ATP St Petersburg - Andy Murray to defend his title

St Petersburg, Russia – Defending champion Andy Murray arrives in St. Petersburg after winning the Masters Madrid title – picking up his second Masters Shield in a row. Before the start of the tournament on Monday, the big question was whether the fiery Scot would withdraw from the event, opting to rest for the ninth and last Masters event on the ATP calendar that kicks off in Paris next week. But so far, Andy Murray is confirmed to begin his title defence campaign, thereby making him the odds-on-favourite to win the title in the tennis betting market.

Prior to Madrid, Murray won the Cincinnati Masters title and finished runner-up at the US Open. Murray has enjoyed formidable form since the summer and as he takes the momentum into St Petersburg, the online tennis betting community could not be more thrilled for this event.

In addition, an exciting field has assembled in St Petersburg. Along with defending champion and now Madrid champion, Andy Murray, Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Verdasco and Marat Safin are competing, amongst several others. So let the tennis betting begin.

Here is a look at the tennis betting action on offer at BetUS Sportsbook:

Tennis Betting Line: Andrew Murray -600 Viktor Troicki +350

Match Time: 07:00 AM Eastern Time, Wednesday October 22, 2008

Tennis Betting Analysis: Top seed Andy Murray got no favours from the draw as he comes up against big serving Serbian Viktor Troicki in his opening match. Troicki. Troicki is enjoying a breakthrough summer. His highlights include a runner-up finish in Washington and back-to-back quarterfinals in Tokyo and Moscow. Fast indoor courts suit his game and he should come out big against Murray – he will have to if he wants to give the Scot a good match. The only downside to Troicki is he can be wildly inconsistent. So while he tries to raise the level of his game to Murray’s standard, he could tally a high amount of unforced errors if he goes for too much.

Murray could be a bit weary from all the tennis he has been playing, however, the pro that he is, should do enough in this match to win without too much exertion.

Tennis Betting Verdict: Murray is finally reaping the rewards of his hard work. Winning two major titles back-to-back is quite the statement, especially as Federer has not won a single Masters event this year. The Masters shields so far this year went to Murray (2), Nadal (3), Davydenko (1) and Djokovic (2), with only one left for grabs. Although it is important to rest up for next week’s Paris Masters, Murray will want to make a statement here and try to defend his title.

Tennis Free Picks: Murray in straight sets

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