Tag: tennis betting

Another Day, Another Farce For Controversial Aussie Young Gun Kyrgios

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The 7.30pm timeslot on Australia’s Seven Network is normally home to one of the nation’s most loved soap operas, Home And Away. So it was only appropriate that last night’s Australian Open second round clash between Nick Kyrgios and Andreas Seppi was played at the same time on the free-to-air TV partner of the tournament. In a spectacular collapse, Kyrgios blew a two-set advantage to fall 1-6 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 6-1 10-8 to Italian Andreas Seppi. It featured the full gamut of drama that Aussie tennis fans have come to know, and mostly detest, about the 21-year-old.

Kyrgios, who carried a knee injury into the season’s first grand slam, appeared unhappy about apparently having to put in extra work on his day off on Tuesday and continued a verbal battle with his courtside box throughout the night. Kyrgios was then docked a penalty point after receiving a second code violation for angrily smashing his racquet into the court. Fellow former world No.1 Jim Courier described Kyrgios’s antics as “apathetic” while John McEnroe called Kyrgios’ apparent lack of effort mid-match as “black eye for the sport”.

Short shift looms for Djokovic

In the men’s draw, no. 2 seed Novak Djokovic continues his title defence against Denis Istomin, 2009 Australian Open winner Rafael Nadal faces beaten finalist Marcos Baghdatis and third seed Milos Raonic meets Gilles Muller on Margaret Court Arena. Emerging local Jordan Thompson will take on eighth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem. Djokovic is 5-0 against Istomin, taking 12 of the 13 sets they have contested – this one won’t last 27.5 games ($1.91 with Ladbrokes). Likewise, Grigor Dimitrov figures to have an easy time against South Korea’s Hyeon Chung, an emerging player on the verge of breaking into the top 100 thanks to some strong performances on the Challenger Tour. The Bulgarian will complete the job inside three sets ($1.80 on Luxbet). We can’t wait for the clash against big-serving duo Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) and Milos Raonic (Canada). Muller has been making quick work of opponents with his serve on-song and claim several big-name scalps on the road to the title in Sydney. Raonic is more accomplished from the back of the court but Muller has a superior game at the net. 41.5 games ($1.83 on Sportsbet) looks a given.

Konta can’t go wrong

Australian-born Brit Johanna Konta will be hoping to continue her red-hot run of form when she takes on Japan’s Naomi Osaka in the opening match on Rod Laver Arena on Thursday. Seeded ninth at the Australian Open, Konta defeated Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard and World no. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska on her way to the Sydney International title in an impressive preparation for the season-opening grand slam. With Osaka carrying a wrist injury, Konta wins this in a canter (-5.5 games at $1.91 on Crownbet). In other women’s draw highlights on day four, no. 2 seed Serena Williams faces Lucie Safarova, fifth seed Karolina Pliskova takes on Ana Blinkova and no. 6 seed Dominika Cibulkova clashes with Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan. Blinkova is a player to watch – just 18, she’s a talented player who is regularly reaching the latter stages of the few events she’s contested. Pliskova has only covered a line of his magnitude seven times in 20 matches so the Russian looks nice value over her Czech opponent here (+6.5 games is priced at $1.83 with Unibet).

Big Data A Big Hit With Australian Open Followers

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The amount of statistical information that should be released to fans (and, by extension, punters) is vigorously debated in the boardrooms of the major sports. Tennis had lagged behind many of those who’d embraced the concept of empowering their followers with a taste of ‘big data’.

However, the trickle of information from past Australian Opens has turned into a drought-breaking flood thanks to Tennis Australia’s creation of the Game Insight Group (GIG). Among GIG’s findings, based on data collected from the seven primary courts at the past three Australian Opens, Andy Murray had the highest work rate per shot in the men’s game and Gilles Simon the highest work rate per point.

But the stat that shone above all others was that young American star Madison Keys’ average forehand speed ranked first among the women, and ahead of all men except Tomas Berdych. Keys’ average backhand speed was also higher than any of the men. The collection and availability of such data is a huge step in the right direction for the game.
Big guns loaded for second round

The top seeds Angelique Kerber and Andy Murray, as well as Australia’s leading men, return to play on day three of the Australian Open in Melbourne. Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios will close play with late second-round matches on Margaret Court Arena and Hisense Arena respectively. Tomic looks too strong for clay courter Victor Estrella Burgos, likewise Kyrgios in his match-up with Italian Andreas Seppi (a straight-sets win for Kyrgios is worth taking at $1.80 on William Hill).

