Posted on 3/18/2008 6:21:53 PM

ATP Pacific Life Open – Third Round Picks

By Nila Amerova

Indian Wells, CA – The ATP Masters Series in Indian Wells moves into the third round on the men’s side. BetUS is currently taking action on this prestigious event so check out the live tennis odds currently available and bet on your favorites.

Tennis Betting Line

Andy Murray -2½ -115 -325 Over 23½ -125

Ivo Karlovic +2½ -125 +210 Under 23½ -115

Match Time: 07:00 PM Eastern Time, Tuesday March 18, 2008

Tennis Prediction: Eleventh seed Andy Murray is favoured at -325 on the money line and with two ATP titles this year and a shock victory over Roger Federer in Dubai – albeit now a slightly iffy one owing to recent revelations in the news which claimed Federer had been suffering from mononucleosis since the Australian Open – Murray would be a good play in this match.

Murray owns one career victory over Ivo Karlovic – a final win in San Jose last year when Murray was defending the title. Murray brings an impressive 13-3 record for the season into this match. In five tournaments, Murray has lifted two titles (Doha and Marseille), reached the quarterfinal of Dubai and crashed out of two in the first round – Australian Open and Rotterdam. In this his sixth tournament of the year, Murray has a good chance of advancing into the fourth round, and with a possible matchup against the winner of Haas vs. Verdasco – he is at the very least expected to reach the final eight.

In 2007, Karlovic enjoyed a great year. He lead in various ATP Ace categories, compiled a 42-18 record for the season en route to three titles and finished the year in the Top 25 for the first time. The imposing Ivo Karlovic has not had a great start to the 2008 season and with only a 7-5 record thus far, Karlovic is not the player he was last year – making his +210 underdog odds a bit of a long shot wager.

Tennis Free Pick: Murray in three sets

Tennis Betting Line

Lleyton Hewitt -135 Over 23½ -125

Mikhail Youzhny -115 Under 23½ -115

Match Time: 07:00 PM Eastern Time, Tuesday March 18, 2008

Tennis Prediction: No.24 Lleyton Hewitt owns a 2-0 lifetime record over No.13 Mikhail Youzhny; but with the record over six years old, it hardly carries any weight when speculating on their match up today. I have to say I like Mikhail Youzhny’s chances to advance from this match, and with a slightly disadvantaged price tag at -115, he is the better value play. Youzhny brings a 13-4 record for the season, which includes one ATP title (Chennai), into this third round match. However, in his last two tournaments, Youzhny suffered back-to-back first round exits.

Two-time Pacific Life Open champion (2002-03) Lleyton Hewitt is favoured at -135. Hewitt arrived in Indian Wells following a R16 exit in Las Vegas last week – an event he entered as the defending champion. With his confidence somewhat shaky and the ramifications of a disappointing loss still weighing heavily on the Aussie he is not a sure play.

In 2007, Hewitt crashed out of Indian Wells in his opening match (l. to Janko Tipsarevic) and in 2006, he was dismissed in the second round by Tomas Berdych. In 2005, Hewitt finished as the runner-up (l. to Roger Federer). In 200

Tennis Free Pick: Youzhny in three sets

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