ATP Open De Mosel 2nd Round - Gulbis vs. Tipsarevic

Metz, France – Tennis bettors will not have to wait long before they see some inspiring tennis matchups at the ATP Open de Mosel. In fact, blockbuster matchups feature in the early rounds of the tournament in the form of the scintillating second round matchup between Latvian tennis prodigy Ernests Gulbis and uber talented Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia.

Both arrived into the second round following hotly contested opening round matches. Ernest Gulbis topped eighth seed Mario Ancic in the first round of the tournament yesterday, 7-6 (3), 6-4 to book his place in the second round while Janko Tipsarevic ousted wild card entrant, Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 7-6 (5), 7-5.

Tennis Betting Line: Ernests Gulbis -225 Janko Tipsarevic +175

Match Time: 05:00 AM Eastern Time, Wednesday October 1, 2008

Head-to-head Analysis: Ernests Gulbis leads the series 1-0. They met in Barcelona this year for the first time. Gulbis was up a set and leading 4-2 in the second when Tipsarevic retired from the match.

Tennis Betting Analysis: If you have not jumped on the “Ernests Gulbis” bandwagon here is your chance. The fast-rising Latvian led the charge on Monday when he upset the first seeded player of the tournament— eighth seed Mario Ancic. He turned out a dominating performance, hitting 11 aces, won 37 of 44 first serve points and converted three of seven break point opportunities to close out the tight match.

When the 20-year-old Latvian is on, he is flat out superb. When he is off, he looks completely out of sorts. The result is that he is inconsistent in tournament play. The World No.50 reached three ATP level quarterfinals this season at Las Vegas, Roland Garros and the ATP Masters Cincinnati.

No. 43 Janko Tipsarevic is another player who raises the level of his game depending on who his opponent is. In matches, one would expect him to be schooled in, he surprises by rising to the occasion and flat-out knocks the socks off his opponents. He nigh upset Federer at the Australian Open in what was a marathon five set instant classic of a match. But then he goes on to lose ordinary matches against relative unknown players in a display of tennis that looks like it would belong on the Challenger circuit. A bit of an enigma, Tipsarevic is synonymous with the word “potential” but for the most part, it has not been realized and channelled into something substantial in his career.

Tennis Betting Verdict: There is no doubt that both of these players are talented. The question is whether these talents will produce great tennis on Wednesday. While both have been plagued with injuries this year the biggest issue with both has been their mental frame of mind. At times, they produce dominating performances while at other times they appear uninspired. This is frustrating from both as they could rank so much higher if only they could find a way to be more consistent.

If the good Gulbis and Tipsarevic appear on court tomorrow, then theirs will be a tight match that could go either way. Gulbis has the trappings of a top-five player and should he play like his fans know he can he will have a great chance of advancing. If he comes out flat, Tipsarevic can end his run.

Tennis Free Picks: Gulbis in three sets

Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room