Australian Open 2013

[CzechPunter]

This should be interesting :ok.

[Torque]

Re: Australian Open 2013 Having had a close look at the draw for both tournaments, here's what I'm taking in the outright markets. Essentially, I've picked a player from each half of both draws plus a 'wildcard' pick for both the men and women, and I'll be laying off (or backing out) if any of them reach the final. This is because I would like to go each-way, but I only use Betfair, and although there is a 'to reach the final' market, there's very little money in it. Juan Martin Del Potro to win Australian Open @ 25.00 Betfair David Ferrer to win Australian Open @ 32.00 Betfair Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win Australian Open @ 70.00 Betfair The obvious dangers in Del Potro's half are Federer and Murray, but he has beaten both players in the past and is more than capable of doing so in this tournament in my opinion. I thought he finished last season strongly, with the exception of the debacle that was Paris just prior to the Tour Finals, winning titles in Vienna and Basel (where he beat Federer in the final) and running Djokovic close in London. He's currently playing in the Kooyong exhibition, and has reached the final, so he will have had a few matches to loosen up ahead of the start of this tournament. I think Del Potro could have a big year this year, and I'm hoping it starts in Melbourne. Ferrer is in Djokovic's half, but he has to be my pick as Djokovic is so short. He's another player who finished last season in great form, winning titles in Valencia and Paris (where he seemed to be the only top player taking the tournament seriously). He did well at the Tour Finals, winning two out of his three matches, and he's carried that good form into this season. He had a good run in Doha, and he won the title in Auckland. I like to back players that are used to winning, and Ferrer lead the tour in wins last season. I think he will have another solid season this year, and I'll back him to take advantage in this tournament if Djokovic is not at his best. Tsonga is in the bottom half of the draw, along with Federer, Murray and Del Potro. He's done well at this tournament in the past, and seems to enjoy himself here. He started this season at the Hopman Cup, winning three matches, before being forced to pull out due to a hamstring injury. He was forced to miss Sydney this week, and that is the 'wildcard' element of this pick - the status of his injury is unknown. I'm prepared to take a chance that the injury is not too severe, and that he will be able to recover in time for his first match of the tournament. If he's able to shake off his injury, he's capable of going far during the next fortnight. Lay Serena Williams to win Australian Open @ 2.00 Betfair Back Li Na to win Australian Open @ 23.00 Betfair Back Venus Williams to win Australian Open @ 130.00 Betfair Serena Williams is in the top half of the draw, where on paper the main competition consists of Azarenka, Errani and Kvitova. Azarenka is struggling with a toe inury, Errani doesn't look to have made the best of starts to the season and Kvitova has been out of form for a while. Despite this, I think Williams is too short. There's no doubt that she deserves to be the favourite, but she's been knocked out of slams recently by players that you would have thought had little chance of beating her. Last year she lost to Makarova in this tournament, and she also lost to Razzano at the French Open. As such, I'm hoping that another player is able to emerge from William's half of the draw, although I'm not going to speculate on who it might be. From the bottom half of the draw, the main contenders on paper are Sharapova, Radwanska, Kerber and Li Na. Sharapova pulled out of Brisbane because of a shoulder injury, and Kerber has never gone beyond the third round here. I considered Radwanska, but settled on Li Na. Both players have started the season strongly, with Radwanska heading into this tournament unbeaten after winning consecutive titles in Auckland and Sydney, and Li Na winning the title in Shenzhen. The reason I went for Li Na over Radwanska is because I think there is more value in the price, and also because although Radwanska beat Li Na in Sydney, I would favour her to progress if they met in this tournament. She leads the h2h on hard comprehensively, and that defeat earlier this week might have had at least something to do with Li Na wanting a rest. Overall, she is in good form, has performed well here in the past, and I think she is well placed to do so again. Venus Williams is also in the bottom half of the draw, and if she is healthy, I still think she has the potential to get to the latter stages of Grand Slams. She was playing well at the end of last season, winning the title in Luxembourg, and she looks to have made a good start to this season. She played three matches at the Hopman Cup and won them all, and even though some of the matches were not straightforward, I'm sure she will be feeling confident ahead of this tournament. A fully fit Venus Williams is a dangerous opponent for anybody in the women's game, and at this price I'm prepared to chance that she will continue her good form with a decent showing here.

[Alovenac]

Re: Australian Open 2013 2.5/10 Janowicz 1.5 set tb. Bolelli @ 1.95 SBO Great odds for me here to pick it now. Janowicz great talented player, play well on this surface. Play only one match this year and lost in 3 sets against Brian Baker, what is not a shame. Other side, Bolelli play some more matches this year. Struggling against Gimeno Traver and Kubot, but won both in three sets in Doha. And are dominating by Davydenko with 16 16. In Keeyong he won against Mathieu in 3 sets, but that will say nothing for me. Last year both meet o Wimbledon and Janowicz won in 4 sets. While i think Bolelli play better on grass than on hardcourt. And since that match, Janowicz will grow to a better player. For Bolelli it will hard to stop the service from Janowicz and it will hard to break for him. While i think, he will struggle sometimes on his own service.

