Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug)

[edtkh]

Time to get a couple of tennis bets underway again after a couple of weeks' sabbatical... 10pts Andreev-Hanescu-Acasuso (2.73 @ Ladbrokes) :D 10pts Starace-Acasuso-Di Mauro (2.74 @ Ladbrokes) :( 5pts Andreev-Hanescu-Acasuso-Starace-Di Mauro (5.53 @ Ladbrokes) :( Andreev v Garcia-Lopez. Hanescu v Montanes. Starace v Koubek. Di Mauro v Chadaj. Acasuso v Vanek. Hanescu, Di Mauro and Acasuso are quite simply a notch above their opponents both in terms of ability and experience and should cruise through their matches easily without any major hiccups. Pretty much self-explanatory IMO. Andreev is no doubt the more experienced of the pair and his experience should help him overcome Garcia-Lopez. Having said that, I must stress I'm taking a chance with Andreev's form as he has been rather horrendous of late, although I remain more than convinced he has enough to win this tie so long as he turns up with half his mind focused on the job at hand(afterall, he's just 1 of 2 players to have beaten Nadal on clay this year). Starace has proved himself to be an up-and-coming player on clay and has certainly done well over the last few tournaments he has played in - you'd have to expect him to see off Koubek and 1.57 for the Italian to get the job done is just a very generous price IMO. Cheers & Good Luck! :ok Starting Bank : 100.00pts Current Bank : 100.00pts Profit/Loss : 0.00pts

[albi000]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) Great start edtkh

[pmadeiras]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) :clap Well done :clap

[edtkh]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) Di Mauro ruined what would otherwise have been a perfect day. Nevertheless, here's hoping for a more profittable Day 2. 25pts Almagro-Monfils (2.14 @ Ladbrokes) :D Once again, pretty much self-explanatory as both are just that bit more accomplished and also more experienced than their opponents at the highest level. Monfils should prove too much for Marin who doesn't play many tournaments at the ATP level. Similarly, Almagro is also slowly emerging as a new generation of claycourt specialist set to make his mark on the ATP scene over the next few years - with due respect to Portas, he simply doesn't belong in this league. Cheers & Good Luck! :ok Starting Bank : 100.00pts Current Bank : 102.30pts Profit/Loss : 2.30pts

[pmadeiras]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug)

G. Monfils

J. A. Marin

6-0

6-4

Finished

[edtkh]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) Just a treble for Wednesday's matches... 20pts Monaco-Andreev-Coria (2.50 @ Ladbrokes) :( Monaco-Monfils. Andreev-Sabau. Coria-Mantilla. Coria is self-explanatory. If this was played on any other surface, I'd fancy Monfils to beat Monaco, but I just don't see the French upstart having much chance of upsetting the odds here considering Monaco's from the Puerta mould - he hardly plays a match on non-claycourt tournaments. That said, their respective pedigree on clay couldn't be more contrasting as Monaco boasts a 14-13 W-L record this year while Monfils' reads a less-than-impressive 2-5 W-L record on clay. Monaco has got to be backed at 1.61. Similarly, Andreev may be stuttering at times, but the Russian is quite capable of the sublime when he decides to turn it on. Once again, I'd expect him to beat an in-form Sabau as the Romanian has little going for him besides his form. Andreev is quite simply the more accomplished and experienced player at this level. Cheers & Good Luck! :ok Starting Bank : 100.00pts Current Bank : 130.80pts Profit/Loss : +30.80pts

[Smithy888]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) Nieminen appeals @ $1.48 against Almagro. He is in great form, taking the win over Puerta at face value he has to be a good shot against Almagro. The latter is no slug having beaten Acasuso, Andreev and Kohlschrieber this year but I have a feeling that Nieminen is on the up and up. Backing him to win and then an accumulator with Pierce $1.42 at San Diego (she looks a class above Dechy who was beaten recently by Groenefeld who Pierce blew off the court last game). Dechy since the Australian Open has not beaten a player in top 30 so why should she start here, cute as she is. Excuse the diversion into the WTA.

