in Tennis Betting Trends

Vienna, Austria – In his first tournament since finishing as the betting on tennis.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Men’s Singles - First Round Results

F Lopez (ESP) d W Eschauer (AUT) 63 62

[LL] T Zib (CZE) d F Mayer (GER) 61 64

M Fish (USA) d N Almagro (ESP) 67(4) 62 64

J Ferrero (ESP) d [5] [WC] G Canas (ARG) 36 63 76(5)

J Melzer (AUT) d [WC] A Peya (AUT) 64 63

J Benneteau (FRA) d [Q] I Minar (CZE) 64 62

[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d R Ginepri (USA) 63 64

[7] J Chela (ARG) d G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 61 63

D Nalbandian (ARG) d [Q] S Galvani (ITA) 63 76(3)

Second Round Tennis Picks:

: Novak Djokovic -4000 Tomas Zib +1100

Tennis Prediction: World No. 3, [1] Novak Djokovic is favored at a whopping -4000. Strengthening his odds is an enviable 61/14 record for the season, which includes 5 titles, and a 2-0 lead in head-to-head records over No. 126 Tomas Zib.

Indeed, Djokovic is enjoying a career best season and undoubtedly, he is the better play in this match up for the win. However, in terms of price, betting on Djokovic does not hold a lot of value. In order to win a $100 you need to bet $4000 on Djokovic. Is it worth it? You decide.

Disadvantaged at a whopping +1100, Zib’s price tag holds better value on the money line. If you bet $100 on Zib, should he win, the payout would be $1100! Huge! However, before taking the underdog Zib, the question is whether he is worth the risk. Can Zib realistically orchestrate such an upset?

Djokovic is one of the premier players on the tour, considered one of the best hard court players today, hence, the low payout. Zib favors clay. His record is at a lowly 2/3 for the season. The idea of Zib upsetting Djokovic is farfetched.

Tennis : Djokovic (-4000) in straight sets.

: Jurgen Melzer +105 Juan Ignacio Chela -145

Match Time: 05:00 AM EST

Tennis Prediction: The second round match between No.49 Jurgen Melzer of Austria and No. 16 Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina marks their fourth career meeting. Melzer leads 2-1, the last victory going the way of Melzer in 2006, in Sydney, Australia (hard).

Melzer is disadvantaged by the odds makers at +105. Melzer’s underdog price tag holds value. In addition to the 2-1 head-to-head lead, further recommending Melzer on this money line is the fact that he has home court advantage. Crowd support can be a key factor in boosting this native Austrian’s confidence and mental focus on court.

Ranked in the Top 20, Chela is favored by the odds makers at -145. Further strengthening his odds is a 38/21 record for the season, which includes one ATP title - Acapulco, Mexico (clay), as well as a solid performance at the 2007 US Open that saw him reach the quarterfinal round. However, Chela has not played in a tournament since the 2007 US Open. Will his lack of tournament activity affect the outcome of his second round match?

Both Melzer and Chela have much to recommend them on this line. In terms of price, they both hold value. However, in terms of betting on this match up, the balance tips slightly more in favor of Melzer - the odds maker’s underdog but surely the crowd’s favorite.

Tennis Free Pick: Melzer (+105) in three sets

Federer might be winning everything except clay these days, but with online sports betting in the tennis lines, odds and props to earn cold, hard cash!

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