[Teodore]

Re: Australian Open 2013 1.95 for Janowicz is **** odds. Janowicz is "one tournament players" for this time. I keep finger cross about him. But I dont think he will play good in AO

[CzechPunter]

Re: Australian Open 2013 Back Will the top 3 seeds make the semifinals? - Yes for a 3/10 stake at 3.01 with Pinnacle This AO should be a cracker, but I think that it might be business as usual for the top three guys. Novak Djokovic has a ridiculously easy draw, so this should be all about Federer and Murray. Murray was playing well two weeks ago and loves Melbourne, so I expect him to deal with (possibly) del Potro and not mess up at any point. Federer might be the biggest concern in all honesty, but I am sure that he knows what he is doing with taking larger breaks between events and his draw is not really as horrible as it might look like at first glance. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/australian-open-2013-betting-the-top-three-seeds-should-be-able-to-shine-once-again Back Agnieszka Radwanska to win the Australian Open 2013 for a 1/10 stake at 17.00 with William Hill This is worth a shot due to the draw I would say. Azarenka and Williams are in the same half of the draw, so Radwanska has a really good chance of making it to the finals here and perhaps even win the entire thing. The surface should suit her game and she is certainly the in-form player right now with nine wins and two titles in a row, so this price looks to be a bit off to me. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/australian-open-2013-betting-agnieszka-radwanska-can-get-quite-far-in-melbourne

[devman]

Re: Australian Open 2013 Czech, nice pick on Radwanska, but I think for some reason she should be treated with caution depending on whether you view the glass as half empty or half full. This is a grand slam and I see her as already half spent with the exertions of the last week. You can safely cancel her out winning the A.O. A real tall order. She really will be lucky to get past the quarters as it is. I will be looking to Bobusic to give her a bit of a headache in the first round to start things of. The same comment applies to Vesnina. Dont get sucked in!

[Atko]

Re: Australian Open 2013 Here are my three selections for Day 1 of the Open: - LUKASZ KUBOT to beat Daniel Gimeno-Traver x TOBIAS KAMKE to beat Flavio Cipolla @ 1.84 with unibet Nice little double to get us rolling. I could potentially see both Kubot and Kamke losing a set, but overall they both should be too strong for their respective opponents. Kubot's a pretty decent Slam player. He's made the second week at a lot of them before and has vast experience of this sort of match. He's got a stronger serve and a better mentality than Gimeno-Traver, who has a shocking record on an outdoor hardcourt. The Spaniard is far too inconsistent and gets very tight when sets get close. He did beat Kubot in St Petersburg last year, but I still think the Pole, over five sets, will have too much, especially as he likes to serve and volley. Kamke should also have it in him to see off Cipolla. The little Italian had a decent 2012, but he's a notoriously slow starter and is far more effective on the clay. What I see being the big difference here is the serve. Cipolla has a very weak serve and the longer the match goes on, the more his percentages and speed drop. Kamke's has a bit more pop and fizz about his game and in these conditions, I suspect he'll overpower the Italian. - OVER 38.5 GAMES between Fabio Fognini and Roberto Bautista-Agut @ 1.86 with unibet This has all the ingredients of an overs match. Bautista-Agut has started the season very well, making the final in Chennai. He broke onto the scene last year with some good wins on the Challenger circuit and the signs are that he will continue to produce decent results in 2013. His retirement last week in Sydney doesn't worry me, mainly because he was shattered having to travel from India to Australia. I expect him to be firing on all cylinders for this match. Fognini is the more flamboyant player and if I had to pick a winner, it'd be him. The Italian, however, never does things the easy way. He's very erratic and often goes missing for large spells of matches, especially in a best-of-five format. He's moody and temperamental and that's why his matches often have so many fluctuations. He did beat the Spaniard at the tail end of last year, but it was 6-4, 7-6 ... a close match, by all accounts. I would have expected a 40.5 game line between two quite evenly-matched players. This match has the potential to go far. - SANTIAGO GIRALDO to beat Ryan Harrison @ 2.15 with unibet I've pondered this one over for quite some time and I still can't work out why Harrison is the favourite. Allow me to run this by you. Giraldo has beaten him in their two matches, one last year at the Olympics, which was emphatic. Giraldo has a better Slam record, Giraldo is the more experienced, Giraldo has the more stable mentality, Giraldo's best surface is a slow hardcourt, Giraldo is better looking ... okay, that bit doesn't matter, but what I'm getting at is the Colombian holds a slight edge on the American. That meeting at Wimbledon at the Olympics last year is a key clue here. Harrison had chances, didn't take them and then went off in a strop after he lost the first set. It sums up Harrison. Evidently a talented player - he has a decent serve and a hammer of a forehand - but he lacks nous and tactics on the court, and I fear that may hurt him here. Giraldo is a solid player. Strong serve, comfortable off both wings and moves well. He's also a fighter and he's likely to stick with Harrison even if he finds himself a set down. It might be in four or five sets, but my money is with the Colombian in this one. Good luck whatever you decide to play :ok