[edtkh]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) 30pts Volandri-Nieminen (2.22 @ Pinnacle Sports) :( Volandri beating Mayer should be pretty straightforward given the Italian's pedigree on clay(and Mayer's horrendous record on this surface). Nieminen is simply on a rich vein of form at the moment having beaten Puerta to get here - Almagro may be a battler, but I just don't see him having what it takes to beat the Finn. 10pts Volandri-Starace (3.79 @ Pinnacle Sports) :( Moya was less than impressive against Fyrstenberg in the previous round and another repeat of that performance will easily see him get a walloping at the hands of Starace who'd previously beaten him at the Rome Italian Masters in straight sets. Nevertheless, I think Moya's time is running out very quickly and Starace will put him in his place. Cheers & Good Luck! :ok Starting Bank : 100.00pts Current Bank : 110.80pts Profit/Loss : +10.80pts

[edtkh]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug)

Dechy since the Australian Open has not beaten a player in top 30 so why should she start here' date=' cute as she is. Excuse the diversion into the WTA.[/quote'] Dechy cute? :lol Sorry mate, but I'm afraid I'd have to start questioning your taste in women... :rollin Peirce has definitely rolled back the years since she made the Roland Garros Final and with home support to boot(well, she considers the US her home anyway), you've got to fancy her to beat Dechy I must admit...

[dave]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) G Rusedski to beat I Karlovic @ 1.66 Karlovic tends to have problems against anyone with a decent serve, and I can't really see that it will be any different here.

[dave]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) That's for the Legg Mason by the way, incase anyone wasn't sure.

[Tulenos]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) Poor luck with Volandri, ed. Anyway, just a curious technical question - how did you manage to place tennis doubles with Pinnacle Sports. I crossed them off my list in this respect a long time ago as it is not possible to place tennis multiples with them just singles - have they changed their policy?

[edtkh]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug)

Poor luck with Volandri' date=' ed. Anyway, just a curious technical question - how did you manage to place tennis doubles with Pinnacle Sports. I crossed them off my list in this respect a long time ago as it is not possible to place tennis multiples with them just singles - have they changed their policy?[/quote'] Now's obviously the time for freak results once again considering two Masters events and the US Open await in the month ahead - Volandri was a shambles, really. Pinnacle's a bit like Ladbrokes - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes you need to try compiling the selections a dozen times before you can place your acca...

[Jamesk]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) At the Legg Mason tonight Muller to beat Clement Hernych to beat Reynolds Blake to beat Zib 2.84 at Ladbrokes.Muller and Berdych in form while Blake seems to have gooten his back.None of their oppenents done anything so far which you'd fear.

[edtkh]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug)

At the Legg Mason tonight Muller to beat Clement Hernych to beat Reynolds Blake to beat Zib 2.84 at Ladbrokes.Muller and Berdych in form while Blake seems to have gooten his back.None of their oppenents done anything so far which you'd fear.

Which one are you on, mate? Berdych is playing Grosjean while Hernych is playing Reynolds... :\

[Jamesk]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) Hernych of course!Sorry for the confusion, was in a hurry to get thet treble on.Also, i reckon Monfils is too big at 2.8 at Pinnacle to beat Hanescu.I see this as more a 50-50.What you reckon , Ed?

