posted April 17, 2008 at 18:34 in Tennis Free Picks

Valencia, Spain – In the bottom half of the draw, Open de Tenis defending champion, Spaniard Nicolas Almagro prepares to continue his title defence against Juan Monaco of Argentina. For tennis betting fans in the know, this is an exciting matchup between two of several great clay courters on the circuit today. Meanwhile, Russian Evgeny Korolev will face-off against Dutch Robin Haase. A berth in the semifinal is on the line, so as the stakes get higher, bet on who you think will emerge the winner. BetUS is taking action on the Open de Tenis.

Tennis Betting Line: Evgeny Korolev vs. Robin Haase

Analysis: This is a good matchup for two of the ATP Tour’s young tennis. No.113 Evgeny Korolev of Russia (20-years-old) is considered a promising player, but one that has yet to enjoy a breakthrough year that will see him firmly established in the Top 100. No.62 Robin Haase has broken into the Top 100. But as a player, he is yet to string together consistent performances in tournament play, yielding the only results that really matter, winning titles.

In terms of speculating on this matchup, the pair is well matched as they both consider clay to be one of their strongest surfaces. However, if there were an advantage to be had, then the balance tips in favour of Haase. As a player he has more confidence and a better overall game. He also owns victories this year over players in the Top 10-20, namely Andy Murray and Ivan Ljubicic. In Valencia, Haase ousted Marat Safin, a former World No.1 player – albeit a struggling one this year.

Tennis Free Picks: Haase in straight sets

Tennis Betting Line: Nicolas Almagro vs. Juan Monaco

Analysis: This is an exciting billing for tennis bettors as two clay-court aficionados are pitted against each other in this matchup. Almagro is the defending champion in this event; he has home court advantage; and entered the tournament with a 16-5 mark for the year, which includes two ATP titles – a sizeable advantage for the Spaniard who currently ranks No.27 in the World. Recommending No.17 Juan Monaco of Argentina is a higher ranking (a top 20 rank) a 1-0 lifetime record over Almagro and a 13-6 mark for the year. Both players have an excellent chance of emerging into the final four; however, for me if there were a deciding advantage, it would be the overall winning performance of Almagro during the first three months of the year. With two clay court titles in the bag already, he is a good play to keep his campaign alive in Valencia as well as contend for a third title.

Tennis Free Picks: Almagro in three sets

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