[Pensioner65]

Re: Australian Open 2013 Ok,for this tournament gonna keep a check on the profits/losses from this upcoming Aussie Open. Just quickly is this correct. If I place a 10/10 on say Alovenac bet on Janowicz for example it would be 10 units x 1.95=return of 19.50 units That would be +0.95 units profit. Is that correct?? Nice to see the old tipsters back for this Australian Open Good luck everyone :ok

[fishy25]

Re: Australian Open 2013

Ok,for this tournament gonna keep a check on the profits/losses from this upcoming Aussie Open. Just quickly is this correct. If I place a 10/10 on say Alovenac bet on Janowicz for example it would be 10 units x 1.95=return of 19.50 units That would be +0.95 units profit. Is that correct?? Nice to see the old tipsters back for this Australian Open Good luck everyone :ok

Would be a profit of +9.50 mate. :ok

[Pensioner65]

Re: Australian Open 2013

Would be a profit of +9.50 mate. :ok

Ok,that clears that up. Cheers. Now its on to actually find some winners :unsure

[slider24]

Re: Australian Open 2013 Expect quite a few upsets in the first round and hopefully I've identified a few... Casey Dellacqua to beat Madison Keys @ 10/3 BET 365 Strength (5/10) Dellacqua is one of those players that actually seems to enjoy the pressure of playing in a home Grand Slam, unlike Sam Stosur, who just seems to be inhibited by it. She plays above her ranking and in recent years it's taken very good players to knock her out. Her form leading up the tournament seemingly has little relevance as well, and once again she lost tamely last week to continue that trend of underwhelming form leading into the tourney. On her day she's a powerful and dangerous lefty, and I think it will be a bit of shoot out against the talented young American Madison Keys. Keys is very good but inconsistent, and with her having a good week in Sydney, then it all seems set up for an extremely typical first round exit against someone who seems stick around the tour purely for this tournament. Sabine Lisicki to beat Caroline Wozniacki @ 7/4 BET 365 Strength (5/10) Have to take on Wozniacki here. The German Lisicki liked this match up when the Dane was nearly at her peak a few years ago, so she should like it even more now that Wozniacki seems plagued with self-doubt and is now routinely being dismissed from major tournaments in the first week. Lisicki will thrive on this match, and be confident that with her weapons she can out-power the Dane, like she did in back in Wimbledon 09. She also is a player that seems to reserve her best for the big stage. Horacio Zeballos to beat Andreas Seppi @ 7/2 BET 365 Strength (4/10) Call me crazy but I feel the Argentinian stands a chance here. He's a challenger clay player mainly but has mixed it on the main tour well at times and seems to be getting back to the form of a couple of years ago when he threatened to make an impression on the ATP. Unfortunately he lost his way but he's on 15 match unbeaten streak at the moment and he's always represented himself pretty well at Grand Slams, winning sets against Berdych, Andreev and Anderson, even on hard court. He's got a pretty big game and some weapons that can hurt opponents on the surface so he doesn't just rely on grinding opponents down. Seppi mixes at a far higher level and has improved in recent years but still seems to doubt himself at Slams, hasn't ever really had a comfortable victory, and barely ever progresses past round two. Zeballos is probably in the best form of his career at the moment and I think he can make this very interesting. Worth noting he beat Seppi in their only previous encounter a few years ago as well, on hard court 7-6 6-2, when he was in form similar to now. Alex Bogomolov Jr - Brian Baker OVER 38.5 GAMES @ 5/6 BET 365 Strength (6/10) Can only see a long one here. Baker is the flashier shot-maker and appears to have a higher ceiling than Bogomolov, but he struggles physically and his game can lose its fizz at times, and as result he can lose sloppy sets and get a bit stroppy with himself. Bogomolov is a solid grinder who will fight all day and will be alive to any dips in Baker's game. If any either guy wins this easily here I'll be surprised. :hope

[CzechPunter]

