2010 Australian Open Early Rounds: Upsets Rule

Melbourne, Australia –Two days of the 2010 Australian Open are behind us and already action has closed on some significant upsets in the first rounds of both the men’s and the women’s game when Robin Soderling and Maria Sharapova became the biggest names to feature on the casualty list.

On a major stage, it is not surprising that big names would falter. The 128 strong draw is packed with hard hitters, hard-court specialists, home patch favourites, as well as dangerous floaters, dark horses and hungry young up-and-comers. This means that the odds-on-favourites are unlikely to sashay their way through the tournament. They could be forced to work harder than expected or simply miss a step or two and end up prematurely tripped up in their campaign. Handicappers anxious to clean up betting on the 2010 Australian Open will find plenty of angles for profit.

Robin Soderling, No.8 seed was dumped by No. 113 Marcel Granollers of Spain – a massive underdog in the market, whose puppy odds were underscored by a losing H2H mark 0-3 against. Granollers got into the win column for the first time against Sod, rallying from two sets down to take the 5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win. Joining Soderling in the exit queue was No.13 Radek Stepanek who lost to Ivo Karlovic in a five-set thriller.

Also making the men’s casualty list was Americans Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish. Querrey was dismissed by veteran Rainer Schuettler 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 and Fish was eliminated by wild card Evgeny Korolev of Kazakhstan.

Yen Hsun Lu, who beat David Nalbandian in the second round last year, was dumped by Irish qualifier Louk Sorensen 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. Sorensen became the first Irish man to make the main draw of a major when he emerged from the qualies and now advances into the second round. It will be interesting to see how far the unheralded Sorensen goes.

Speaking of firsts, Marsel Ilhan was the first Turkish man to make the main draw of a major at the 2009 US Open and reach the second round. Ilhan failed to qualify at the Aussie Open but received a lucky loser pass when Gilles Simon withdrew from the tournament. Ilhan put his second shot to good use, taking out wild card veteran Sebastien Grosjean in straight sets.

Other qualifiers who punched above their weight class were Ivan Dodig of Croatia who beat former world No.1 Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003), Ilia Marchenko who took out another former world No.1 Carlos Moya (1999).

Starting the Congo line of women exiting the tournament was No.14 Maria Sharapova, eked out by Maria Kirilenko in three sets. Joining Shaza was No.17 seed Francesca Schiavone ousted by Alize Cornet and No.23 Dominika Cibulkova defeated by American Vania King. No.25 Anabel Medina Garrigues was defeated by Karolina Sprem and last, but not least, America’s darling Melanie Oudin saw her campaign cut short by Alla Kudryavsteva in three sets.

Clearly, early round outcomes at Grand Slams do not always fall in line with market casts. Bookies may favour players, and for good reason, but that doesn’t mean they will win. Grand Slams are a huge opportunity for every player to make his/her mark and more often than not, it inspires rare performances from unexpected players who raise the level of their game in proportion to their opposites and the occasion itself.

To cash in on all the action get the best, freshest tennis betting lines at BetUS.com. Check out the tennis section of the BetUS Sportsbook and the variety of options available on the 2010 Australian Open.

Get in on the action now – SIGN UP HERE!