ATP Rome & WTA Berlin 5th-11th May

[Mr Intensity]

Should be a good week with quality ATP & WTA tournaments.

[Mr Intensity]

Re: ATP Rome & WTA Berlin 5th-11th May STEPANEK @ 1.44 Stan James. Short odds banker to start the week. Nieminen has been in stinking form this year, since the Australian Open he's 2-10 with the only wins coming against Rik de Voest at home in Davis Cup and an injured Gicquel in Monte Carlo a couple of weeks ago. I can't see him stepping up here against Stepanek who has been solid this year. Apart from a 5 set loss to Spadea in the Aussie, he's been very solid and it's mostly taken top guys to beat him. He lost a very tight match to Soderling a couple of weeks ago, but I was impressed he took a set and should be in decent shape here. H2H is 2-1 to Nieminen with Stepanek winning the last meeting in this tournament in 2006. SANTORO @ 3.22 Pinnacle. This price just surprises me, I expected more like 2.4. Santoro got beat by Vliegen in Monte Carlo which was a bit of a disappoint, but Santoro is still having a reasonable year and is capable of playing very well. It's a bit tough to predict the weeks where he turns up to play hard, but I'm willing to take a chance here. Seppi has had some tough draws this year, but hasn't really taken advantage of goods ones either, especially a couple of weeks ago where he lost to Querrey. He also seems to do better when he isn't fancied, like in beating Hewitt and Nadal in in Rotterdam. I'm loathe to take him as such a favourite and I really think this is a value play. H2H is 1-1 with Santoro winning at the start of the year in Doha and Seppi getting revenge in a challenger in Italy indoors, but Santoro was coming off a couple of tough 3 setters and fitness would be questionable. WAWRINKA @ 1.56 Pinnacle. This looks a really solid price to me. We saw last week in Munich Safin struggle past Berlocq and Berrer before going out to Gonzalez and watching him he doesn't look able to cut it anymore. In this match he should do well off his serve but I just can't see him staying in enough rallies with Wawrinka, and ultimately losing his head and going out. Wawrinka did well in reaching the semis in Barcelona, and that should give him some confidence. He's been OK this year, good weeks but quite a few bad weeks which is a worry taking him in the first round. However, with the way Safin is playing I see this as a great chance for him to keep the momentum going and he should win this comfortably.