Re: Australian Open 2013 Back Mikhail Kukushkin (+2.5 sets) to beat Jurgen Melzer for a 3/10 stake at 1.88 with Pinnacle This will be the first match for Kukushkin after quite some time, but he likes the Australian Open and this is probably the best first round opponent he could have wished for, as Melzer throws away sets for fun these days. Kukushkin would be much shorter if he would be alright - and if he still is not quite alright, there is a good chance that he is going to retire at some point. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/kukushkin-vs-melzer-betting-jurgen-melzer-looks-way-too-short-in-the-first-round Back Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (+2.5 sets) to beat Stanislas Wawrinka for a 3/10 stake at 2.14 with Pinnacle Stanislas Wawrinka tends to drop his pace a bit against weaker opponents and this is a match that might be one of those struggles of his. Stebe has cruised through the qualifiers in Melbourne, so there is a good chance of him nicking a set here. The set handicap also looks like a much better bet than the handicap here, so going for that pick at decent price. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/stebe-vs-wawrinka-betting-the-talented-german-to-capture-a-set-against-stanislas-wawrinka Back Albert Ramos (+2.5 sets) to beat Marcos Baghdatis for a 3/10 stake at 2.20 with Pinnacle A similar case here as with Wawrinka really, only with a better opponent, so I do not really know why the price is higher here. Ramos is a tough nut to crack and the slower conditions will allow him to get something from the rallies. He took a set off Berdych here last year, so he should be able to know what to do on this surface and Baghdatis is inconsistent enough to make this bet come through on his own. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/ramos-vs-baghdatis-betting-albert-ramos-is-good-enough-to-cover-the-set-handicap-today Back Victor Hanescu (+2.5 sets) to beat Kei Nishikori for a 2/10 stake at 2.62 with Pinnacle The most speculative of my first bets, but I can see Hanescu being motivated enough for a set. Nishikori did not look to be at his very best against Mathieu a few days ago and, although I expect him to come through in the end, I can see him dropping a set at some point. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/hanescu-vs-nishikori-betting-the-romanian-might-be-able-to-get-something-from-his-first-match

[Dylan]

Re: Australian Open 2013 A few womens picks for the first days action. Casey Dellacqua +5.5 games vs Madison Keys – 1.80 at Paddy Power (2 units) Whilst Keys has done well in Sydney this week I do feel that price on her to win this first round tie is a little too low. Despite these recent successes she is still quite a raw player still finding her way at top tour level and inexperienced in grand slams. She’ll come up against a wily home favourite who with the crowd on her side will put plenty of pressure on the young American and whilst I would back her to probably squeeze through in the end, it should be much closer than the odds suggest. Olivia Rogowska +4.5 games vs Vesna Deloc - 1.90 at Bet365 (2 units) I’m going to back another Aussie, Olivia Rogowska to put in a strong performance tomorrow. Given how close these two are in rankings I would have expected the odds to be a lot closer and this opens up some possibilities to bet on the Rogowska. Whilst she has rarely featured on the WTA tour, Rogowska has been putting in some good performances on the Australian hard courts over the last couple of years at ITF level, having plenty of successes and whilst the jump in quality between the two tours is relatively big I’m surprised she hasn’t had more of a go at higher levels. This then represents a good opportunity for her to prove herself against an opponent who she shouldn’t be overawed by. Whilst Delonc is more experienced and had that good run here in 2011 most things she’s done on hard courts since then have been nothing too special. Stephanie Foretz- Gacon +3.5 games vs Camille Giorgi – 1.90 at Bet365 (2 units) This is an interesting matchup between the youngster Giorgi and Foretz-Gacon, a player 10 years her senior. Other than that good run at Wimbledon last year, Giorgi has struggled to make an impact at WTA level and whilst I’ve only seen her play a couple of times she never seems that confident. She hasn’t started the season well at all being well beaten by Jo Larsson and Dushevina in recent weeks , and that will be a concern as she goes into her first Aussie Open. Gacon on the other hand has been around for years and whilst she doesn’t play an awful amount of tennis anymore she has experience at getting through these tough first rounds ties, and was particularly impressive last year reaching 3 grand slam second rounds. The French women also has a 2-1 H2H lead. :hope

[laneystain]

Re: Australian Open 2013 What are people's thoughts on Robredo-Levine? There looks to be some value in Tommy at even money, despite his mixed bunch of recent results and a slow start to 2013. Fabio Fognini (8/11 @ SkyBet) to beat Bautista-Agut Fognini is quite strong on hard courts and has won the previous 2 meetings (both on hard courts). He's had a decent enough start to 2013 with a win in Sydney vs Dimitrov and Kooyang against Raonic. I think he'll just about edge this against the Spaniard.

[Atko]

Re: Australian Open 2013

What are people's thoughts on Robredo-Levine? There looks to be some value in Tommy at even money, despite his mixed bunch of recent results and a slow start to 2013.

Historically, Robredo performs well at the Australian Open. On his last visit to Melbourne in 2011, he made the fourth round, losing to Roger Federer. My issue with him these days is that you never really know how fit he is. His loss to John Millman last week was disappointing, and he's liable these days to throw in that sort of result. In regards to this match, my concern would be is that Levine has started the season well, chalking up quite a few wins against decent players. I think I'd be more inclined to look at overs, as it's hard to see one man running away with it. My cash would not sit comfortably with Robredo, for reasons above.

