I have some sort of backing for Nadal (depending on prices) for obvious reasons and probably the handicap on Almagro as well given how he hasn't dropped any error prone sets so far. Also have the overs in the Haas-Gasquet match, think that could be another classic between the two, Tipsarevic on the handicap and perhaps Raonic and I'm really tempted to back Granollers in all honesty. I don't see why he should be the dog when there's certainly no guarantees over Mathieu's condition after that Isner match, regardless of the fact he's had a day off. Maybe a one-ball bookie there if I'm going to back the Spaniard?

[Simmo]

Re: French Open 2012 For what its worth, Granollers is ahead 2-0 in the H2H stats, including a win at the French 2 years ago...although it looks like Mathieu retired at a set all and 0-3 in the third.

[slider24]

Re: French Open 2012

Don't let those idiots put you off mate. Everyone who is a regular to PL knows full well that you don't copy others in the slightest and tons of people want to read your views' date= fact. Speaking personally, and I know I'll be speaking for tons of others as well, your posts, as well as a few others on here are the ones I always enjoy reading. Given all the rubbish that has gone on in the tennis threads for the past couple of months, you always bring a distinct level of sophistication (minus the deathly threats yesterday ;)) to the place which is what is needed. I look forward to reading what your thoughts are on tomorrow :ok

Hear hear!

[fishy25]

Re: French Open 2012 Yeah, quite a bit has happened since then from the Frenchman's perspective. Lengthy injury out, only back on the tour this season and the biggest run he has put together has been 4 matches in a week, shorter matches of course. Already played 2 gruelling 5 setters this week against Phau and Isner, I'm not so sure if he's quite up to that amount of tennis with just one days rest. Of course it could work in two ways in that the Isner match has given him tremendous amounts of confidence which could see him blow Granollers off the court. He was extremely emotional after that win over the American and I have a slight feeling that this might be one too many too early for him. Still weighing it up though like the others.

[slider24]

Re: French Open 2012 Yep, I took Granollers a little while ago, just as he drifted out. Marcel Granollers to beat Paul Henri-Mathieu @ 11/10 BET 365 Strength (6/10) I think Mathieu's run ends here. Besides the fact he's coming off a physically and mentally draining match against Isner, Mathieu has been very inconsistent this year in general, playing well in first rounds and then losing with a whimper in the next. Granollers will turn it into a dogfight and bring more variation than Isner; get under the Frenchman's skin a little. It could well go four of five sets as Granollers is not exactly one to win matches too comfortably at Grand slam level but I think he'll prove be a bit too much for a jaded Mathieu who as I said, is erratic as it is. He certainly won't capitulate like Bjorn Phau did in the first round. Anastasia Pavlychenkova to beat Klara Zakopalova @ 4/5 Strength (6/10) The Russian seems to be finding some semblence of form in recent weeks after a pretty horrific few months on tour, and I fancy her to beat the Zakopalova here. She's got a bigger game than the Czech and should be too strong from the baseline - also her serve looks to have improved in recent matches. She will looking to emulate her run at Roland Garros last year and although Zakopalova had a good win in the last round and has been in decent form, she's often found wanting at this stage of a Grand Slam. :hope

[fishy25]

Re: French Open 2012 I'm gunna put this up now as well with the odds coming in a bit. Marcel Granollers to beat Paul Henri-Mathieu- Evens Blue Square- (4/10) Although you can get this slightly above evens, I'm more interested in taking the Spaniard with a one-ball bookie just in case Mathieu really is struggling. The Frenchman is only just back on the tour, and he's coming into this one after already playing two 5 set matches against Phau and Isner. He has had the slight luxury of having a day off whereas Granollers finished his match today, but a final set of 34 games for the Frenchman will have tired him out physically and mentally. The fact that he missed the entirety of last season, leads me to think that a couple of marathon matches aren't ideal for him, especially when he's going to be up against a guy who will fight and mix his plays up regularly. Granollers actually has beaten the Frenchman in their previous 2 meetings, with Mathieu retiring in the first round here 2 years ago and whatever happens, I think the Spaniard will be in the next round, but for added security, I'll sacrifice the marginally better price for the one-ball result.

