Posted on
2/28/2008 8:36:50 PM
ATP Tennis Picks - PBZ Zagreb Indoors Semifinal
By Nila Amerova
Zagreb, Croatia – When the PBZ Zagreb quarterfinal round came to a close today, top seed Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia and unseeded compatriot Mario Ancic set up a semifinal clash in the top-half of the draw; while Simone Boleilli of Italy and Lucky Loser Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine confirmed their semifinal matchup in the bottom half of the draw. As the final four vie for a place in the final on Saturday, March 1st, here are some tennis free picks to get you started betting on tomorrow’s exciting semifinal round in Zagreb.
Tennis Betting Line: Ivan Ljubicic vs. Mario Ancic
Match Time: 10:00 AM Eastern Time, Friday, February 29, 2008
Tennis Prediction: In this all-Croatian affair, the crowd will have much to cheer about, as their loyalties will be divided between veteran Croat No.25 Ivan Ljubicic and a resurgent No.92 Mario Ancic. In this old vs. Young guard matchup, Ljubicic holds the edge with a 3-1 overall career record, but in 2006, when they last faced-off against each other, they split their two meetings – Ancic nicked the three set victory in Marseille and Ljubicic evened the score with a straight set victory in Indiana Wells.
Ancic is appearing in only his second tournament of the season. In Marseille, Ancic made his 2008 debut and reached the final, where he lost to Andy Murray. With such an impressive start to his season the young Croatian, who is a former Top 10 elite player trying to reclaim his former glory, is my pick for the victory.
Tennis Free Pick: Ancic in straight sets
Tennis Betting Line: Simone Bolelli vs. Sergiy Stakhovsky
Match Time: 10:00 AM Eastern Time, Friday, February 29, 2008
Tennis Prediction: No. 66 Simone Bolelli is enjoying his best tournament run of the season. En route to the semifinal, he upset fifth seed Marin Cilic in the second round—one of Croatia’s title hopes. Before coming to Zagreb, Bolelli crashed out of the opening rounds of three ATP level tournaments and produced his best run at the 2008 Australian Open—a second round appearance.
No. 209 Sergiy Stakhovsky appears in his first ATP level tournament of the season and on his impressive debut run, he felled Ivo Karlovic in the first round, Victor Triocki in the second round and Janko Tipsarevic in the quarterfinal. There is no doubt [LL] Stakhovsky is a surprise semifinalist , as every one of his opponents was slotted to advance over him. Having defied the odds on his three-match winning streak in Zagreb, Stakhovsky is proving to be an underdog with value.
Tennis Free Pick: Stakhovsky in three sets
Federer might be winning everything except clay these days, but with online sports betting in the BetUS.com Sportsbook, betting on tennis has never been so exciting! Join the BetUS.com online sportsbook today to bet on tennis and start using the latest tennis lines, odds and props to earn cold, hard cash!
Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room.