[edtkh]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) Felt like murdering Volandri yesterday... :@ Bloody cnut screwing 2 tasty doubles of mine(having said that, I think it's pretty lucky Sopot doesn't have as many upsets as Legg Mason). Anyway, let's hope we'd have better luck with Friday's matches... 10pts Nieminen-Coria-Starace-Hanescu (6.02 @ Ladbrokes) :( 20pts Nieminen-Coria-Hanescu (2.68 @ Ladbrokes) :(

Mayer may be in a rich vein of form this week, but that isn't going to mask his inadequacies on clay and Nieminen should provide him with as stern a test as any he has encountered this week. With the Finn in great form himself, I just feel he'll shade this. Coria beating Andreev is pretty much self-explanatory. Starace is certainly way overpriced IMO considering Acasuso isn't exactly a world beater on this surface. I'd pretty much fancy Starace even if he was at 5/6, so the 5/4 available for him is certainly more than welcomed. Monfils simply doesn't belong in this league and I presume it's only fair to say he'll be facing his first claycourt specialist this week in Hanescu and I feel the Romanian's experience should help him through.

Cheers & Good Luck! :ok

Starting Bank : 100.00pts Current Bank : 70.80pts Profit/Loss : +29.20pts

[edtkh]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug)

Hernych of course!Sorry for the confusion' date=' was in a hurry to get thet treble on.Also, i reckon Monfils is too big at 2.8 at Pinnacle to beat Hanescu.I see this as more a 50-50.What you reckon , Ed?[/quote'] No, stay clear of Monfils - Hanescu will walk this one IMO. The one with decent value and a terrific chance of an upset would be Starace to beat Acasuso - Acasuso really isn't that great a claycourter and he's a lot like Verdasco if you asked me. Starace is well capable of beating him if fatigue doesn't get to him considering how long he took to beat Moya. Just my thoughts though... ;)

[edtkh]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) Just another bet from Sopot, Legg Mason and Acura Classic. 30pts Hanescu-Srichaphan-Karatantcheva (3.96 @ Ladbrokes) :( As above, Hanescu should outclass Monfils easily given the difference in claycourt pedigree between the pair. Karatantcheva is no doubt a star in the making - I just feel 5/6 for her to continue where she has left off against Raymond and Washington is massive. The Japanese is nowhere close to being as good as her price suggests - too much is made of her beating an out-of-sorts Kuznetsova IMO. Lastly, Srichaphan seems to have recaptured some of the form which made him a top 10 player at one stage - Horna isn't of much use on hardcourts and so long as Srichaphan can continue with his form from last week, he should walk this one. Cheers & Good Luck! :ok

[edtkh]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) Some of the nonsense I've seen this week has been nothing short of scandalous. :@ Won't be touching another game until the Montreal Masters get underway next week when motivation will not be so much of a problem... Starting Bank : 100.00pts Current Bank : 10.80pts Profit/Loss : -89.20pts

[Smithy888]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) What great games for betting though. Coria and Roddick obviously should cruise through so no money to be made there. Intriguing to see Clijsters "penged" - must have killed off a few accumulators. The bookies must love women's tennis as the the top tier seem to come unstuck at regular intervals at those $1.05 type odds. The Peng - Pierce clash is a hard one to read. Clijsters talked up Peng in the post-game interview as one of toughest opponents she has played against and a top 3 contender. On that basis she must be in with a chance against Pierce, but often after a career-best match players seem to come down to earth with a thump. Sticking with Pierce having backed her at speculative odds early on to win the event covering a punt on Clijsters to win at short odds (when will I learn). Pierce is in great form and disposed of Schnyder rather easily. Occasion is suitably low key so shouldn't trigger off her choking fit a la Roland Garros. I give Morigami a great chance of knocking off her higher ranked compatriot - but the Acura winner looks destined to come from the top half.

[edtkh]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug)

What great games for betting though. Coria and Roddick obviously should cruise through so no money to be made there. Intriguing to see Clijsters "penged" - must have killed off a few accumulators. The bookies must love women's tennis as the the top tier seem to come unstuck at regular intervals at those $1.05 type odds. The Peng - Pierce clash is a hard one to read. Clijsters talked up Peng in the post-game interview as one of toughest opponents she has played against and a top 3 contender. On that basis she must be in with a chance against Pierce, but often after a career-best match players seem to come down to earth with a thump. Sticking with Pierce having backed her at speculative odds early on to win the event covering a punt on Clijsters to win at short odds (when will I learn). Pierce is in great form and disposed of Schnyder rather easily. Occasion is suitably low key so shouldn't trigger off her choking fit a la Roland Garros. I give Morigami a great chance of knocking off her higher ranked compatriot - but the Acura winner looks destined to come from the top half.

