ATP Paris Masters - Murray and Blake battle for a spot in the third round
by Nila Amerova
Paris, France – World No. 4 Andy Murray is set to open his Paris Masters bid against American James Blake in second round action on Wednesday. Murray is after winning the Valencia Open in his first appearance since falling in the R16 at the US Open to Marin Cilic. He comes into this event with a lot of confidence.
The market also likes Murray, who leads the tour with six titles, as one of the short-odds on favourites to win this ninth Masters Series title on the season. In that endeavour, bookies tip Murray as the untouchable favourite in his opening match over Blake.
Since the tennis-betting line was released yesterday, it has not moved. That the bookies have had to make no adjustments to balance action indicates the betting trend is in tune to the market.
: Andrew Murray -1000 James Blake +500
Match Time: 05:00 A.M. Eastern time Wednesday November 11, 2009
Tennis Betting Verdict: Murray enters this match, favoured at -1000 to win outright. Given his overall season and current form underscored by winning the Valencia title at the weekend, Murray’s price tag seems to be spot on. It is however pricey and therefore not a value play in terms of payoff.
Might there be value in Blake at +500 to win outright? In a word, no. Blake has seen better days in the game, where he was once a top tenner. Now he is ranked No. 41 after a season that has to be said, has been his worst in some time. He is only 24-20 on the year and therein lies his decline. More significantly, he has failed against several questionable opponents over the course of the season. If he can’t muster enough game to beat an unknown opponent, how is he supposed to beat one of the hottest players on the Tour right now? A player many tip as the heir apparent to the world No.1 ranking in 2010. Can’t see it.
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