posted August 28, 2007 at 19:41 in Tennis Articles

Flushing Meadows, New York – Day two of the US Open is underway and as the results for the first round start to pour in, tennis bettors have an excellent opportunity to review their tennis free picks. Some tennis picks follow pre-tournament predictions and naturally some do not. tennis picks follow pre-tournament predictions and naturally some do not. Betting on tennis in the first rounds can be tricky as the odds are more wide open and upsets are more prone to happening, particularly on the men’s side. But, do not be discouraged if your picks did not come through for you! Gosh, after all it’s been only two days of the US Open and there are plenty more matchups for you to bet on with BetUS Sportsbook!

More so, as the tournament marches through the rounds, with proper handicapping you can still beat the odds. Good news for tennis bettors indeed!

How? Well let us look at the first round results that are known so far, and interpret their significance to each quarter of the draw and in turn for the favorite player in that draw.

First Quarter: [1] Federer [5] Roddick

In the top half of the draw the first quarter is flanked on opposite ends by [1] Roger Federer and [5] Andy Roddick. Following first round action, to the delight of both Federer and Roddick, their quarter suffered some upsets, namely the fall of [21] Juan Carlos Ferrero, [22] Paul Henri Mathieu, [26] Jarkko Nieminen and [32] Ivo Karlovic.

What does this mean?

Federer’s Corner:

For Federer, the elimination of both Nieminen and Ferrero has far reaching consequences, assuring him of an easier path to the quarterfinal round.

The elimination of Nieminen means he will potentially face either [Q] Rik De Voest or [WC] John Isner in the third round (both rank beyond the top 100); and the elimination of Ferrero means his toughest and first real challenge will potentially not arrive until the R16 from the only other seeded player still alive in his corner - [13] Richard Gasquet. Federer could not have picked his draw better had he done it himself! Seriously, for a guy who does not need any favors, the universe does like to lavish him with many.

US OPEN Third round: No. 184 Isner, and even more so No.146 De Voest would be long shots against Federer. Should the emerging American tennis talent Isner meet with Federer in the third round, his best hope will be to perform well and end his US Open campaign with dignity before a home crowd of fans.

US OPEN R16: - Before Gasquet can confirm a date in the R16 against Federer, he must first advance past [WC] Donald Young in the second round and stave off either Igor Andreev or Feliciano Lopez in the third round. Of the two matches, Gasquet should have no problems with the former, but in the latter Gasquet may find himself with his first real challenge. Feliciano is well-suited for the fast hard court surface, his game is solid enough to orchestrate the upset; Andreev has a ruthless forehand which pitted against Gasquet’s backhand could provide for some exciting contests.

US OPEN Quarterfinal: – Whether Federer faces Gasquet in the R16, or an unlikely contender like Feliciano Lopez, or the even more unlikelier Igor Andreev (but all still possible), the result will not change, but what will change is the quality of the match depending on the caliber of his opponent.

Roddick’s Corner:

If there was a player that needed a few favors from the universe, it was [5]Andy Roddick. Roddick arrives at the US Open on the heels of a rough US Open Series performance. Calling into question his confidence, his ability, his potential, his game – heck, even his mojo!

US OPEN Third round: - With everything seemingly going against Roddick, the news of [22] Henri and [32] Karlovic’s untimely exit must come as a relief to Roddick, whose path would have potentially crossed with the latter in the third round and the former in the R16. The only real threat left in Roddick’s way to the quarterfinal is [9] Tomas Berdych who looms as a possible R16 challenger. Of course, it would be awfully accommodating for Simon Bolleli, in the second round , or either Arnaud Clement or Fernando Verdasco, in the third round to take care of Berdych - but banking on that eventuality is a longshot.

US OPEN R16: - Most likely in the fourth round, Roddick will meet Berdych, where Roddick could seriously face elimination. Berdych, one of the tour’s promising young talents, could give Roddick a tough contest for a berth in the quarterfinals.

US OPEN Quarterfinal: - Should Roddick survive the R16, his subsequent quarterfinal date with Federer will surely be his last match of the 2007 US Open. After Federer schooled Roddick at the 2007 Australian Open semifinal, the notion of Roddick ever beating Federer was dispelled. Roger that!

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.