Posted on 5/6/2008 5:45:53 PM

Tennis Betting - Masters Series Rome 2nd Round

By Nila Amerova

Rome, Italy – The Rome Masters Series, entering the second round, offers sports bettors a whole host of online tennis betting thrills as the 64-strong draw trims down to 32 players. BetUS online sports betting market has already posted tennis odds on the blockbuster card in the second round that sports bettors will not want to be left out of the action! So read-up on some of the fast facts, statistics and tennis free picks below and start wagering on tennis.

Tennis Betting Line: Nicolas Almagro +105 David Nalbandian -145

Match Time: 05:00 AM Eastern Time Wednesday May 7, 2008

Tennis Prediction: Late in 2007, during the European indoor hard-court swing, at the ATP Masters Series in Madrid, Nalbandian caught fire, storming through the rounds, defeating Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in succession en route to winning the title. After a strange first round exit in his next event in Basel, the following week, at the AMS in Paris, he breezed through the rounds once again, defeating Federer in the R16, Ferrer in the quarterfinal, Gasquet in the semi-final and Nadal in the final. Nalbandian carried the momentum into 2008. Starting the year off hot, his best results this season were a R32 appearance at the Australian Open, a title victory in Buenos Aires, a runner-up finish in Acapulco and a quarterfinal appearance in Indian Wells and Monte Carlo. Nalbandian owns a 20-6 mark and 1 ATP title for the year thus far.

Nicolas Almagro is known as a bit of a clay-court aficionado. He started the year by winning two clay court events in Costa do Sauipe and Acapulco earlier this year. In the Spring European clay-court swing, Almagro’s results on the dirt are encouraging, with a runner-up finish in Valencia, a R16 in Monte Carlo and a quarterfinal appearance in Barcelona last week. He enters the second round with a 26-8 mark for the year, which includes a 23-4 mark on clay.

To say the least, both David Nalbandian and Nicolas Almagro have enjoyed encouraging results on clay this year. What separates them is the fact that Nalbandian is perhaps the more versatile player of the two – able to execute his game on any surface. Whereas Almagro is predominantly a clay-court specialist – all four of his career titles came on this surface. Nalbandian is always a threat on the red dirt and the fact that he is playing relatively well at the moment will only make him an even more dangerous opponent for Almagro.

Tennis Free Picks: Nalbandian in straight sets

Tennis Betting Line: Igor Andreev -105 Juan Monaco -135

Match Time: 05:00 AM Eastern Time Wednesday May 7, 2008

Tennis Prediction: Igor Andreev is a talented player, but on the red dirt, he is a tough opponent. Last year at the French Open, he forced Andy Roddick to bite the dust in the first round, stunning the American with his menacing forehand shot. Juan Monaco, like many other Latin American players, is considered a bit of an aficionado on this surface. So, as we have two solid clay-courters clashing in the second round, the bookies tip both on the favourite plane of the money line, with Monaco slightly favoured at -135 over Andreev at -105.

Andreev enters with a 14-13 mark for the season, his results coming in patches. Interspersed between several first round exits is a mix of runs reaching as far as the quarterfinal rounds of both 32 and 64- strong ATP draw events. Andreev’s spring on the dirt got off to a similar strange start, with a first round exit in Valencia (l to Korolev), followed by a great run in Monte Carlo, where he reached the quarterfinal (l. Davydenko) and a second round exit in Munich (l. Juan Martin Del Potro). If Andreev’s seesaw season were an indication, with results alternating between good and bad – in succession from tournament to tournament – then he is due an upswing here in Rome.

Alternatively, Monaco’s spring on the dirt is rather modest – at a 4-2 mark coming into the second round. Monaco enjoyed a great first month of the 2008 season, reaching the semi-final in Auckland, the R32 at the Australian Open and the final in Vina del Mar (withdrew from the match with a foot injury). Since then, his season has taken a bit of a downturn; failing to string together more than a two-match winning streak, Monaco has crashed in the early rounds of almost every tournaments entered. One of two things may be the case here, Monaco is not in the best of form or he could be in a slump. You decided. Either way, I like Andreev’s chances of advancing.

Tennis Free Picks: Andreev in straight 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.