Stan Wawrinka looked dead and buried down a break in the fifth set before prevailing over Martin Klizan and could face a similar grind against Steve Johnson today (take the +37.5-game total at $1.83 on Sportsbet). For our best of the day, American Ryan Harrison represents terrific value in his second-round showdown against Tomas Berdych. Berdych’s hold/break statistics have slumped dramatically over the past 12 months – today he faces a player who held serve more than 80 per cent in 2016. Harrison can keep this well inside the +5.5 game-line on offer ($1.83 with Luxbet).

Genie’s out of the bottle

The tour’s most experienced woman, Venus Williams, has been given the honour of opening play on centre court today. Williams, playing in her 73rd grand slam (an all-time record) will take on Swiss world no.112 Stefanie Voegele at Rod Laver Arena. This could turn into a real grind – Voegele has now played four successive three-set matches dating back to the qualifiers, winning all of them (take three sets at $2.75 on Ladbrokes). World no.1 Angelique Kerber’s meeting with Carina Witthoeft follows that match. Garbine Muguruza plays US hope Samantha Crawford in the night session on Melbourne Park’s main stadium court. It’s been a low-key start to the Australian Open for glamour girl Eugenie Bouchard. She made an ominous start to her tournament on Monday night with a crushing win over Louisa Chirico. Her opponent today, veteran Shuai Peng, has played little tennis on the main tour over the past two years. The Canadian should get this done fairly comfortably (a straight sets win is $2.10 with Crownbet).

Hot Afternoon Looms At Searing Melbourne Park On Day Two

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Players face reasonably comfortable conditions from Wednesday through to the weekend but those scheduled to hit the courts on Tuesday will be reminded why the Australian Open can be a sometimes-brutal test of endurance. The forecast temperature is 38°C although cloud cover may ease the impact of this extreme heat. In good news for those scheduled to play in the night session, a cool change is expected early in the evening which will drop the temperature back to the low 20s. That’s when fans will watch no. 2 seed Novak Djokovic take on Spain’s Fernando Verdasco and women’s no. 3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska face Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria. But for the likes of Serena Williams (2), Karolina Pliskova (5), Dominika Cibulkova (6), Milos Raonic (3) and Rafael Nadal (9), there’ll be little respite from the boiler room conditions.

In a Nic of time

The big story on day one was the swift demise of Spaniard Nicolas Almagro. With match-fixing firmly in the spotlight at this year’s Open, Almagro was forced to deflect claims of a money-grab after he lasted just 23 minutes before retiring. Almagro threw in the towel with a calf injury at 4-0 down in the first set against France’s Jeremy Chardy but walked away with an AUD $50,000 cheque as a first-round loser. Australian doubles legend Todd Woodbridge, a TV commentator, ignited a debate when he said: “Questions to be asked. Did (Almagro) just turn up to take money?” Almagro later insisted: “I went to court because I think I can play. I was top 10, I have more than 10 million dollars. I’m not going to play for $50,000. It is not the reason.”

Boys to men

On the men’s side, the big guns all prevailed yesterday but, for our best of the day, we like the look of a former Australian Open boys’ champion. Alexander Zverev is on the cusp of the top 20 and looks to improve his ranking with a win over veteran Dutchman Robin Haase. The 19-year-old German should get this done in three sets, priced at $1.70 with Ladbrokes. Two more players entering the latter stages of their career are also in action today. Marcos Baghdatis is a favourite with the Melbourne Park fans but looks unders as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. It’s been almost a decade since the 34-year-old Russian reached the quarterfinals in this event but looks good value ($2.60 with William Hill) to cause the upset here.

Early tram for Sam

For one reason or another, Aussie Sam Stosur has a horrible record on home soil. She has won just 21 of her past 50 matches in Australia and has cost punters a packet with a 24-22 career record as favourite in front of home fans. The books have made Stosur a $1.80 favourite but we’ll be taking the Brit Heather Watson, who showed some decent touch in the Hopman Cup ($2.00 with Paddy Power). Likewise, Lucie Safarova’s career is in decline through a combination of injury and illness. The Czech player has managed just four wins from 15 matches on hard courts in the past 12 months. We’ll be taking her Belgian opponent Yanina Wickmayer at the +3.5-game handicap, available at $1.83 on Luxbet.

