Berdych and Verdasco collide in the third round

Indian Wells, California – Tomas Berdych and Fernando Verdasco are set to battle for a spot in the last 16 today. Elsewhere, Ivan Ljubicic and Brian Dabul will go head-to-head for a spot in the last 16. BetUS has already rolled out tennis betting lines and odds on both men’s third round matches so without further ado, here is a look at the markets and how they are trading.

Tennis Betting Line:

Tomas Berdych +3 -125 +150 22½ O -125 U -115
Fernando Verdasco -3 -115 -200 22½ O -125 U -115

First Set Line: Tomas Berdych +135 Fernando Verdasco -175

Match time: 05:30 PM Eastern Time Monday March 15, 2010

Tennis Betting Verdict: Fernando Verdasco enters his third round encounter against Tomas Berdych as the firm -200 favourite. Meanwhile, Berdych is listed at mere +150 odds. The close tennis betting line suggests this match could go either way, which is true, and it is indicative of these two players occasional inconsistent form.

Verdasco has the better results these days and so naturally, bookies expect he will win. Berdych has loads of talent but he has been the less convincing of the two recently. He can beat a player of Verdasco’s ilk, no doubt about that. The question is when rather than if where he is concerned.

One simply does not know when he might come up big or similarly fall flat. At this point, neither would be surprising of the Czech.

Tennis Free Picks – If I were betting house money I would bet on Verdasco to win outright. Verdasco at -200 is my pick but I would hedge this bet with Berdych on the spread at +3 -125. The Over 22 1/2 -125 would be the totals bet.

Tennis Betting Line:

Brian Dabul+3½ -110 +225 22½ O -115 U -125
Ivan Ljubicic -3½ -130 -350 22½ O -115 U -125

First Set Line: Brian Dabul +185 Ivan Ljubicic -250

Match time: 05:30 PM Eastern Time Monday March 15, 2010

Tennis Betting Verdict: Ivan Ljubicic is one of several veterans to have arrived in Indian Wells and so far so good for the 31-year-old. He had a bye into the second round where he topped Ryan Harrison to reach the third round. He now faces another unheralded challenger in the third round, No.175 Brian Dabul.

Tennis Free Picks – Ljubicic is the firm favourite at -350 to win outright and he is the smart play in my opinion. Take Ljubicic to beat Dabul and rather convincingly. Ljubicic on the spread at – 3 ½ -130 and the Under 22 ½ -125 are the popular bets.

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