posted October 18, 2007 at 19:50 in Tennis Free Picks

Madrid, Spain – In the top half of the draw, fifth seed Chilean Fernando Gonzalez kept his hope of a Shanghai qualifying spot alive with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Juan Monaco. Next up for Gonzalez is No. 112 Nicholas Kiefer, who emerges out of his section of the draw as the unlikely quarterfinalist. Gonzalez could not have asked for a better match up had he scripted it himself. BetUS Sportsbook is taking action on the ATP Masters Series in Madrid; Gonzalez opens as the favorite at -150.

Tennis Betting Line: Nicolas Kiefer +110 Fernando Gonzalez -150

Match Time: 05:00 A.M. EST

Tennis Prediction:Shanghai hopeful No.6 Fernando Gonzalez’s game is enjoying a period of renascence late in the season. Following his impressive run at the Australian Open, Gonzalez’s game faltered, and he proceeded to struggle in his events, amassing an unassuming 32/19 record for the season and one ATP title. His lone ATP title came last month in Beijing. Since his title victory, Gonzalez competed in Vienna, reaching the quarterfinal, where he lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Tipped modestly at -150, Gonzalez holds some value on this money line as the favorite. Seeing that qualifying for the Masters Cup year-end showdown hangs in the balance, Gonzalez needs the ATP points from this event to assure him his place among the final eight in Shanghai. A lot is at stake for Gonzalez in Madrid.

However, the sheer significance of the outcome of this match up could prove to be either an advantage or disadvantage for Gonzalez. If the desire to qualify for Shanghai outweighs all else, determination could be sufficient a catalyst to propel Gonzalez into the semifinal, but should the pressure of the moment be too much for Gonzalez, he could unravel and lose the match. If his 2007 season were an indication, in which, under the pressure of expectations put on him following his Australian Open turn out, Gonzalez repeatedly choked in action, it would appear that the latter would be the more likely scenario in tomorrow’s quarterfinal match.

Further taking away from Gonzalez’s value on the money line is a 0-2 losing record against Nicolas Kiefer. Moreover, when taking into consideration Gonzalez’s wavering confidence this season, the less than impressive results and a tendency to defeat himself in matches, banking on Kiefer at +110 would appear to be the better bet.

In spite of everything, I pick Gonzalez to persevere and advance into the semifinal in Madrid. Here is hoping that Gonzalez finds the inner poise to persevere against a rather underwhelming Kiefer for the victory.

Tennis Free Pick: Gonzalez in straight 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 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