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The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, with a prize purse of over $1,000,000, is in its first round. The seeds from top to bottom are – No. 1 Nikolay Davydenko, No. 2 Tommy Robredo, No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic, No. 4 Tomas Berdych, No. 5 Novak Djokovic, No. 6 David Ferrer, No. 7 Lleyton Hewitt and defending champion Radek Stepanek as the No. 8 seed. With the top half already in play and Oliver Rochus safe into the second round following his victory over Janko Tipsarevic 4-6,6-2, 6-4, the rest of the playing field is shaping up as follows:

ABN AMRO 1st Round Top half of the draw:

 
Prediction: World No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko is favored against Lucky Loser No. 123 Michael Berrer from Germany. While Davydenko had a disappointing performance at last week’s Open 13, falling in the first round to Robin Soderling 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, he has had a week to recover from his loss. Perhaps somewhat piqued, he should arrive in Rotterdam prepared for a better performance.

Pick: Davydenko in two sets

Result: Davydenko in two sets 6-3, 6-4

Prediction: No. 55 Arnaud Clement is slightly favored, by a nostril hair, against No. 44 Marc Gicquel. Both players are evenly matched up and favor indoor hardcourts. However, Arnaud Clement holds the edge over Marc Gicquel, with a 2006 win/loss record on hardcourt of 18-12 against Gicquel’s 9-6. Moreover, Clement holds a 1-0 head-to-head record against Gicquel; albeit a win that he secured on clay in 2005. This match could go either way. Despite Clement’s edge in stats, I like Marc Gicquel in this matchup.

Pick: Gicquel in three sets

 
Prediction: No. 8 seed and defending champion Radek Stepanek is unsurprisingly favored against fellow countryman Jan Hernych. Stepanek ranks No. 19 in the ATP while Jan Hernych sits at No. 83. Moreover, Stepanek leads 1-0 in their head-to-head matchups; a victory gained on the hardcourts of the Australian Open in 2005. Based on ranks and stats, Stepanek should advance to the second round. However, Stepanek withdrew from the Open 13 last week due to a rib injury. Should he be in less than top form, Hernych might pull off the upset here.

Pick: Banking on Stepanek’s form, he should advance to the second round.

 
Prediction: No. 23 Hrbaty leads 3-0 in head-to-head matchups against No. 49 Florian Mayer. By all accounts, he is the favorite in this matchup and most likely the best bet. However, Mayer might be in the mood to improve his record against Hrbaty.

Pick: Going out on a limb, Mayer in three sets

 
Prediction: The favorite, Lleyton Hewitt, has had an average start to his 2007 campaign. His Australian Open was cut short; his Davis Cup was not the hoped for success and his Open 13 ended in the second round when he lost to the eventual winner, Gilles Simon. Following injuries in late 2006, Hewitt has yet to bounce back to his former form. While he is favored against Gael Monfils, the young Frenchman is not a player to be underestimated. Monfils is young and just coming into his own. I like Monfils’ chances in this matchup.

Pick:  Monfils for the upset in three sets.

Prediction:  Considering Ljubicic has crashed out of almost each tournament this year in the first round, his -2500 price tag is almost outrageous. Most recently, he was a first-round casualty to qualified Nicolas Mahut at the Open 13 in Marseille. Ljubicic is not playing his best tennis, making him quite a bet not worth the risk.

On the other hand, wild card contender Thiemo De Bakker of Netherlands, with a price tag of +900, is looking like a tempting morsel for the tennis betting enthusiast. Considering Bakker will be playing to a home crowd, he has nothing to lose, as he isn’t expected to win. However, he just might impress and bank on his underdog status.

Pick: Bakker for the upset in two sets

 
Prediction: Bolstered by his impressive run at the Open 13, and subsequent jump in ATP ranks, Simon will be determined to continue his winning streak.

Pick: Simon in two sets

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