Posted on
4/9/2008 6:03:19 PM
Tennis Free Picks – Bausch & Lomb Third Round Odds
By Nila Amerova
Amelia Island, Florida – The Bausch & Lomb Championships currently in full swing has received four of its R16 contenders in the form of Maria Sharapova, Virginie Razzano, Olga Govortsova and Anabel Medina Garrigues. BetUS SportsBook is currently taking betting action on these matchups, so here are my free tennis picks to get the sports betting community started on the R16 wagering at the Bausch & Lomb Championships.
Tennis Betting Line: Virgine Razzano -175 Olga Govortsova +135
Match Time: 11:00 AM Eastern Time, Thursday April 10, 2008
Tennis Prediction: No.27 Virginie Razzano was a semi-finalist in Amelia Island in 2005. Since her appearance in the final four at this event, she followed up with a first round exit in 2006 and a second round exit in 2007. Although she struggled to find the form that saw her post her best run in 2005, she favours the greenset clay surface of this event. Favored at -175, Razzano is a good play against Olga Govortsova of Belarus. Razzano brings an 9-8 record for the season into this third round encounter, which includes her best run this year – a quarterfinal appearance n Paris.
No.43 Govortsova is one of the promising teenagers on the circuit. She enters this matchup with an 8-8 record for the season, which includes her best run this year a runner-up finish in Memphis (l. to Lindsay Davenport). Her underdog odds of +135 are worth the wager, as her favorite surface to play on is clay.
As the WTA Tour moves to clay with this the first event on the calendar, anything is possible. While both players have failed to post impressive results during the hard court portion of the year, on clay there is much to recommend both.
Both players enter the R16 on the heels of three set encounters in the second round. Razzano beat Marta Domachowska 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(4); meanwhile, Govortsova topped Bartoli 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. In the end, the balance tips in favour of the youngster Govortsova as beating the fourth seed Bartoli in the second round should give her confidence against Razzano.
Tennis Free Pick: Govortsova in straight sets
Tennis Betting Line: Maria Sharapova -1200 Anabel Medina Garrigues +600
Match Time: 11:00 AM Eastern Time, Thursday April 10, 2008
Tennis Prediction: At a whopping price tag of -1200 Sharapova is the outright favorite to advance from this R16 encounter. Although Sharapova has made no secret of her antipathy towards clay courts, she has posted some admirable results on this surface – namely a semifinal run at the 2007 Roland Garros. At this stage of the tournament against this opponent, few would bet against Sharapova.
Tennis Free Pick: Sharapova in straight sets
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Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room.