Betting on the Spaniards

Cincinnati, Ohio – sports wagering billing, not so much for the challenger in Serra but for Nadal as his ascent in the rankings lies on the line.

For a long time experts remained unimpressed by Nadal on any other surface than clay – calling him a defensive-one-surface wonder. In that backhanded compliment alone, they seemed to diminish not only his improvements on all surfaces but everything he achieved on the very clay they so reservedly admired him on, which includes a four-peat at the French Open, the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open.

To the chagrin of naysayers, Rafael Nadal won the Canada Masters on Sunday, and he did it emphatically losing just one set in the semis against Richard Gasquet. Oh and lest we forget, Nadal emerged 2008 Wimbledon champion in a final match against Federer that I do not think even Keats, Lord Byron or a whole host of other poets could do justice with an ode.

No doubt, Nadal is the player to beat in Cincinnati. So as he prepares to open his campaign, and as over on the other side of the draw, another Spaniard and fellow Majorcan Carlos Moya, sharing the honour with Nadal in closing the night session on the Grandstand court, takes on fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko, here is a look at the BetUS Sportsbook.

Tennis Betting Line: Florent Serra +1200 Rafael Nadal -5000

Match Time: 07:00 PM Eastern Time, Wednesday July 30, 2008

Tennis Betting Analysis: Nadal started the season strong finishing runner-up in Chennai and going to the semis at the Australian Open. En route to the final four, he beat Florent Serra in the second round 6-0, 6-2, 6-2. Seven months into the season and Nadal has since then picked up seven ATP titles and amassed and enviable 61-7mark for the year, which includes the French Open and Wimbledon. Florent Serra brings a 13-14 mark into the second round and weighs in at No.84 in the world.

Tennis Betting Verdict: This matchup should be a routine win for the Spaniard. He is flying high and coming into fine form on hard.

Tennis Free Picks: Nadal in straight sets

Tennis Betting Line: Nikolay Davydenko -400 Carlos Moya +250

Match Time: 07:00 PM Eastern Time, Wednesday July 30, 2008

Tennis Betting Analysis: After a strong start this year and finishing the early hard court swing on a high by winning the Miami Masters Davydenko has barely struck an audible cord in the tennis betting markets. Although he won the title in Poertschach and Warsaw – both lesser events – to tally three ATP titles this year, his major tournament outings have been a disappointment. At the French Open, he lost to Ivan Ljubicic in the third round, In Wimbledon he crashed in his opening match against Benjamin Becker, and at the ATP Masters Series Canada, he fell in the third round to Nicolas Kiefer.

Carlos Moya is trying to salvage a disappointing year with a good US Open Series performance. However, he fell out of the Rogers Cup in the R64. In Cincy, he has gone one better by reaching the second round, beating rising star Janko Tipsarevic in the first round. This should give him some confidence as he enters the second round against fourth seed Davydenko armed with a 16-16 mark for the year and a 4-2 edge over the Russian.