in Tennis Free Picks

Marseille, France – The first round of the Open 13 saw many big casualties, with Nikolay Davydenko falling to Robin Soderling, Ivan Ljubicic flopping to Nicolas Mahut and Mario Ancic fizzling against Andreas Seppi. Who would have expected that the favorites would have such a disappointing showing in Marseille? Well, all one can say is Vive le underdog!

With the second round matchups already determined, lets take a look at the odds that are already available with BetUS.com as well as the matchups that have not been yet been determined by the oddsmakers.

Top half of the draw:

Prediction: Surprise second round contender, No. 102 Andreas Seppi finds himself once again an underdog in his matchup at the Open 13. Following his spectacular victory over the No. 1 seed, Nikolay Davydenko, Seppi deserves some consideration despite the odds against him

Seppi considers hardcourt and clay his best surface and he has a wicked forehand shot that will have most players on their toes at the baseline. At a price tag of +170, a $100 bet on Seppi could almost double your money and is worth the side bet.

No. 47 Jonas Bjorkman has played against Seppi once before, defeating him on grass at the 2006 Nottingham tournament. However, while he leads 1-0 in their head-to-head record, they are not playing on the luscious lawns of Nottingham, but on one of Seppi’s favorite surfaces – hardcourts. As a result, I like Seppi’s odds in this matchup.

Pick: Seppi in three sets.

Prediction: Seeded 8th in this tournament, Lleyton Hewitt should be slightly favored on the line to win this match against Frenchman Gilles Simon who ranks No. 58 in the ATP rankings. On the other hand, Gilles will no doubt be the crowd’s favorite as he hails from Nice, France. As tennis is very much a game of the mind as it is a game on court, Gilles may very well be bolstered by the crowd and carry out an upset. After all, mightier have fallen under these circumstances.

However, despite the success of some of the underdogs at this tournament, I will cast my tennis balls in Hewitt’s court. Hewitt will be bolstered by the fall of higher seeds in his draw, namely Mario Ancic and Nikolay Davydenko, and, with the playing field opening up for him, he should seize the moment, and the victory.

Pick: Lleyton Hewitt.

Prediction: The battle of the Swedes - No. 26 Soderling vs. No.89 Johansson - should be interesting. The last time these two met was in 2004 in Stockholm, Sweden, in a match that was won by Johansson. However, despite the 1-0 head-to-head lead, I like Robin Soderling’s odds in this matchup. Boosted by his huge upset over Nikolay Davydenko, Soderling must be on top of the world. He should top Johansson as well and even up the score.

Pick: Soderling tops Johansson in three sets

Prediction: The Frenchman, No. 16 Richard Gasquet, takes on No. 46 Marc Gicquel, who upset Gasquet’s fellow countryman, Gael Monfils, 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-5. Gasquet holds a 1-0 head-to-head record over Gicquel, owing to a victory in Lyon, in 2006.

Marc Gicquel will have his work cut out for him again, as he will not only have to play against Gasquet, but the crowd as well. However, with his first round victory he has proven that he is up to the task. This match is a bit of a toss up as Gicquel has been playing some excellent tennis. His favorite surface is hardcourt, and his forehand and serve are his biggest strengths, making his underdog status quite appealing. Having cashed in on his underdog status against Monfils, he is a bet with some good value in this matchup as well.

Pick: I like Gicquel in this matchup. Gicquel in three hard-won sets.

Bottom half of the draw

Prediction: No. 7 Marcos Baghdatis will face another crowd favorite, World No. 259 Cyril Saulnier. While the crowd will most likely be rooting for the Frenchman Saulnier, Baghdatis should have no problems uprooting him.

Pick: Baghdatis in straight sets.

Prediction: Following his impressive victory over Novak Djokovic, the No. 4 seeded Youzhny is looking good in this matchup against crowd pleaser Fabrice Santoro. Youzhny has been playing some great tennis in his 2007 campaign and should not have too much trouble sending Santoro off with a smile and a good hand shake.

Pick: Youzhny in three sets.

Prediction: No. 20 Nieminen had an easy match in his first round against Lucky Loser Chardy, who replaced Sebastien Grosjean after he withdrew with a groin injury. On the other hand , qualifier and Frenchman No. 65 Nicolas Mahut must be feeling pretty good just about now, following the schooling he delivered to Ivan Ljubicic 6-4,6-4. Mahut banked on his underdog status once already and he has nothing to lose in this matchup. Tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head matchups, this match technically could go either way. However, I like Mahut’s odds in this matchup.

Pick: Mahut to win in three sets.

Prediction: No. 5 seed David Ferrer may find himself challenged by the Frenchman No. 43 Julien Benneteau. Their head-to-head record sits at 1-1 with the most recent win going to David Ferrer in 2005 Valencia, Spain. While Ferrer will be slightly favored in this matchup, Benneteau will be playing to a home crowd that will try to spur him on. A bit of a tossup, neither player would seem to be the sure-fire winner. Benneteau may have the slight advantage as his favorite surface is indoor hardcourts.

Pick: Going out on a limb I’ll give Benneteau the victory.

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