in Tennis Free Picks

A busy week in tennis for the ATP tour is upon us, with the SAP Open, Open 13 and the Brasil Open, all starting on Monday February, 12th, 2007. Therefore, there is a lot of action for the tennis betting enthusiast to choose from.

The Brasil Open, with a prize purse of $456,000, is an outdoor clay event that attracts some notable tennis players. In 2006, it was Nicolas Massu who claimed his sixth career title - and first since his double gold medal performance at the 2004 Athens Olympics - with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Spaniard Alberto Martin at the Brasil Open.

So, as the action is set to start in Costa do Sauipe, Bahia, Brazil, let us look at the odds that BetUS.com already has in full-swing for this event.

Prediction: No. 69 Juan Monaco, is the favorite on this line against No. 101 Jiri Vanek. Neither one of these players has a recorded advantage as they have never met on court. Considering this is the first round of the tournament and anything can happen, Jiri Vanek could bank on his underdog status and pull off the upset. But with a win/loss record of 0-2 for the 2007 season against Juan Monaco’s 2-2 for the same season, I would go with the odds on this one and pick the favorite.

Pick: Juan Monaco to advance.

Juan-Ignacio Chela -300 Alberto Martin +200

Prediction: No. 39 Juan Ignacio Chela is favored against No. 56 Alberto Martin. Moreover, Chela leads 4-1 in their head-to-head, with the most recent win acquired in the 2005 ATP Masters Series Cincinnati Ohio, USA owing to Martin’s retirement from the match. By all accounts, this should be an easy victory for Chela.

Pick: Chela to increase his head-to-head lead against Martin.

Result: Juan Ignacio Chela (6) def. Alberto Martin, 6-4, 6-2

Filippo Volandri -450 Gustavo Kuerten +275

Prediction: No. 44 Filippo Volandri arrives as the favorite in this matchup against No. 1076 Gustavo Kuerten. However, while Volandri is favored, it is interesting to note that Kuerten defeated Volandri in the 2004 Vina del Mar clay court tournament. This matchup technically could go either way and with Kuerten’s price tag of +275, it is worth considering – even if it is just to put a smaller bet.

Pick: Despite the temptation of Kuerten’s odds, I will stick to the favorite on this one. Volandri to advance to the next round.

Nicolas Almagro -550 Fernando Vicente +325

Prediction: No. 31 Nicolas Almagro is the runaway favorite on this line and should have no problems overcoming No. 111 Fernando Vicente. Moreover, most recently, in the 2006 Acapulco clay court tournament, Almagro defeated the now thirty-year-old Vicente 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Pick: Almagro in an easy win to advance to the next round.

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

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