Posted on 2/29/2008 2:07:22 PM

WTA Regions Morgan Keegan Semifinal Pick

By Nila Amerova

Memphis, TN – At the close of quarterfinal action on Thursday in Memphis, third seed Shahar Peer, fourth seed Lindsay Davenport and fifth seed Olga Govortsova moved into the semifinal round along with unseeded qualifier Marina Erakovic of New Zealand. With the matchups set for Friday’s semifinal in Memphis, here is a breakdown of the tennis betting action available with BetUS.

Tennis Betting Line: Lindsay Davenport vs. Marina Erakovic

Match Time: 4:30 PM Eastern Time, Friday, February 29, 2008

Tennis Prediction: Perhaps the most surprising of the semifinalists is 19-year-old Marina Erakovic of New Zealand, who with a victory over Alla Kudryavtseva in the quarterfinal today, confirmed her place in the final four in Memphis. No. 125 Marina Erakovic, who had to qualify for the event, beat [LL] Alina Jidkova in the first round before upsetting wild card Amber Liu in the second round and No.116 Alla Kudryavtseva in the quarterfinals.

Erakovic is contesting her second semifinal, after appearing in Auckland earlier this year. Next up for the teenager is a momentous challenge in the form of former World No.1 Lindsay Davenport.

Currently ranked No.46 in the world, Lindsay Davenport is the bookies short-odds-on favorite for the title on Saturday in Memphis, and with only one victory separating her from contesting the final, she will be the bettor’s favorite for the title as well.

Entering this matchup with a 10/2 record, which includes one Sony Ericsson title – Auckland—Davenport has holds a lot of value on the money line. En route to the semifinal, Davenport topped Sabine Lisicki, Evgeniya Rodina and Caroline Wozniacki in succession.

Davenport did not start out as the tournaments favorite on paper, but with Venus Williams and Tatiana Golovin, the tournament’s top two seeds, ousted in the first round, fourth seed Davenport – and third seed Shahar Peer actually – remain as the most viable title hopes still alive in the tournament.

If truth be told, Davenport, aside from facing a tough opening round match against Lisicke 7-5, 6-3, was hardly tested in her next rounds when she wheeled off her racquet back-to-back drubbings of Rodina (6-1, 6-1) and Wozniacki (6-0, 6-2). If her previous two rounds were an indication, Erakovic is doomed to enjoy a similar fate.

Tennis Free Pick: Davenport in straight sets

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