[laneystain]

Re: Australian Open 2013

Historically' date=' Robredo performs well at the Australian Open. On his last visit to Melbourne in 2011, he made the fourth round, losing to Roger Federer. My issue with him these days is that you never really know how fit he is. His loss to John Millman last week was disappointing, and he's liable these days to throw in that sort of result. In regards to this match, my concern would be is that Levine has started the season well, chalking up quite a few wins against decent players. I think I'd be more inclined to look at overs, as it's hard to see one man running away with it. My cash would not sit comfortably with Robredo, for reasons above.[/quote'] Cheers for the info, Atko. I've just had another look over the list and realised the pair won't play till Tuesday anyway so I'll see how I get on later today before committing. Levine's start was a worry for me as well, he's hit the ground running.

[Atko]

Re: Australian Open 2013 Genuinely surprised by the lack of tips up here. Only three hours until the action begins. Get your bets up guys - writing them down will help you judge whether you really want them, plus you could help others make some cash :ok

[slider24]

Re: Australian Open 2013

Genuinely surprised by the lack of tips up here. Only three hours until the action begins. Get your bets up guys - writing them down will help you judge whether you really want them' date=' plus you could help others make some cash :ok[/quote'] Surprised with the lack of IAG and Fishy. Usually put up some crackers in Grand Slams.

[fishy25]

Re: Australian Open 2013 In my eyes, whatever Atko asks for, he gets ;) I've taken quite a few tonight but I'll deal with those in a separate post. First I'm taking 2 outrights on my 'beloved' market. Richard Gasquet to reach the last 16- 5/6 Sportingbet- (3/10) Really like the Frenchman's draw here and there's not alot to trouble him in all honesty. He's already started the season well, winning over in Doha and he seemed to improve with every performance that week. He did pull out of the tournament in Sydney due to personal problems and what they were I'm not quite sure but I don't expect them to affect his performance, certainly not in the first few rounds anyway. His draw looks something like Montanes-Falla-Haas which is a pretty tame draw. You wouldn't expect him to have any problem in beating Montanes and Falla, whilst Haas hasn't started the season well, unlike Gasquet and the Frenchman beat him last year at the French. Just think with the draw Gasquet has, he should be making at least the last 16 here, and quite comfortably at that. Marin Cilic to reach the last 16- 10/11 Sportingbet- (3/10) I know Cilic hasn't started the season well but we've come to expect good performances from him of late in the slams. His draw is arguably easier than Gasquet's for the first few rounds with his likely opponents Matosevic-Garcia Lopez-Istomin/Seppi which just looks a gift to be honest if Cilic is on song. He is on a different level to all of those guys and he should be motivated for the next couple of weeks as he'll see it as a perfect chance to pick up some ranking points. He missed Melbourne last year due to injury so he'll see the next couple of weeks as a bonus should he put in some decent performances. He reached the last 16 in both of the 'quicker' slams last year and with his favourable draw, I'd be surprised if he didn't make it to at least the third round here.

[fishy25]

Re: Australian Open 2013

Surprised with the lack of IAG and Fishy. Usually put up some crackers in Grand Slams.

Might not be saying that in an hour or so. Taken a fair few which you can read if you're struggling to nod off for bed :lol

[Atko]

Re: Australian Open 2013

Surprised with the lack of IAG and Fishy. Usually put up some crackers in Grand Slams.

I agree, missing their presence, and also Psycho. Got an underdog to run by you tomorrow ... check your PMs. Don't want the bookies cottoning on before the money's down. And yes, they read in here :)

[Atko]

Re: Australian Open 2013

Might not be saying that in an hour or so. Taken a fair few which you can read if you're struggling to nod off for bed :lol

Good. I was worried you may have hung up the quill, or even worse, the betting slip!

[Pensioner65]

Re: Australian Open 2013 Bjorn Phau(-1.5set) to beat Somdev Dev Varman @1.80 Sbobet(7/10) I can't see anything but a straight forward win for Phau in his 1st round match vs Derman.Phau had a couple of decent victories at ATP Sydney over Klec & Herbert.Dev Varman has had a nightmare with injuries & has struggled throughout 2012 & played only 9 times with 7 defeats.I see a 3-0 win for Phau here but just gonna do the handicap just incase SDV might nick one.7pts win Juan Monaco(-6 games) to beat Andrey Kuznetsov @1.95 Nordicbet(6/10) Monaco returns with this 1st round meeting vs Kuznetsov who has only played 3 matches in three years on a hard court.He had an excellent 2012 on the challenger circuit winning 4 events,all on clay.I can't see any problems here whatsoever for Monaco & should get the job comfortably done this morning.6pts win

[Regnavetto]

