Open Final rematch in Madrid as Federer and Murray collide

Madrid, Spain – As the first semi-final of the Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid is confirmed online Andy Murray US Open final.

Admittedly, Murray, appearing in his first Grand Slam final, showed his inexperience at such a level when he did bugger all, losing to Federer in straight sets 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. If he did so badly, what is all the hype about, you may wonder, naturally.

The Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid is a major event but not as big an occasion as the US Open. Murray (minus the butterflies-and-all because of the occasion) has a better chance against Federer this time around. When he entered the US Open final, he was the second player (the other being Nadal) to own a winning record against Federer (2-1). His loss levelled their record.

So will the Murray halt Federer in the semis to reach a second Masters final or will 2007 runner-up Federer get a second shot at the title?

Here is a look at their matchup and my prediction on what the tennis-betting outcome will be.

Tennis Betting Line: Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray

Match Time: 05:00 AM Eastern Time, Saturday October 18, 2008

Head-to-Head Analysis: No.2 Roger Federer and No.4 Andy Murray are tied 2-23 in their series. The last time they met was at the US Open final when Roger Federer dismissed Murray easily to win his fifth consecutive US Open title. In Dubai, earlier this year, Murray beat Federer in three sets 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-4.

Tennis Betting Analysis:

Murray: While they have a close head-to-head record, Murray will enter this matchup as the underdog. This season has seen the fiery Scotsman make significant breakthroughs: picking up his first career Masters Shield in Cincinnati, not to mention reaching a Grand Slam final. Murray takes a 46-14 mark, which includes three titles, in to the semis.

No.4 Andy Murray got to the semis with a win over lucky loser Simon Bolelli in the second round, he survived the battle of the bright stars of the future in the R16 when he scraped by Marin Cilic 7-5, 7-6(2) and in the quarterfinal, he beat Monfils easily 6-2, 6-2.

Federer: Federer takes a 58-12 mark and 3 titles to the semi-final round. (Just to interject here: Federer’s record for the year is not too shabby at all – in fact, most players would envy such a mark, yet because it was not up to par as his previous seasons, he received a lot of flak. Fo shame!) His form has been good throughout the tournament and his last match was another brilliant display of the Fed-of-old.

No.2 Roger Federer faced a late challenge from Radek Stepanek in the second set but it was a little too late and he managed to persevere with a 6-3, 7-6(6) win in his opening match. Afterwards, Federer glided past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 6-1 in the R16 and similarly against Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarters, 6-3, 6-3.

Tennis Betting Verdict: Federer’s incentive to win the title in Madrid is two-fold. First: there are only two Masters Shields up for grabs in the 2008 season (Madrid and Paris). Federer has yet to win a Masters Shield title. Second: he is only a victory away from reaching the final and defending the points he earned here last year as the runner-up. A loss in the semis would seriously undermine Federer’s bid to reclaim the year-end No.1 ranking, as he would lose the points.