If forced to choose, I'd tell you Peng will hammer Pierce - then again, knowing the week I've just had, anything could well happen! :lol

[Smithy888]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) Well someone has to have a stab at the finals. Why not me. Roddick is of course Roddick - ranked third in world, in winning form, up against Blake ranked 75 with no really notable scalps this year. In my view 0.95 prob of Roddick win so backable at $1.15. I only take these odds in bets that go on to become accumulators that go on to four or more times the unit bet as taking such odds in plunge bets or level stakes is a recipe for losing. Roddick has been beaten at short odds this year going down to five players out of top 50 (Carlsen, Verdasco, Massu, Acasuso, Ginepri); so as a strategy taking Roddick at short odds as stand alone bets is a losing one overall. But lets start an accumulator off with Roddick. And, of course, this is a final so he should be motivated. Monfils and Mayer are on paper very evenly matched ( rank 73 vs 75, YTD 10/14 vs 12/18) but one cannot but be impressed by the scalps Mayer has knocked off in this tournament (Zabaleta, Volandri, Nieminen, Coria vs Monfils' line up of Starace, Hanescu, Monaco and Marin). Congrats to anyone who has backed Mayer through this tourney as he has been at upset odds every time. Mayer for me - he should be no more tired than Monfils. Could be too late to hop on the bandwagon though as odds aren't great @ $1.55. Pierce to bolt in. She deserves it, I deserve it for being so loyal to her. Sugiyama was in a form slump before this event. Her only notable scalp this year is Kuznetsova - whose ranking is way above her current form in any case. Whether those $1.28 odds for Pierce are value, not so sure, but I will take them anyway, if the Pierce ship is going to sink now I may as well go down with it. (the $17 odds for her to win this event before Clijsters was ousted sure look sweet now).

[edtkh]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug)

Monfils and Mayer are on paper very evenly matched ( rank 73 vs 75, YTD 10/14 vs 12/18) but one cannot but be impressed by the scalps Mayer has knocked off in this tournament (Zabaleta, Volandri, Nieminen, Coria vs Monfils' line up of Starace, Hanescu, Monaco and Marin). Congrats to anyone who has backed Mayer through this tourney as he has been at upset odds every time. Mayer for me - he should be no more tired than Monfils. Could be too late to hop on the bandwagon though as odds aren't great @ $1.55.

Now, I guess it's fair to say I'm vindicated in saying some of the rubbish we've seen all week defies belief - well, as far as Sopot goes anyway! We've in a final two clowns who haven't even won more than 50% of their respective claycourt games individually this year(I don't include Challenger events in this statistic), yet they've combined to beat players on clay whose stature are no smaller than Coria, Volandri & Starace. Just for the record, Mayer's YTD W-L record reads 12-18 and Monfils' reads 10-14 - what a remarkable run. Absolute rubbish if you asked me - you'd easily get a 1000/1 shot for such 2 inepts making the final of a Grand Slam. This is clearly a case in point where some of the big names are here just to make up the numbers and pocket a few quid before next week's Montreal Masters... I won't be dabbling on this scandal of a final even though I doubt I'll expect to see Mayer make the final of another claycourt ATP event in the next 5 years. :rollin Good luck, Smithy(and anyone else who botheres betting on this match)! ;)

[Smithy888]

Re: Tennis : Sopot Open (1st Aug - 7th Aug) Hail Mary - the conquering heroine. Ahh - you sure can't beat tennis betting. Now to study the next three tournaments. We need a bit more traffic on this site though to generate new insights, especially as the master "edtkh" is not his usual self at present!!