Up to Tennis Free Picks

in Tennis Free Picks

Dubai-UAE

February 19-24, 2007

$1,500,000

The Tier II WTA Dubai Duty Free Women’s Open wrapped up it’s first round with only one seeded casualty – No. 7 seed and World No. 16 Na Li of China was defeated by No. 42 Eleni Danildou of Greece in a close three-set match 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-3.

No. 1 Justine Henin, No. 2 Amelie Mauresmo, No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No. 4 Martina Hingis all received a BYE into the second round, while No. 5 Jelena Jankovic, No. 6 Patty Schnyder and No. 8 Daniela Hantuchova are all through to the next round following victories in their first round matches.

With the second round set to start on Wednesday February 21, 2007, betting on the Dubai Duty Free Women’s Open offers a lot of excellent value for the sports betting enthusiast. So without further ado, let us look at the tennis betting odds that are shaping up with BetUS.com for these head-to-heads.

Top Half of the Draw:

Prediction: The No.1 seed and defending champion Justine Henin will play her first match at the Dubai Open tomorrow against Tamira Pazsek who ranks No. 127th in the world. It would be a stretch of the imagination to expect Paszek to orchestrate an upset here. The odds are decidedly against Paszek, with Henin set at an outrageous price tag of -2000. The heavily favored Henin is the sure-bet on this line.

Pick: Henin in straight sets.

Prediction: No. 3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, also playing her first match at the Dubai Open is the favorite over Meghan Shaughnessy. Kuznetsova leads 2-1 in their head-to-head record, the last of which was a resounding 6-0, 6-1 victory for Kuznetsova in 2006.

While Shaughnessy’s price tag of +325 is a tempting morsel for the tennis bettor, considering Shaughnessy’s 2007 hardcourt campaign got off to a disappointing start - falling in the first round of the Gold Coast, in the qualifying round of the Sydney Final and in the first round of the Australian Open to a qualifier, it is unlikely that she will pull-off the upset in this matchup.

Pick: Kuznetsova in straight sets.

Prediction: The matchup between No. 90 Alicia Molik and No. 13 Patty Schnyder in the second round of the Dubai Open provides excellent value for any bettor. Schnyder leads 2-1 in their head-to-head, owing to her most recent 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory over Molik at the Australian Open, and is the favorite to advance to the next round. However, while there is a huge gap in rank between these two players and despite trailing in head-to-heads, Molik is capable of upsetting the higher ranked Schnyder. At +200 Molik is worth the bet and should she cash in on her underdog status your wager on her would payout double your bet.

 

Pick: Molik in three sets

Prediction: Ai Sugiyama and Eleni Daniilidou are well matched. Their head-to-head record is tied at 4 all, with the last two meetings going the way of Daniilidou in 2006. Either one can take the lead in their head-to-head. If rank is any indication then it should go the way of No. 24 Sugiyama. However, I like No.42 Daniilidou’s odds at the Dubai Open.

 

Pick: Daniilidou in three sets

Bottom Half of the Draw:

Prediction: The last time No. 8 seed Daniela Hantuchova played against No. 32 Maria Kirilenko was in 2005, where she defeated Kirilenko in straight sets 7-6(5) 6-1 on hardcourt. With a 2-0 lead in head-to-heads, Daniela Hantuchova is favored to win this match.

Pick: Hantuchova in straight sets

Prediction: After redeeming herself by winning the 2007 Proximus Diamond Games title last week in Belgium, Mauresmo arrives at the Dubai Open with perhaps a little of her confidence restored. The runaway favorite Mauresmo is priced at a hefty -1000. At this stage of the Open, betting a $1000 to win $100 seems rather unwarranted.

On the other hand, the young Russian Vera Dushevina, ranked 115th in the ATP carries a price tag of +500. A tempting bet should she orchestrate an upset as a $100 bet would payout $500 - five times the original wager! Something to think about! Taking into considerations the fact that Mauresmo faltered early on in 2007, and the fact that Dushevina has defeated Mauresmo on at least one occasion, she may in fact achieve the unthinkable tomorrow and send Mauresmo home unceremoniously early!

Pick: Despite the fact that Mauresmo redeemed herself at the Proximus Diamond Games, the temptation to go against the odds on this one is still great. Dushevina in three sets.

Prediction: The No.4 seed Martina Hingis is clearly favored in this matchup against Anabel Medina Garrigues. While Garrigues arrives with a tempting price tag of +500, it is Martina Hingis’s outlandish odds at -1000 that would be the sure bet.

Pick: Hingis in straight sets

Prediction: While No. 11 Jelena Jankovic is the runaway favorite over No. 38 Mara Santangelo. While Santangelo is not a player that should be dismissed quite so easily, Jelena Jankovic’s power game may prove to be too much for her.

Pick: Jankovic in straight sets.

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