Re: Australian Open 2013 Lleyton Hewitt vs Janko Tipsarevic. Over 41.5 games @ 2.02 Pinnacle. This match up absolutely screams overs. The odds are great, and I would have taken a higher line, if available. Local hero Lleyton Hewitt will face World #9 Janko Tipsarevic. In an interview Hewitt openly said he feels as fit as a 21-year old. He certainly played as if he were feeling top notch. Although I hardly conclude anything from exhibition matches, he was surely playing great when beating Raonic, Berdych and Del Potro quite comfortably. Despite winning Chennai, Tipsarevic didn't look 100% dropping sets against Bautista-Agut and Bedene. He had to retire against Baghdatis in an exhibition match due to a wrist injury. He is however fit to play Hewitt. This match up is nearly a guarantee for an epic marathon match that'll go to lengths. Both players work hard from the baseline, possess nice groundstrokes but don't really have the clear winner in their arsenal. Considering Hewitt is playing at home, is in great form and shape and Tipsarevic is not a 100% fit, I really fancy the Ozzie scrapper to steal the win in 5 sets. If we have to believe Hewitt himself, he openly said "I'll knock him off". Confident like always, lets hope for an epic battle. Good luck. Stanislas Wawrinka vs Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. Over 36 games @ 1.93 Pinnacle I absolutely love this line. The over represents a lot of value in this match-up between Stanislas Wawrinka and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. These two met aswell in Chennai earlier this year. Wawrinka won that relatively easy. 6-4 6-3. However Stebe could have gotten more out of that match. Considering that match, I certainly think Stebe has more chance of nicking a set of Wawrinka. His form is quite good, winning against Sijsling before playing Wawrinka. Stebe also played three qualifier matches. Winning all three without dropping a set. Stebe has had the opportunity to get used to the conditions and was able to gain momentum and rhythm. Wawrinka himself isn't in the greatest form losing against Bedene. I also know him as someone that needs to grow into a grandslam, certainly the first round. I'm certain Stebe can put up a better performance and can win a set or perhaps make it a 5-set match. Overs is clear, clear, value here. Good luck. Xavier Malisse to beat Pablo Andujar 3-0 in sets. 2.11 @ Pinnacle Nice valuebet spot here. A match between the Belgian Xavier Malisse and the Spaniard Pablo Andujar. Absolutely fancy Malisse to pound clay specialist Andujar here. Although Andujar took a set off Benneteau I don't rate him able to repeat such a surprise against Malisse. He hasn't won a match in ages and he doesn't have enough pace and depth to keep up with the aggressive Malisse. Malisse has been playing quite well and has the game to dismantle Andujar's play. He will be looking work Andujar around the court with punchy deep groundstrokes. Would love to put some more units on this bet, but I'm a bit wary because of Malisse' mental capabilities. He tends to slip-up or lose focus especially when he is in a losing position. However, in this match I don't expect him to get red hotted, as I'm predicting him to be in the drivers seat the entire game. This should be an easy and clear win for Malisse.

[The Saint]

Re: Australian Open 2013 I might have a punt at scalping the server for pennies this evening.... Anyone like to recomend the best website for up to date, point by point scores please? I'm gonna assume Sky Pics are behind....

[Atko]

Re: Australian Open 2013

I might have a punt at scalping the server for pennies this evening.... Anyone like to recomend the best website for up to date' date=' point by point scores please? I'm gonna assume Sky Pics are behind....[/quote'] www.flashscore.com/tennis

[Alovenac]

Re: Australian Open 2013 2.5/10 Cipolla - Kamke Over 3.5 sets @ 1.66 Bet365 Kamke good start of this season, also Cipolla don't play a lot but play on his normal niveau. Both players are not mentally the best and i don't see a player to win with 3-0 here. I think this will a better bet than the AH with Kamke. For the reason what i give you, mentally they are not the best. 2/10 Dimitrov -2 games to beat Benneteau @ 1.79 Pinnacle I think Dimitrov is 'hot' this year. Okay, he lost the first round in Sydney. But i think he do this to prepare himself for this tournament. We all know Dimitrov is a great talent and last years he don't playing well. But i see a good Dimitrov this year. Benneteau was beaten twice last year by Dimitrov and i think the young player can do this again here. 2.5/10 Baker tb. Bogomolov @ 1.79 Pinnacle I don't like Bogomolov, he is not a great player and struggles the last times. We all know the story of Baker, great comeback. Against Janowicz he don't play good, but i believe that he have enough quality to make it to the secound round here. Also i will play 2/10 Phau -1.5 set tb. Devvarman @ 1.80 SBObet with the same reasons as someone tell before me :).

