in Tennis Betting Trends

Lyon, France – BetUS tennis pick below.

(Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room. Since the start of the Lyon tournament, Nila owns an 11/ 3 winning record in choice tennis free picks for this event.)

At the ATP Lyon Grand Prix, in the top half of the draw, the first semifinal set is between Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Sebastien Grosjean and it is an all-French affair. No.65 Tsonga confirmed his place in the final four following today’s quarterfinal round, where he beat Olivier Rochus 6-3, 6-2. No.81 Sebastien Grosjean arrived into the semifinal on the back of a tough 7-6(6), 6-2, 7-6(4) victory over compatriot Julien Benneteau.

Head-to-Head: Jo-Wilfred Tsonga vs. Sebastien Grosjean

Tennis Prediction: Home court advantage cancelled out in this match, what separates these two Frenchman is experience.

Grosjean, a one-time Top 10 player (career high rank No. 4 in 2002) started the year ranked No.28, but on a series of poor turnouts in tournaments, his ranking steadily slipped to his current No.81 rank. Grosjean’s appearance in the semifinal marks his best result this year; his best before this event were three quarterfinal runs in Munich, Casablanca and Metz – of which the former two are clay court tournaments.

Grosjean, who fell into the same quarter of the draw as Andy Roddick, found his path considerably alleviated when Fabio Santoro dispatched A-Rod in the second round. To be sure, the absence of Andy Roddick had a hand in Grosjean’s advance to the semifinal. Moreover, in Grosjean’s advance, he had the luxury of only playing against his kinsmen from Rodolphe Cadart in the first round, to Fabio Santoro in the second round and Julien Benneteau in the quarterfinal, Grosjean’s campaign has been an all-French affair – almost as if it were national competition, and now, with Frenchman Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the semifinal, there is end to déjà vu in Lyon for Grosjean.

For the home crowd, this all-French match up assures a Frenchman will be in the final, but which one will it be? Will Grosjean’s experience or will Tsonga’s promise triumph?

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga began the 2007 season ranked beyond the Top 200 – at 212, but after winning four challenger events - Tallahassee, Surbiton, Mexico City 2, Lanzarote and one Future - France F5, Tsonga broke into the Top 100. Subsequent promising performances at the Wimbledon saw him crack the Top 100 and then a respectable turnout through the summer and fall saw him climb the ATP ranking steadily. His highest rank to date was No. 53 earlier this month, before a first round exit in Moscow saw him fall to No.65.

Tsonga is a promising young talent and his path to the semifinal saw him defeat the defending champion and France’s No.1 player Richard Gasquet in the second round orchestrate – the other big upset of the tournament (the first big upset was Santoro’s victory over top seed Andy Roddick).

On the merit of his run in Lyon, the balance tips in favor of Tsonga. This tournament is Tsonga’s opportunity to emerge and prove he can live up to the promise pundits have for so long now touted, and in so doing, should Tsonga advance into the final, and possibly even win the title, he would end the season on a high note, positioning himself as a viable Top 20 contender for the 2008 season.

Tennis Free Pick: Tsonga in three sets.

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