Posted on
3/12/2008 9:26:11 PM
Tennis Betting WTA Pacific Life Open - The Top Five in Indian Wells
By Nila Amerova
Indian Wells, CA – College basketball is not the only sport that features on the March sports betting calendar. The Pacific Life Open tournament (and the subsequent Sony Ericsson Open in Miami) are the tennis version of March Madness. The starlets of both the ATP and WTA tour heading to the Californian desert have assembled an outstanding field of talent and over the next week and a half, as they contest this premier event, they will offer a whole host of scintillating matchups for sports bettors to bet on.
On the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, the high-flying Serbian duo of Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, and Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova make up the top three seeds. With World No.1 Justine Henin absent from the line-up in Indian Wells, (choosing to focus on the upcoming Sony Ericsson Open in Miami), Ivanovic is the de facto Top seed, followed by World No.3 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No.4 Jelena Jankovic.
Top seed Ana Ivanovic
After a semifinal run at her opening event in Sydney, Ivanovic posted her second career Grand Slam runner-up finish at the Australian Open and vaulted into a career-high ranking of number two in the world. With two Grand Slam runner-up finishes and five career titles (three of which – Berlin, Los Angeles and Luxembourg – she lifted in 2007), the 20-year-old Serbian sensation catapulted up the WTA rankings in the past year. As one of the bookies short-odds-on favourites for the Pacific Life Open title and a share of the $2.1 million prize purse, Ivanovic has yet to deliver on her value by winning a premier event like the Pacific Life Open.
Outside of the four Grand Slams, this is one of nine major Tier I events on the WTA Calendar. At the first Tier I event of the year, Ivanovic was unfortunately forced to withdraw in the R16 with an ankle injury. At Indian Wells, the second Tier I event of the year, Ivanovic will hope to improve on her best showing – a quarterfinal run in her 2006 debut. In 2007, she reached the R16 at the Pacific Life Open (l to Sybille Bammer).
Second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova
No.2 Svetlana Kuznetsova finished runner-up at this event in 2007, losing in straight sets to Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia. The second seed has had an inconsistent start to her 2008 campaign. After reaching the final in her opening event in Sydney, Kuznetsova appeared poised to replicate her standout performance of 2007. However, premature exits at the Australian Open (l. to Radwanska in the R32) and Doha (l. to Sybille Bammer in the R16) seemed to spell trouble for the Russian before appearing in the final in Dubai, a fortnight ago (l. to Elena Dementieva in three sets). While Kuznetsova lost the match, her runner-up finish may be a sign of a turn-around for what has been thus far a conflicting season for the World No.3.
Third seed Jelena Jankovic
No.3 Jelena Jankovic enjoyed a breakthrough season last year, as the Serbian star won an impressive 72 matches and lifted four titles. Her consistent performance was carried into this year, as in the five events she has contested thus far, she posted two semifinal and three quarterfinal appearances. Having done no worse than the final eight, Jankovic is a value play for at least another quarterfinal run in Indian Wells.
Fourth seed Maria Sharapova
Weighing in as the fourth seed at the Pacific Life Open, Maria Sharapova of Russia is perhaps the bettors short-odds-on favorite to win this prestigious Tier I event. Opening her 2008 campaign with a Grand Slam victory in Melbourne (her third career Grand Slam title) and seizing the first Tier I title of the year in Doha, Sharapova arrives in Indian Wells with a perfect record at 14-0. With back-to-back victories in the year, Sharapova will be vying for a hat trick in the Californian desert. Having won this event in 2006, the powerhouse Russian is sure to factor deep in this tournament – if not, win the whole thing.
Fifth seed Daniela Hantuchova
Reigning champion Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia has enjoyed success in the California desert twice in her career; her first title victory at the Pacific Life Open was in 2002. Last season, Hantuchova re-established herself in the Top 10, by winning 52 matches and lifting two WTA titles (her second was in Linz). Hantuchova got her 2008 campaign off to a solid start with an impressive run to the Australian Open semifinal, (l. to Ana Ivanovic in three sets) and followed up with back-to-back quarterfinal runs in Paris and Antwerp.
Hantuchova is a good tennis player – particularly when she is focused – who can accomplish something special at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden courts. A third Pacific Life Open title for the Slovak, who has only won but one other tournament in her career, would be truly a huge accomplishment and one that neither Steffi Graff, Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles nor Serena Williams have managed here. But the star-studded line-up in Indian Wells are all bidding to dethrone Hantuchova, and with such tough opposition betting on the Slovak to defend her title will be a long shot.
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Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room.