[Torque]

Re: Australian Open 2013 There were a quite a lot of matches that I considered on first glance, but I've tried to be selective as the card is so big. I'll probably put some more up later, but for now I've only taken these two. They're both speculative, and I'm the first to admit are unlikely to come in. However, under the circumstances I'm happy to use very small stakes. ATP Australian Open - Victor Hanescu to beat Kei Nishikori @ 10.50 >Betfair To be honest, this is about going against Nishikori rather than backing Hanescu, as I couldn't find much to recommend Hanescu at the moment. He's had an unspectacular start to the season, losing to Davydenko in his first match in Doha, and then being bundled out of qualifying for the main draw in Auckland. The reason for this pick is that Nishikori suffered a knee injury that caused him to retire against Murray in Brisbane, and although he did play one match at the Kooyong exhibition tournament, if he carries that injury into this match then he could be in trouble. Hanescu is a good enough player to take advantage if Nishikori is not completely fit, and there's also the chance that Nishikori might be forced to retire in a match where he will need to win three sets rather than the usual two. WTA Australian Open - Olga Puchkova to beat Maria Sharapova @ 30.00 >Betfair Sharapova has been struggling with a shoulder injury, and it's meant that she hasn't played any competitive tennis so far this season. She was in exactly the same situation this time last season, and was still able to make the final of this tournament. However, last year it was her ankle that was troubling her, not her shoulder. In the past, shoulder problems have badly affected her service games. Puchkova has made a reasonable start to her season, and if Sharapova is struggling with her serve then this match could become interesting. I can still remember Oudin causing a major shock by beating Sharapova at the US Open a few years ago, in a match where Sharapova served a lot of double faults. A repeat of anything like that from Sharapova here and another shock could be on the cards, and although she probably will win, stranger things have happened in the WTA.

[fishy25]