[Atko]

Re: French Open 2012 Thanks for the support chaps, it's appreciated. Three bets for tomorrow: - OVER 36 GAMES AH between Richard Gasquet and Tommy Haas @ 1.90 with panbet Potential here for this match to be a belter. Haas is playing good stuff at Roland Garros. Cruised through the qualies and has defeated Stakhovsky and Volandri pretty efficient bar one bagel against the Italian. Haas is fine ball-striker and has a fine tennis brain - it's whether his body can stand up. Appears, at the moment, that he's in decent shape. Gasquet was sick on court against Dimitrov in the last round (probably hangover induced, can imagine Gasquet hits the sauce pretty hard when in Paris) but we all know his credentials on clay. Mentally a bit fragile however and although a worthy favourite here I can see him being taken to four or five by the veteran German. They played a thriller at the US Open a few years ago that went to five sets and with Haas in such good form, a similar match would be no surprise. Line's a little low for me so I'll back the overs in this one. (5pts) - PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU to beat Marcel Granollers @ 1.85 with panbet Such a massive match for PHM. A win here and he's all but back in the top 100 and his career will have been revitalised. I think he'll come out and do the job against Granollers. The Spaniard should be out: Jaziri had match point on his own serve in the final set today but didn't take it. I know he's beaten PHM in their only meeting before but circumstances are much different. It's in France and on Court 1, the bullring, where the atmosphere will be red-hot. The home crowd will turn it into a Davis Cup tie. Nobody will be rooting for Granollers. PHM has had the extra day's rest, while Granollers had the mental rollercoaster of the match against Jaziri. I just think all the momentum lies with Mathieu, up against an opponent not known for being a pillar of mental fortitude. In terms of playing style, Mathieu's got more finesse than Granollers, who can go horribly missing when the going gets tough. All things considered, PHM's a worthy favourite, and I think he'll prevail. (5pts) - MIKHAIL YOUZHNY +7.5 GAMES v David Ferrer @ 1.92 with panbet I'm not often fond of opposing Ferrer on clay but Roland Garros isn't actually a bad time to do it. Has only ever made the quarters and has gone out to guys like Monfils, Soderling, Melzer and Ramirez Hidalgo in recent years, often in R3. He may well win this match but I don't think it'll be comfortable. Youzhny's not a great match-up for him, going by the H2H, which is 4-2 in the Russian's favour. Last match was in 2009 so it's perhaps a wee bit misleading but Youzhny has quietly gone about his business this week, beating Blake and Haase in straights. Ferrer's wins over Lacko and Paire were in straights but this is a step up in class and Paire was a handful for him until he lost his will to fight. Youzhny will fight, that's for sure. He's serving well and is more than capable of being competitive against the Spaniard. Ferrer's game also wanes a little once you go past four sets. His serve is a little less consistent and the batteries do tend to run a little dry. There's only so much defending one can do. Not saying Youzhny will win, but he has a wee squeak and this line seems a little too high for me. (5pts) In terms of the rest of the day's play, god knows what shape Murray is in so it's hard to assess his match with Giraldo. The Colombian lost meekly to him in Barcelona so going by form Murray should win easily enough. Not one to bet on. Tipsarevic should beat Benenteau but wouldn't like to bet on that either, while Nadal should dispose of Schwank easily enough but I'm not inclined to hit -11.5 handicaps unless the odds are amazing. Almagro's a worthy favourite against Mayer - could be a tie-break in that one - and the match of the day is Monaco v Raonic. Could be an epic. Overs seems logical but not a 40.5 games! And one early-bird bet for Sunday: - STANISLAS WAWRINKA to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga @ 2.08 with panbet Can't see how Wawrinka can be the underdog here. He beat Tsonga at the French last year and I'd argue Tsonga's in better shape now than he was then. For me, Wawrinka moves better on this surface, has a better read on bounces and has a game more suited to it. Tsonga need quick conditions so he can get oomph off his strokes. He hits the ball really hard but the clay tends to bite into his shots and slow them down. His serve is less effective too - Fognini broke him five times in R3, which is unacceptable by his standards. Wawrinka went the distance with Simon but has now beaten a local on Chatrier and knows he's done it all before against JWT. Not sure I can see the form being reversed with Tsonga's current performance level. Stan loves clay, has been playing well all season on the stuff and has got the better of him before. Can't see why he's odds against, to be honest, and has to be backed for me. (5pts) :hope

[fishy25]

Re: French Open 2012 Uh-Oh, opposing bets alert :eek At least there will be one winner for someone tomorrow ;)

[slider24]

Re: French Open 2012 You can definately make an argument for Mathieu winning, even though I think he'll lose. Class wise he's a better player, very solid off both wings and has given top players over the years fits before tightening up. Not sure he's ever really lived down that Davis Cup match versus Youzhny in that regard. On Granollers, just found out recently that he was ill in that surprise defeat to Gil in Barcelona and if you look at this record aside from that he's been pretty solid in recent months. It should be a cracker anyway.

