in Tennis Free Picks

As the Pacific Life Open prepares for the fourth round of play, the sports betting enthusiast has a lot of tennis betting to look forward to, so without further ado, let us look at how the bottom half of the draw head-to-heads are shaping up with BetUS.com.

Prediction: World No. 16 Richard Gasquet is decidedly the underdog against the third seed and World No. 3 Andy Roddick. Of course, with a value of +210, Gasquet is a tempting bet for the tennis bettor for, should he orchestrate an upset, a bet would payout twice the wager. However, with a 1-0 advantage in head-to-heads and an improved all-round game that has seen him deep into tournaments, it is unlikely that Roddick will falter at this stage.

Pick: Roddick in straight sets

Prediction: Second seed and World No. 2 Rafael Nadal, back on tour following injuries that saw him miss over a month of tennis tournaments, arrives in Indian Wells as a strong favorite. With Roger Federer out of the tournament, the title is up for grabs and Rafael Nadal is a likely contender. Against World No. 23 Juan Carlos Ferrero Nadal’s outlandish price tag of -700 would appear to be the sure bet.

Of course, Nadal is coming-off of injuries and may not be in his best form. Should that be the case, Ferrero at +400 is a bet that is worth considering.

Pick: Nadal in two sets

Prediction: While the line has World No. 8 Ivan Ljubicic as the favorite over World No. 10 David Nalbandian, these two players are rather evenly matched up. The result could go the way of either player, and it would not be a stretch of the imagination to see Nalbandian pull-off a mini upset at this stage.

Pick: Nalbandian in three sets

Prediction: To the delight of the home crowd, wild card contender Michael Russell has advanced deep into the Indian Wells tournament. Ranked 88th in the world, Michael Russell, against all odds defeated No. 42 Marc Gicquel and No. 12 Tomas Berdych to earn a spot in the fourth round. Clearly capable of upsetting higher ranked players. Russell’s price tag of +115 is worth the bet as he has already cashed in twice on his underdog status.

No. 31 Juan Ignacio Chela and Michael Russell meet for the first time and, while Chela is the favorite, he does not have more of an advantage over Russell than did Berdych and Gicquel. Perhaps their folly was to underestimate the wild card contender. As long as Chela does not underestimate his opponent then the match should go his way.

Pick: Chela in two sets

Indian Wells, CA, U.S.A.
March 9-18, 2007
$3,285,000 /96 Draw
Hard

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

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