posted January 21, 2008 at 18:56 in Tennis Betting Trends

Melbourne, Australia – In the second quarterfinal match on the men’s side scheduled for Monday, 21 January 2008, No.2 Rafael Nadal is set to take on No.26 Jarrko Nieminen. Nadal is the heavy favourite, tipped at -1800 at BetUS Sportsbook.

Tennis Betting Line:

Match Time: 7pm Eastern Time, Monday, 21 January 2008

Jarkko Nieminen +7½ -120 +750 Over 32½ -140

Rafael Nadal -7½ -120 -1800 Under 32½ EV

Jarkko Nieminen (1st Set) +375

Rafael Nadal (1st Set) -650

Tennis Prediction: Rafael Nadal enters this matchup with a comfortable 3-0 record, having beaten Jarkko Nieminen in the quarterfinal round of Wimbledon and quarterfinals of Barcelona (clay) in 2006, and in the semifinal round of Stuttgart (clay) in 2005. This is the first time Nadal meets Nieminen on hard.

For Nadal, hard has been the toughest surface to master and exert the kind of dominance he owns on clay. However, as Nadal’s Australian Open advance continues, he looks increasingly more impressive and in his last encounter against Paul-Henri Mathieu, in the R16, Nadal played some of his best hard court tennis ever. Granted, the match ended when Mathieu retired in the second set, down a set and 0-3 in the second, but Nadal posted some impressive statistics during the course of the match – namely he a first serve % at 93% (27 of 29 first serves) and a winning first serve % of 89% (24 of 27). On hard, these numbers are huge for Nadal.

If Nadal takes this great form into the quarterfinal round against Nieminen, by all indications, he should be the likely winner.

Nadal ‘s best result to date at the Australian Open is reaching the quarterfinal round. In 2007, Nadal was eliminated in straight sets by Fernando Gonzalez, the 2007 finalist. This is the second time Nadal reaches the quarterfinal round in Melbourne, but this is the first time he looks like he can be a real threat on hard. Nadal is the better play in this match.

Jarkko Nieminen appears in his first-ever Australian Open quarterfinal. The 26-year-old Nieminen has played some impressive hard court tennis to reach this stage, namely defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber after he had just upset Andy Roddick, in the R16. Nevertheless, he is a long shot bet.

Tennis Free Pick: Nadal in straight sets

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