Tennis: 3rd - 10th January

[Cramer]

Thought I would start a thread for the week, so many tournaments so left the names out:lol:ok

[Atko]

Re: Tennis: 3rd - 10th January Brisbane - Carsten Ball vs Mischa Zverev: Ball at 2.60 Carsten Ball may be ranked 70 or so places beneath Zverev but there isn't that much of a difference between the two, especially when you factor in that the match is in Australia and on a hard court. Ball, who is Australian, showed last year by getting to the final of Los Angeles that he is effective on an outdoor hardcourt. He has a booming serve and also a fine forehand that can cause Zverev problems. I do like Zverev but I don't think a fast hard court is his best surface - he plays well on clay and indoors. He is technically a better player, with precision in his groundstrokes, but at the same time he may find himself blown off the court by Ball's power. Ball will also be buoyed by playing in front of his home crowd and I'm surprised to see him priced so high. Bet strength: 3/10 Brisbane - Marc Gicquel vs Philipp Petzchner: Petzchner at 2.10 Although Gicquel had a good tournament in the French exhibition a few months ago, he is an ageing player who may struggle in the heat of Brisbane. A big serve and forehand he may possess, but Petzchner, who himself can skelp a tennis ball, will have fitness on his side. There isn't an awful lot between these two players but I reckon the German, who is lower ranked but in my opinion the better player, has enough to win this one. Bet strength: 2/10 Hopman Cup - Tommy Robredo vs John Isner: Isner at 2.60 I'm astonished at the price here for Isner. Robredo is No.16 in the world, but Isner is in the top 35 and came on leaps and bounds last season. His preferred surface is an outdoor hard court, where his thumping serve will take the game out of Robredo's hands. The Spaniard can throw in the odd nightmare service match and Isner may be able to take advantage of that. There could easily be a tie-break here and that could play into Isner's hands, who is very much Ivo Karlovic in the way he rattles through service games. If Robredo plays to his maximum, he should win this, but as it's the first game of the season I can see him throwing in errors. Isner is worth a small bet. Bet strength: 1/10