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posted March 28, 2008 at 17:56 in Tennis Free Picks

Miami, Florida – At the close of the first round on Thursday, the contingent of qualifiers in the men’s top half of the draw enjoyed plenty of success as Ivo Minar, Viktor Troicki, Ryan Sweeting and Bobby Reynolds all advanced into the second round. Meanwhile, struggling Frenchman Gael Monfils came from behind to upset big-serving John Isner 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-3, and wild card Mario Ancic joined the tour de force in the R64 as well with a first round victory over Gilles Simon of France. Last week’s finalist at the Pacific Life Open, Mardy Fish crashed out of the tournament with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Frenchman Arnaud Clement.

The early success for the up-and-comers earns them a second round matchup against the seeded players who begin their Sony Ericsson Open on Saturday, March 29, 2008. So with the matchups determined, here is a look at some of the upcoming exciting billings to bet on over the weekend.

Match Time: 10:00 AM Eastern Time, Saturday, March 29, 2008

Tennis Betting Line: Roger Federer -1600 Gael Monfils +700

Tennis Prediction: These are not happy times for World No.1 Roger Federer. These days one almost expects to see Roger Federer not only in the final of every tournament he contests, but sweeping the bulk of the coveted titles. Arriving in Miami significantly without a title in 2008, Roger Federer is in a bit of a pickle – at least according to experts. However, Federer does not seem to be all to sour over his predicament. Federer arrives in Miami with an 8-3 record, which includes two semifinal runs – at the Australian Open and the ATP Masters Series in Indian Wells. The only blemish on his record – aside from being bereft of titles—was an opening round exit in Dubai (l. to Andy Murray).

With the news of the discovery that Federer had been suffering –unbeknownst to him—with mono, perhaps his mixed results can be viewed differently. After all, Mario Ancic also suffered from mono early last season and his struggles to regain his energy and form throughout last season saw his ranking fall from No.9 to beyond the Top 100!

Federer enters this matchup against Gael Monfils with a 1-0 lifetime record over the Frenchman, having defeated him in a close contest in Doha in 2006. Monfils notched his first match-win of the season yesterday, coming from behind to upset American favorite John Isner. Monfils is returning to the ATP Tour after missing the latter half of last season and the early portion of this season with an injury.

In spite of Federer’s atypical performance thus far this season, he is still the better play in this match and I expect he will kick-off his Miami campaign with an imperious win over the Frenchman.

Tennis Free Picks: Federer in straight sets

Tennis Betting Line: Robin Soderling -190 Stanislas Wawrinka +145

Tennis Prediction: This is an excellent billing in the R64; Robin Soderling of Sweden has had a remarkable start to his season this year, meanwhile, Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka has enjoyed a solid start as well. Both players stack up evenly on paper, the only difference between the two in this tournament is that Wawrinka received the 28th seed. Last week in Indian Wells, Wawrinka was a quarterfinalist (l. to Novak Djokovic). His best performance this season came in Doha, where he reached the final (l. to Andy Murray).

Soderling in his first tournament of the season reached the quarterfinal and followed up with back-to-back final appearances in his next two events. Last week in Indian Wells, Soderling was handed his worst loss this season by Richard Gasquet – a 6-3, 6-2 defeat in the R64.

Owing to his seeding and slightly higher ranking, Wawrinka would seem to be the better play. However, the balance tips in favor of Soderling as I think he has the game to beat Wawrinka. At -190 favorite odds for Soderling, the bookies would appear to agree with me.

Tennis Free Picks: Soderling in straight sets

Tennis Betting Line: Lleyton Hewitt -400 Jose Acasuso +250

Tennis Prediction: Lleyton Hewitt owns a 2-1 lifetime record over Jose Acasuso. Their most recent meeting was in Adelaide early this year, where Hewitt easily topped Acasuso in straight sets. On hard surface, Hewitt has the edge over Acasuso, whose best results have come on clay. This match should go in favor of the Aussie. Heavily favored at -400, Hewitt is the better play.

Tennis Free Picks: Hewitt in straight sets

Tennis Betting Line: Dudi Sela +170 Tommy Robredo -220

Tennis Prediction: No Top 20 player has struggled this year as No.14 Tommy Robredo. Arriving in Miami as the 14th seed, Robredo brings a 4-5 record for the season. In his four tournaments contested this year, Robredo has advanced no further than the second round. Last week in Indian Wells, his fifth tournament, he did one better, a third round appearance (l. to Ivan Ljubicic). Confidence is not synonymous with the hard-up Robredo. So is he ripe for another early exit in Miami? Perhaps, but he should top Dudi Sela in this round. Priced at -220 favorite odds, the bookies would appear to agree with me.

Tennis Free Picks: Robredo 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 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