A Look Ahead at Melbourne Park: Australian Open Tennis

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The sporting compass of Australia quivers in many different directions across the calendar year. But once the New Year is welcomed, true north points to the massive Melbourne Park tennis complex for the first Grand Slam event of the season – the Australian Open. The tournament dates to 1905 and earned Grand Slam status (along with the French, British and US national championships) in the mid-1920s.

However, the tyranny of distance meant that the world’s best players were often reluctant to make the long trip Down Under and, by the late 1970s, the event’s relevance had sunk to an all-time low. Steadily, the game’s elite returned to the grass courts of the suburban Kooyong complex, but that trickle became a flood once the tournament was shifted to the new Melbourne Park complex – firstly on Rebound Ace and since on Plexicushion Prestige. Injury aside, the world’s best players now converge on mid-summer Melbourne to chase a slice of Grand Slam glory.

Arise Sir Andy

Novak Djokovic secured his sixth Australian Open title last year, highlighted by his wins over Roger Federer and Andy Murray, that confirming his status as the world’s pre-eminent player. Victory drew him level with Australia’s Roy Emerson as the most decorated men’s singles champion in tournament history – and in 2017, he goes in search of a seventh triumph.

It’s a two-horse race according to the markets with Djokovic ($2.65 with William Hill) a narrow favourite ahead of Murray ($2.75). Only Stan Wawrinka ($13), Rafael Nadal ($15) and Milos Raonic ($19) are also rated better than 20-1 chances. Djokovic and Murray (who faces a likely quarter-final match-up with Roger Federer) should prevail from their quarters, while Raonic should join them in the semis. The second quarter is a lottery where Wawrinka looks well under the odds. The main local hope Nick Kyrgios is yet to show he has the temperament to prevail on home soil, while Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Jack Sock will also make their presence felt in this quarter of the draw. Take Murray to go all the way, with Raonic the value pick.

Angelique set to click

Serena Williams says she will not be distracted by the thought of moving ahead of Steffi Graf’s Grand Slam record at the Australian Open. The American world number two needs one major triumph to go clear of the German’s 22 Open-era titles. She’s played this event on 16 occasions for a staggering return of six titles. Williams is generously priced a $4.00 favourite (on Paddy Power) with defending champion Angelique Kerber a $4.50 chance to go back-to-back. Karolina Pliskova ($8), Garbine Muguruza ($11) and Simona Halep ($12) are also rated realistic chances.

But the value reaches well beyond those five players with Kerber and Williams bowing out early in their respective lead-up tournaments. It may pay to play a little wider here with Agnieszka Radwanska ($26), Dominika Cibulkova ($29) and Elina Svitolina ($34) every chance of upsetting the apple cart in their respective quarters. That trio looks terrific value, while Kerber looks set to go all the way once again.

2016 US Open Betting Field Narrows at Flushing Meadows

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The 2016 US Open is well into its second week and many of the main contenders are still left standing. This represents the final Grand Slam event of the tennis calendar and Flushing Meadows is still considered one of the stellar venues in professional tennis. Some of the greatest names in the sport have been victorious there and in the men’s’ event, this was the venue that saw Andy Murray break through into the elite of the men’s game in 2012 when he secured his first slam.

Murray can now be considered a great player with three slams in total including two Wimbledon titles, two Olympic Gold medals, a Davis Cup victory and numerous other ranking titles. However, it is the threat from Novak Djokovic that poses the biggest obstacle to Murray landing a fourth slam. Murray first has to navigate his next hurdle though against Kei Nishikori, but SunBets don’t think that will be much of a problem quoting Murray at a very short 1/7.

Can Djokovic be Stopped?

Many people consider Djokovic at his best to be on a par with Federer at his peak, and given his phenomenal athletic ability, it is difficult to argue. Djokovic is rightly so the favourite and is a best priced 19/20 on Betfair in the overall winner market. With no less than 12 slams already in the bag and looking good to soon surpass players like Emerson, Nadal and Sampras to become the second highest slam winner in men’s Tennis, the question is will the 2016 US Open be slam number thirteen?

However, this tournament isn’t just about Djokovic and Murray, and there are a few who could spring a surprise in the men’s tournament should the two favourites fail to deliver. One such player is Stan Wawrinka, but that kind of depends on which Wawrinka turns up.

