Posted on
10/31/2007 12:18:57 PM
ATP Tennis Betting -Race to Shanghai
By Nila Amerova
Paris, France – At the ninth and final ATP Masters Series event of the season, in Paris, France, the race for Shanghai heats up, as several players still have a mathematical chance of qualifying for the last two berths available.
The eight players who qualify will participate in the year-end Masters Cup showdown running from November 11-18, 2007. Already qualified for Shanghai are No.1 Roger Federer, No.2 Rafael Nadal, No.3 Novak Djokovic, No.4 Nikolay Davydenko, No.5 Andy Roddick and No.6 David Ferrer.
With just one tournament remaining – the BNP Paribas Masters – the race for ATP points is on. (The winner in Paris stands to receive 100 points, the finalist 75 points, the semifinalist 45 points and the quarterfinalist 25 points.)
No.7 Fernando Gonzalez (with 381 points) and No. 8 Tommy Haas (with 344 points) are on the butt of qualifying, but with Tommy Robredo, who is ninth in line with 343 points, through to David Nalbandian, twenty-fifth in line with 262 points, on the bubble and still with a mathematical chance of grabbing one of the two remaining berths, the results in Paris could not be more significant.
Following second round action today in Paris, seventh seed Fernando Gonzalez, who received a bye into the second round, crashed out of the tournament in his opening match with a disappointing three set loss to Mikhail Youzhny 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, thereby leaving his fate in the hands of the players still alive in the tournament.
Tommy Haas, Tommy Robredo and Tomas Berdych, who sit in eighth, ninth and tenth place, respectively, in the race for qualifying, kept their hopes alive today after winning their opening matches. Each player received 15 points for advancing into the R16, and as a result, close in on Gonzalez (Haas has 344 points, Robredo 343 points and Berdych 337 points).
James Blake and Andy Murray, in eleventh and twelfth place respectively are scheduled to play in the second round on Wednesday, October 31, 2007. The fifteenth seed in Paris, Murray, who won the St. Petersburg Open title on Sunday, was dealt no favors in the draw, drawing last week’s Basel finalist, Jarkko Nieminen, in his opening match. Murray is favored at -300 with BetUS Sportsbook over Nieminen, who is tipped at +200. Should Murray fail to advance into the next round, not only his season, but the hope of a qualifying berth in Shanghai would be over. Sixth seed Blake drew an easier draw with Nicolas Mahut scheduled for his opening match on Wednesday, October 31, 2007. Blake is favored at -240 with BetUS Sportsbook.
In fifteenth place and sixteenth place for Shanghai are Guillermo Canas and Mikhail Youzhny, both of whom earned 15 points today by reaching the R16, improving to 314 and 304 points respectively. However, next up for Canas and Youzhny is Tommy Robredo and Tommy Haas respectively in the third round, so for two players the journey could soon end.
The distinct honour of receiving an invitation to Shanghai can be safely assumed to be out of reach for Juan Monaco (270 points), Juan Carlos Ferrero (268 points) and Paul-Henri Mathieu (264 points), all of whom suffered first round losses in Paris. With their season over and no more points to be had, Shanghai is undoubtedly out of their reach.
Also still to play in the second round on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 is Juan Ignacio Chela (in eighteenth place) and Marcos Baghdatis (in nineteenth place).
With so many contenders vying for a berth in Shanghai, betting on the BNP Paribas Masters could not be more exciting, as with the usual aspect of trying to win an event, players have to contend with the added dimension of qualifying for an event – the year-end Masters Cup in Shanghai – that when coupled provides the catalyst for gripping match ups and thrilling results. Follow the Shanghai hopefuls and bet on your favorites as they vie for to keep their season and hope of qualifying alive.
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Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room.