[Atko]

Re: French Open 2012 Yeah we are opposing on the PHM v Granollers match. Have to say I'm confident it'll be the Frenchman who gets through but I will obviously congratulate you if proved wrong. Quite a few bets from me. Gotta hope they come in!

[IAmGooner]

Re: French Open 2012 Took a good few tomorrow myself but the odds movement has been crazy really. Most prices have changed and some of the lines too.

[Dylan]

Re: French Open 2012 Have taken these for tomorrow already; Tommy Haas vs Richard Gasquet Totally agree with those considering the overs in this match. Haas has had a pretty comfortable run so far which has allowed him to get up to speed again whilst not having to be too heavily excerted. Certainly had he come into this match on the back of qualies and two five setters then I probably wouldn’t have touched it, but he hasn’t and whilst he still has something left in tank then he’s capable of producing some great tennis which will trouble Gasquet. The Frenchman is a class act but he’s not been emphatic so far, with only 2 breaks and a tie break against the lowly ranked Zopp and dropping the first set vs Dimitrov. He looked in a spot of bother in that match before the Bulgarian decided that tennis was best played crawling around on the floor. He also had some fitness issues in that match (saw some delightful footage on him being sick at the end of a rally) so its not just Haas that’s could be toiling. Could be an epic, although I suspect 4 sets. Either way it should cover this. Over 35 games 1.72 at Pinnacle (2.5 / 10 units) Kaia Kanepi vs Caroline Wozniaki This ones going to be a tough test for Wozniaki and its going to be interesting to see who comes through this one. I think a lot of how this match goes will depend on how well Kanepi plays, because in a perfect world her game is well suited to clay given her strength but too often she can make stupid mistakes if forced into long rallies or pressured on serve. Wozniaki is good enough at defence to ensure that Kanepi is kept on her toes and I would imagine this will cause a few mistakes from the Estonian. Certainly such tactics have worked before as Woz leads 3-1 on H2H and all 4 of these have gone well over 20 games which bodes well. Over 20 games 1.75 at Pinnacle (2.5 / 10 units) What do people think about Benneteau vs Tipsarevic. I'm seriously weighing up the overs or maybe the + handicap on the Frenchman. Also will be taking a closer look at the Li Na vs McHale match up. Don't think it will as easy for Li as the odds suggest so may be something available worth taking. :hope

[devman]

Re: French Open 2012 HAAS VS GASMAN looks to have the making of a real tennis classic promising a vibrant mix of a variety of shot-making. I worry about how much fuel Haas is taking on board especially considering he went through qualifying. I believe he has enough to last through this battle , and I am confidently picking him to continue when he left off. KANEPI VS WOZ looks like a tight call on paper. Simply put, Wozniacki is on the coded rise while Kanepi has almost playd her season out. I expect a wozzing victory to set the alarm bells ringing. The odds 3/10 is a jinxy ditch to sit in. Know that now that i have told you. So for certain either Tipsy or Murray will lose. you don't believe me? watch out!!! I am tipping the head strong BENNETEAU to whop Tipsys backside in a high level contest.gl everyone.

[Psycho]

