Tag: Tennis tips

2016 US Open Betting Field Narrows at Flushing Meadows

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

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?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

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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Wimbledon 2014 Update

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

British hopes at Wimbledon 2014 may have sunk with Andy Murray’s straight sets defeat to Grigor Dimitrov but not those of Betcirca followers! Having tipped the Bulgarian at 20-1, we are now just one match away from a 10-1 pay-out just for reaching the final.

Before getting too excited, Dimitrov’s next opponent is none other than Novak Djokovic. The Serb will probably spoil the party but Dimitrov was so dominant against Murray that he must have a realistic chance of going all the way to the final.

Seven-time winner Roger Federer will be delighted that he is playing Milos Raonic rather than Rafael Nadal, although the Canadian will give him a tough test. The odds are that it will be Djokovic and Federer in the final but Dimitrov will certainly do his best to avoid that scenario. Should he win, it could even be “The Young Federer” against the master himself. Djokovic is a shade of odds-on to win the tournament and 1-4 to beat Dimitrov so not a lot of room for hedging our bets.

We are also well placed in the Ladies with Simona Halep, one of our two pre-tournament picks at 18-1, now a best priced 9-4. Halep was more famous for her controversial breast reduction than her tennis prior to 2013 but has surged into the top ten and was a finalist in Paris. There is no Maria Sharapova to stand in her way this time and I am confident that she can beat Eugenie Bouchard in her semi-final.

Halep knocked out our other each-way selection Sabine Lisicki, thumping her 6-0 in the second set to end our 25-1 hopes. The danger is Petra Kvitova who has been impressive in reaching this stage. She won here in 2011 and was seeded 6 this year but has moved through relatively untroubled.

Her semi-final opponent is her compatriot Lucie Safarova but Kvitova has a great record against her, winning their last five meetings. Kvitova looks nap material for the final and she is still available at 7-4 to win the tournament. That is sufficient to give us a bit of insurance so a saver is advised at that price.

*Ante-Post

Grigor Dimitrov at 20-1*

Sabine Lisicki at 25-1*

Simona Halep at 18-1*

Each-way ½ odds, 1,2

WIN Petra Kvitova at 7-4  Paddy Power, Ladbrokes

Wimbledon 2014 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Andy Murray defends his Wimbledon title after becoming Britain’s first Men’s Champion in 77-years. He reached the semi-finals of the French Open before being comprehensively beaten by Rafael Nadal but he will be more at home on this surface. He appears to be fully recovered from his back surgery and now has a new coach in the form of former Wimbledon Ladies Champion Amelie Mauresmo.

Rafael Nadal was brilliant in Paris but he is not the same player on grass. He is still good enough to have secured two Wimbledon titles but could be vulnerable in the opening rounds. Roger Federer is still a force to be reckoned with but it is difficult to see him winning at the age of 32 while Djokovic is the man to beat. He was beaten in straight sets by Murray in last year’s final but had been taken to five sets in his semi-final and I believe that proved crucial.

Recent history tells us that it is a waste of time looking beyond the big four but I’m tempted to put up three-time 2014 winner Grigor Dimitrov as an each-way alternative. He won at Queen’s Club last week and arrives here at the top of his game. He is young and fearless and could give us a good run for our money.

There is no doubt that the Ladies provided much the better entertainment in Paris and Maria Sharapova was superb. She fought back from a set down through all of the closing rounds including the final against Simona Halep and thoroughly deserved her second French Open title.

Serena Williams is the short-priced favourite and her early exit from the French certainly helped to make it a more interesting contest. You simply cannot back her at the current odds but she is obviously going to be tough to beat as she goes for a sixth Wimbledon title.

Williams has an incredible record against Sharapova, winning their last 15 meetings and they are due to meet in the quarter-finals. Beaten finalist Halep is the third seed here and she is likely to have another good tournament. She is well worth supporting at around 16-1.

The best value may be last year’s runner-up Sabine Lisicki who loves this surface and has reached at least the quarter-finals in her last three appearances here. There are any number of good players including Li Na, Jelena Jankovic and Agnieszka Radwanska that are capable of doing well in another excellent event.

Grigor Dimitrov at 20-1 Bet365, Paddy Power

Simona Halep at 18-1 Sportingbet

Sabine Lisicki at 25-1 Sportingbet

Each-way ½ odds 1,2

French Open 2014 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The French Open started this week and has already had its fair share of shock results, none more so than the defeat of World number one Serena Williams.

There had been reasons for anticipating this defeat with a couple of niggling injuries causing her problems in recent weeks and her exit has blown the event wide open. Bookmakers have reacted by installing Maria Sharapova as the hot favourite at around 2-1 but those odds seem very cramped and I believe there is better value elsewhere.

Ana Ivanovic appeared to have the world at her feet when she won here in 2008 but is still seeking a second Grand Slam. It was probably a case of everything happening too quickly for the Serb but she looks a much more relaxed player in recent months and put up a great performance in Rome recently.

She defeated new tournament favourite Sharapova and took Williams to three sets. With Serena out of the draw, Ivanovic must have a terrific chance of having a good run to the semi-finals at least. She dismissed her first round opponent with ease despite huge home support for her rival and looks good value at around 10-1.

Our second selection is Australia’s Sam Stosur who has one of the fiercest serves on the Tour. She can overpower her opponents with her big serve and that gives her some easy rounds. A 6-1, 6-1 win in her first match was a perfect demonstration of her talent and she is over-priced at 50-1, especially with the favourite now out.

The Men’s tournament looks far more likely to go with the usual suspects. Rafael Nadal has won here an incredible eight times and it is surprising that Djokovic has been chalked up as favourite. They are undoubtedly the big two at Roland Garros with Federer and Murray expected to provide the stiffest opposition.

The bookies are giving absolutely nothing away with it being virtually a toss of a coin. If you fancy any other player to break their dominance, you can get around 20-1 and upwards but with each-way terms only applying to a final spot it seems a tall order. We shall stick with the Ladies event and hope that one of our players can make it to the final pairing.

Ana Ivanovic at 10-1 Why Winner

Sam Stosur at 50-1 Totesport, Betfred

Each-way ½ odds, 1,2