Wawrinka is twice a semi-finalist in New York and has two slams to his name after winning the Australian Open in 2014 and the French Open the following year. He faces Juan Martin Del Potro though, a very stiff test for him with Del Potro a firm favourite on this surface after winning here in 2009. In fact Del Potro can be backed at 8/13 with SunBets with Wawrinka at 5/4.

Overall though, the betting market doesn’t seem to see beyond Djokovic and Murray, and it’s hard to argue with that.

In the women’s event all eyes will be on Serena Williams to see if she can finish off yet another remarkable year. In what could be her final US Open she is well in contention and is 4/5 with Betfair. After winning three consecutive titles from 2012-2014 and six titles here in total, it’s hard to back against what could be the greatest female tennis player of all time.

Who Could Upset the Odds?

It was Flavia Pennetta who upset the odds last year in what was an all-Italian ladies final, and so Williams isn’t a cert here by any means. Williams faces Simona Halep next on Thursday September 8, and it is difficult to see anything other than a Williams victory. Halep has yet to win a slam, but did reach the French Open final in 2014 and the US Open semi-final in 2015. She is well respected on the ladies circuit and the price of 33/10 with Sporting Bet and 13/4 with 888 Sport may attract a few punters who may believe that Williams’ best days are behind her.

Second favourite Angelique Kerber may attract a few punters with many firms going 3/1 on her chances of landing her second slam following her win at the Australian Open in January this year. Kerber has never gone past the semi-finals here in New York and Ladbrokes, Boyle Sports and Betfair have her at an attractive 3/1 to take the tournament come Saturday. One thing is for sure though, as long as Serena Williams has a tennis racquet in her hand, she will still be the one to beat.

Wimbledon 2016: Did Tsonga’s Wimbledon Marathon Make Him a Title Challenger?

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Week two of Wimbledon is when the cream often rises to the top, and that was certainly the case on June 3 when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came through a gruelling third round match against John Isner.

With the likes of Andy Murray, Milos Raonic and Bernard Tomic all comfortably through to the fourth round, the pressure was on Tsonga to deliver against the 18th seed Isner.

Despite starting the match as the higher ranked player, Tsonga certainly didn’t look as though he was the superior player after dropping two straight sets.

Fortunately, Tsonga is made of stern stuff and, after rallying in the third to take a vital set, the Frenchman stormed through the fourth 6-2 before winning one of the most epic Wimbledon tiebreakers in recent memory.

Tsonga Records One for the Record Books

At times in the fifth it looked as though Isner’s powerful serve would blow away Tsonga, but as the set wore on, the equally powerful Frenchman began to outmuscle his opponent. Eventually, after 35 games, Tsonga caught a break and clinched the match in the 36th.

Tsonga’s 19-17 victory in the fifth will certainly go down in the annals of time, but has it helped Tsonga’s chances of success at the world’s oldest tennis tournament?

A fourth round tie against Richard Gasquet certainly won’t be a walk in the park. In fact, the odds makers at bet365 can’t squeeze a tennis racket between them with identical odds of 10/11.

However, assuming you believe that Tsonga’s recent performance was good enough to make him a top prospect for the Wimbledon 2016 title, then Ladbrokes’ 40/1 odds should look highly attractive.

While the French pro would have to put in at least one or two more performances like the one he displayed against Isner, the long odds certainly offer some value for canny punters.

When the Favourite Might Not be the Favourite

If you’re looking to back the favourite, Ladbrokes is offering 10/11 on an Andy Murray victory. Of course, if tradition holds then he might struggle in the final stages.

Despite taking the title in 2013, Murray hasn’t managed to make the final since and with British players buckling under the weight of expectation, Murray’s short odds might belie his true chances of winning.

While it’s worth noting that Novak Djokovic is no longer a threat to Murray (he crashed out to Sam Querrey), the Scotsman will still have to contend with the likes of Roger Federer and Raonic if he wants to win Wimbledon.

Indeed, at 7/2 and 7/1 respectively, the odds on a Federer or Raonic win are enticing. However, if Tsonga can pick up where he left off against Isner, he may just be the man to beat.

Naturally, the odds are merely a hint as to what might happen on the courts, but if you’re looking to for a slice of value then Mr. Tsonga looks like he’s ready to serve up some more memorable performances this summer.

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