Posted on 11/9/2007 9:10:44 PM

Tennis Betting - Sony Ericsson Championships Final Four

By Nila Amerova

Madrid, Spain – The WTA Sony Ericsson Championships running from November 6- 11, 2007 moves into the semifinal round this weekend. The semifinal line-up includes No.1 Justine Henin, No.4 Ana Ivanovic, No.6 Maria Sharapova and No.7 Anna Chakvetadze.

Bet on the semifinal round, starting on Saturday, November 10, 2007, with BetUS Sportsbook and track the final four as they vie for a place in Sunday’s Championships final.

Sony Ericsson Semifinal Match ups:

Justine Henin vs. Ana Ivanovic Maria Sharapova vs. Anna Chakvetadze

The winner of each semifinal match up advances to the Championships final on Sunday; World No.1 and defending champion Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova (2004 Champion) will be the favorites to emerge from the semifinal round; but debutantes Ana Ivanovic and Anna Chakvetadze have the pedigree to orchestrate an upset. Care to bet on who will advance into the final?

The Favorites:

No.1 Justine Henin – Justine Henin has been the dominant player on the WTA tour this season. Henin entered the championships with a 58/4 record and a tour-leading 9 WTA titles: Roland Garros, US Open, Dubai, Doha, Warsaw, Eastbourne, Toronto,

Stuttgart, and Zürich. In addition, Henin was the runner-up in Miami and a semifinalist in Paris [indoors], Berlin, and Wimbledon.

Henin, who is making her fifth appearance at the WTA Sony Ericsson Championships, captured the title once, in 2006 (defeated Nadia Petrova, Hingis and Sharapova en route to the final, then defeated then No.1 Amelie Mauresmo).

Defending champion Justine Henin is one of the strongest favorites to emerge from the semifinals. En route to the final four, Henin did not drop a set and compiled a perfect match record at 3/0.

No.6 Maria Sharapova – 2004 Maria Sharapova has struggled throughout the season with a right-shoulder injury, compiling a lowly (by her standards) 36/10 record and one WTA title. Sharapova won in San Diego; finished runner-up at the Australian Open and in Birmingham; and was a semifinalist in Roland Garros, Tokyo [Pan Pacific], Istanbul, and Los Angeles.

Sharapova, who is making her fourth appearance at the Sony Ericsson Championships, has the caliber to repeat the run that saw her victorious in her debut at this event in 2004. Although, Sharapova qualified this year, by virtue of Venus Williams’ withdrawal from the event due to illness, Sharapova’s perfect 3/0 match record in the round robin stage proved she belonged in this elite group. Watch out for the Russian, she may not have the biggest overall game, but she has one of the biggest hearts on the tour. A proven champion, even an injured Sharapova cannot be underestimated.

The Underdogs

No.4 Ana Ivanovic – No up-and-coming player has made quite the sensational splash this season as the rising Serbian superstar Ana Ivanovic. Ivanovic entered the championships on the merit of a breakthrough season that includes a 49/16 record and three WTA crowns. Winner in Berlin, Los Angeles and Luxembourg, Ivanovic also finished runner up in Roland Garros and Tokyo [Pan Pacific], and reached semifinals of Wimbledon and Amelia Island. Although considered an underdog in the semifinal, Ivanovic has made two memorable Grand Slam runs this season – the French Open final and Wimbledon semifinal. Don’t count her out just yet.

No.7 Anna Chakvetadze – Russian Anna Chakvetadze has been one of WTA’s biggest stories this year as well. Chakvetadze arrived in Madrid with a 57/18 record for the season and four WTA titles. Chakvetadze won in Hobart, 's-Hertogenbosch, Cincinnati and Stanford and reached the semifinals of the US Open, Antwerp, Miami and San Diego. Chakvetadze is perhaps the long shot finalist in this group, and considering she faces her nemesis Maria Sharapova – a player she has yet to beat in her career (Sharapova owns a 5-0 record) - in the semifinal round, the odds against her will be huge. Ish. But should Chakvetadze orchestrate the upset, banking on her would payout in turn payout huge!

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