Re: French Open 2012 Rafael Nadal -11.5 vs Eduardo Schwank. 1.90 @ Bwin (7/10) How about a triple bagel here? Schwank has played so much tennis past two weeks one must wonder how much he'll have left in the tank. Bare in mind he played 3 matches in qualies and 7 sets in two rounds in main draw. The serve won't be a helper as he's tired and can't serve anyway. Can't see him winning much in baseline rallies. All in all, expect Rafa to crush the Argentine player. Rafa can afford to drop 6 games or even more in case of a handicap which I have chosen instead of unders. Both should work though. Carla Suarez Navarro to beat Yaroslava Shvedova. 2.00 @ Pinnacle (6/10) Like Navarro as an underdog in this match. She has made quarter finals in Paris before and is more of a clay court player than Shvedova is. The odds on Shvedova are this good only because she crushed Arvidsson 6-1, 6-0 in last round. Now, that result was always going to happen after the Swede was tired having played lots of tennis in Brussels a week before. Shvedova has played 5 matches including 3 in qualifying and has not beaten much, all average players. Now comes the real test. For me, Navarro has got the perfect game here. No one will bomb aces between these two, so the match will be won in the baseline battle. Navarro has got the game, she can run, she can hit some powerful shots, she can also change it up and play slices, dropshots. Shvedova is all about power and that is where she might stumble as Navarro will change it up all the time. Don't see her as a dog here. Caroline Wozniacki to beat Kaia Kanepi. 1.67 @ Pinnacle (6/10) No handicaps here, have had my lesson this week. Wozniacki has been surprisingly good this week. Maybe it's because she needs to impress her new coach, maybe she has hit her head and realized that she is slipping outside Top 10. Anyways, Kanepi might push Wozniacki all the way, as they have played three 3-setters and one close enough 2 set match, but in the end I expect Wozniacki to get a win. The only good thing about her is forcing turnovers and Kanepi is a mess. She can make tons of unforced errors, so in that regard Wozzi is a horrible match-up. I'd say Wozniacki in three. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to beat Klara Zakopalova. 1.86 @ Pinnacle (5/10) Zakopalova should not be here. Kirilenko made a huge mess of it in last round. She bottled the first set after leading 4-0, she lost 6 consecutive games and was later a break up in the 3rd set. Don't think Pavly will be handing out that many gifts. Nastia has got power and can hit through Zakopalova. Her first serve has been unbelievably good this week and double faults are not an issue yet. Pavlyuchenkova should out-power the Czech player who lacks in power, can basically only defend and hit occasional backhand. Not more than that. Although clay is not Pavly's favorite surface, I reckon she will win today. Too much to to fight off for Zakopalova. Marcel Granollers to beat Paul-Henri Mathieu. 1.91 @ Pinnacle (5/10) Granollers almost lost against Jaziri in last round. The Spaniard saved 3 match points, all on return which is kind of sick. Good defense was key in that comeback. Now for today's match I look at Mathieu and can't see him surviving best of five sets match after that sick encounter against Isner. Mathieu has not played much lately and will have dead legs. I can see a retirement in this match. Mathieu retired in FO against Granollers couple years ago and I genuinely think he'll do the same unless he gets 2-0 up and has a legit chance to win. Fatigue will be the factor. Granollers did play five sets in his last round too, but those were different kind of 5 sets, besides split through two days, so he's in a rhythm as is playing consecutive days. Besides Mathieu came back from 2-0 down against Phau in the first round. So it's like 12 sets played coz it was 18-16 in that epic Isner match. Bottom line, can't see Mathieu surviving this one, even against bone-head like Granollers. And the Spaniard will offer more on return than big John did.

[Bepster]

Re: French Open 2012 Great reads from everyone! Thanks a lot and good luck, fellas. :clap

[Dylan]

Re: French Open 2012 Ok just the one more Li Na vs Christina McHale Whilst I imagine Li will get through this one, I don’t think it will be as straightforward as the odds are suggesting. Mchale is one of those annoying players that no one will really want to play, she excellent at defence & will always keep trying to get the ball back across the court, and has a pretty decent serve which she can vary making it hard to read at times. Whilst like most Yanks she isn’t a natural clay courter, her performances this year back up the fact that she does have ability on this surface. She took a set of Stosur in Madrid, ran Sharapova close in Rome (7-5 7-5)and also went over this game line in Brussels vs Cibulkova (20 in all). I reckon that at least one tight set is a possibility and if she can do that then I feel this bet has a good chance of coming in or at least a push. Li is Li, she’s a great clay courter but really has had no challenge yet so this match could come as a shock to the system. The win over Cirstea in R1 looks empahtic but Cirstea put in a pathetic performance in that match and I expect more from the hard working McHale. Certainly the American constant zipping around the court and defence could annoy Li and maybe one or two of those errors she occasionally likes to make might reappear. Over 18 games 1.75 at Pinnacle (2 / 10 units) :hope Good luck to everyone having a punt today.

[Psycho]

Re: French Open 2012 Needed to check on Muzzard. Will play him against Santi Andy Murray -6 vs Santiago Giraldo. 1.91 @ Pinnacle (7/10) Murray had a practice in the morning and looked absolutely fine. I am encouraged by this to back him on a handicap. Considering all the problems he's had with his back lately, he will go for a quick on because he doesn't want to spend more energy. Giraldo solid player but he can't get past Murray. Giraldo was poor against his compatriot Falla and then rather surprisingly demolished Tomic but Bernard still can't play on clay. Murray doesn't want to drop any sets today and I think he'll take care of the Colombian with ease. Giraldo won't serve good enough, besides Murray has got on of the best return games. He crushed Giraldo 6-1, 6-2 in Barcelona earlier this year and can cover the handicap even if he loses a set.