posted July 1, 2008 at 19:19 in Tennis Betting Trends

London, England – This is one of the surprise Wimbledon betting matchups on offer in the sports betting markets at BetUS Sportsbook. The Wimbledon quarterfinal billing of Safin vs. Lopez – emerging from a section of the draw that contained big stars like Novak Djokovic and David Nalbandian – is an interesting opportunity for online sports bettors to bet on what will potentially be a semi-final matchup for Federer. So with Wimbledon betting taking an interesting turn, here is how handicapping this twist of events can benefit the online tennis betting hamlet keen to beat the bookie.

Tennis Betting Line:

Marat Safin -2½ -125 -165 Over 41½ -115

Feliciano Lopez +2½ -115 +125 Under 41½ -125

Analysis: Marat Safin trails 1-4 against Feliciano Lopez, their last meeting coming in 2007 in Miami. They met once before at Wimbledon in their five encounters – the 2005 Wimbledon R32. Lopez won the encounter in close straight sets 6-4 7-6(4) 6-3.

Tennis Prediction: Marat Safin has seen resurgence during this Wimbledon championships. This is the first time he is through to the second week of a Grand Slam event since winning the 2005 Australian Open. A long time ago indeed. Safin has made no bones about his distaste for grass. For many years he has complained of his disfavour for the surface –participating very little in the three-week long grass court season. However, lo-and-behold, here he is in the quarterfinal of Wimbledon. More importantly, despite his lack of tournament success recently – actually since winning the Australian Open – and his dislike of grass, the odds makers’ favour him in this matchup with -165 favourite odds.

Spaniard Feliciano Lopez is a left-handed player who loves this surface. In fact, his grass court game is better than his clay court game. A surprising fact as most Spaniards are known as clay court aficionados. Lopez came to London on the heels of a losing season, so for him, his Wimbledon outing has seen his game resurge as well.

Tennis Betting Verdict: They are evenly matched. Despite the odds this game is wide open for the taking and a berth in the semi-final – possibly a date with Federer is the reward. The question is who wants it more. At the French Open, Safin saw his baby sister Dinara Safina reach the final. You can bet her run was inspirational. Safin also nicked victories against Novak Djokovic and Stanislas Wawrinka last week, two of the most outstanding players in 2008. His confidence on the up he is the better play in this match. Although one never really knows for sure with Safin.

Tennis Free Picks: Safin in four sets

So there you have it, a nice short break down for you of some of the exciting tennis betting options available at BetUS Sportsbook. Now that you are all read up, you are ready to start betting on tennis!

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