Re: Australian Open 2013 Right let's get to this then. Here's to a good couple of weeks ahead of us :ok Fair few on the men's side of things, and a couple for the women as well. Was going to take a few more as well but the prices aren't what I want. Will start with the men... Tobias Kamke (-5.5 games) to beat Flavio Cipolla- 8/11 Bet365- (4/10) Don't envisage too many problems for the German here. He's beaten Cipolla in the last 3 meetings (twice last year) and hasn't dropped a set in any of those 3 games. Kamke has had a decent preparation for Melbourne as well, winning some games over in Doha comfortably before Ferrer saw him off. The problem here for the Italian is power really, and more specifically the serve. Kamke has a decent serve on him which will get him some cheap games but Cipolla will have to fight for everything. On clay he is more effective with his slices and what not, but on the quicker surfaces he does really struggled to inject any real power to his game. Even on the slower courts, Kamke beat him on clay last year 6-3 6-4 so on a quicker surface, I fancy Kamke to come through this one comfortably. John Millman (-4.5 games) to beat Tatsuma Ito- 4/5 Bet365- (4/10) Really good draw for the Aussie here in home conditions. It was only a couple of weeks ago he hammered Ito 6-4 6-1 in Brisbane and since then he's taken sets off Murray and Seppi, and beaten Robredo as well so confidence must be high for the home boy. Ito, as well as losing to Millman, was hammered by another Aussie ranked outside the top 400 in Sydney as well so clearly his form isn't what he would have wanted coming into a slam. He did beat Millman three times last year, but Millman's form wasn't what it is now and with those impressive results against Murray and Seppi, I fancy him to beat the man from Japan comfortably again for the second time this year. Cedrik-Marcel Stebe vs Stanislas Wawrinka- Over 34.5 games- 5/6 Bet365- (4/10) Probably one of my favourite bets to take in the slams. Wawrinka and overs usually go together hand in hand in the slams as he never seems to do things easily. I've never really put my finger on what that's down to but his mentality is fragile and pretty weak in truth. He can be cruising at one stage, only to go missing for a game or two or even an hour which makes him a prime candidate for the overs. You only have to look at his results in the slams last year to see just how much he loves a tough 4/5 setter. He did beat Stebe at the start of the year over in India, but then he lost to Bedene which sums Wawrinka's consistency up really. Stebe has come through qualification here so will know the courts well and he showed against the likes of Hewitt and Troicki last year in the slams that he can play so overs is the bet for me here. Xavier Malisse (-6.5 games) to beat Pablo Andujar- 8/11 Bet365- (3/10) Have to fancy Malisse here really. He may not be the player he once was but can't help but feel Andujar is here to pick up the prize money. His form is non-existent and he hasn't actually won a game since the US Open last year, losing 9 matches in a row to date so he'll have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to trouble the Belgian. Malisse is particularly dangerous on grass, but he's no mug on the hard courts either. He's beaten the likes of Klizan and Giraldo on the hard courts this year and those two guys are a couple of levels about Andujar on the hard courts as the Spaniard generally picks up most of his points on the clay. These two guys actually met a couple of years ago at this stage and Malisse ran out an easy winner in 3 sets, easily covering the handicap and I think he should do the same again today. Michael Russell (+9.5 games) to beat Tomas Berdych- Evens Bet365- (3/10) No way I'm having this handicap on Berdych at the minute, at least not until he shows some form. He has already lost to Hewitt and Bautista-Agut this year and often he starts the slams quite slowly, even when he seems to be in decent form. He certainly isn't coming into Melbourne so there's enough to suggest Russell can be competitive here. Berdych has never really had an easy time against the veteran American and in their most recent meeting back in 2010, Russell took a set off Berdych. He is a guy who really fights to the end and I'm never overly convinced by the Czech in early rounds of tournaments these days so I'm happy to side with the American as this handicap appears a little high. Kevin Anderson vs Paolo Lorenzi- Under 30.5 games- 10/11 Bet365- (3/10) Prefer the unders here to the handicap as a 6-4 6-4 6-4 scoreline isn't out of the question. Kevin Anderson is highly professional in everything he does and the problem for Lorenzi here will be breaking the South African's serve. On clay where he is at home he may have a chance, but I'm unsure whether he has enough about his return game to break Anderson on a quicker surface. Anderson is in decent form as well which should have played him into form for Melbourne, as he's beaten some decent players already this year. Lorenzi won a couple of game over in Doha before Ferrer beat him comfortably and then Lacko did the same last week in Auckland. Lorenzi has the potential to keep it close but Anderson will get chances on his serve whereas it's unlikely to be the same on the other foot. Anderson won their only previous encounter last year 6-4 6-3 and I think he'll secure a break in each set to cover the unders. Olivier Rochus (+9.5 games) to beat David Ferrer- Evens Ladbrokes- (3/10) This might appear slightly risky given Ferrer's early season form but Rochus is a tricky opponent for him as his game isn't too dissimilar to the Spaniard's. Both will run a hell of a lot as they aren't the biggest guys on the tour meaning they struggle for power and they both have to hassle. It's the H2H which struck me here though as Rochus seems to fare pretty well against the Spaniard. In the two meetings between them last year, Ferrer won them both in straight sets but Rochus kept it close for the majority in both games which should give him confidence ahead of this one. The Belgian does seem to enjoy this match-up against whilst Ferrer will win, I think Rochus will keep this close enough to cover the handicap between two real husslers on the tour. Mikhail Youzhny (-6.5 games) to beat Matthew Ebden- 4/5 Ladbrokes- (3/10) Not the biggest fan of going against the home players but Youzhny should have enough about him with his experience to cope with Ebden here. He was extremely patchy against Becker in Doha before winning comfortably in the third set and then loss to Davydenko which is no big surprise given the way the Russian has started this season. Ebden ended last year really badly and looks to have continued in the same way this year with losses to Goffin and Granollers. There are a couple of reasons why I like the Russian here though. One is that the motivation should be there this week given he went out in the first round 12 months ago meaning there are serious points to be gained by him here. He is generally a grand slam player and often makes it to the fourth round on a regular basis. He does struggle at times to get going early on, but he does usually find his feet and play some decent stuff towards the latter stages of games. He comfortably beat Ebden at the back end of last year 6-3 6-1 and whilst I doubt it will be that comfortable today, I do still think he'll come through with a bit to spare here. And a couple for the women... Li Na (-7.5 games) to beat Sesil Karatantcheva- 11/10 StanJames- (4/10) Don't see Li having too many problems in her opener in truth and I'm a little surprised at the price we are getting here. She's been in really good form this season so far, winning over in China and then making the semis in Sydney. She's only dropped 2 sets in total in the games she has won and she does have the tendency to win her first couple matches of the slams in decent style. Her Kazakhstan opponent today hasn't yet played a game this season which isn't ideal and even at the back end of last year, she was getting beaten comfortably by women ranked well outside the top 100. Li is one of the best there are around right now and I just don't see how she's going to be troubled. One really comfortable set should see the handicap through and I fully expect Li to win this easily. Irina-Camelia Begu (-4.5 games) to beat Arantxa Rus- 11/10 Bet365- (3/10) Rus is in a real hole at the minute with her tennis, as she has only won 1 of her last 10 matches and the 4 sets she has lost this year across her 2 matches, have only seen her win 7 games in total which tells its own story. Begu is no world beater, but she finished 2012 well with a semi appearance in Linz and before that she took the tournament in Uzbekistan which will have given her confidence no doubt heading into this year. She generally plays her best stuff on the clay, but she can generate a lot of power into her shots and she should be able to hit plenty of winners today. The courts in Melbourne should actually really suit her as they aren't as quick as some hard courts, whilst her power she generates should get plenty of zip on the surface. I just feel with the way Rus is playing right now, she is there for the taking and I have to back the Romanian here to win pretty comfortably.

[Torque]

Re: Australian Open 2013 I can only find this one so far, so that might be it from me until tomorrow. WTA Australian Open - Chang Kai-chen to beat Samantha Stosur @ 4.00 Betfair It's hard to imagine that Stosur is feeling particularly confident right now. She's had a poor start to the season, failing to win a match in either Brisbane or Sydney. She now faces an opponent who beat her just a few months ago, in a tournament she has a relatively poor record in, and where the pressure is always on her to succeed. I wouldn't want to back her in this match, and I think her opponent is capable of causing an upset and adding to Stosur's misery in Melbourne.