Posted on 3/19/2008 8:27:41 PM

WTA Pacific Life Open Tennis Betting Sharapova vs Hantuchova

By Nila Amerova

Indian Wells, CA – The Maria Sharapova vs. Daniela Hantuchova quarterfinal billing in the bottom half of the draw is truly a mouth-watering affair for tennis bettors, pitting the reigning queen of the Pacific Life Open against the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour sovereign Maria Sharapova. Fifth seed Hantuchova has been in fine form throughout the early rounds of the Pacific Life Open, but with victories over wild card Angela Haynes, unseeded Jie Zheng and twenty-first seed Sania Mirza respectively, fourth seed Maria Sharapova is the first real test she will face in the defence of her title at this event. Does Hantuchova have what it takes to hand Sharapova her first match-loss of the season?

Tennis Betting Line:

Match Time: 10:00 PM Eastern Time, Wednesday March 19, 2008

To win Outright:

Daniela Hantuchova +4½ -130 +300 Over 21½ -110

Maria Sharapova -4½ -110 -500 Under 21½ -130

To win first Set:

Daniela Hantuchova (1st Set) +250 Over 9½ -125

Maria Sharapova (1st Set) -400 Under 9½ -115

Analysis: If the odds were an indication, then Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia stands a very slim, if any, chance of beating Maria Sharapova. Sharapova is hugely favoured at -500, while the 2007 defending champion is priced at underdog odds of +300.

Aside from lifting three Grand Slam titles in her career, Sharapova’s championship credentials also include six Tier I titles – one of which she won last month in Doha. In this second Tier I event of the year in Indian Wells, Sharapova arrived as the bettors short-odds-on favorite for the title, favoured even over top seed Ana Ivanovic, who has yet to win a prestigious major title in her career.

Sharapova won this event in 2006. In 2007,Sharapova failed to defend her title, losing in the R16 to compatriot Vera Zvonareva – albeit last year was a trying time for Sharapova as she was struggling with a lingering shoulder injury.

However, the Russian kicked off her 2008 season with perhaps one of the most dominating performances the WTA tour has ever seen. Sharapova arrived in Indian Wells with a perfect 14-0 record and two titles: Australian Open and Doha. In this her third event of the year, Sharapova improved to 17-0, after defeating Alona Bondarenko in the fourth round. Only a victory separates the dominant Russian from a semifinal berth and Hantuchova standing between her and a place in the final four hardly seems to be an insurmountable obstacle. Sharapova holds a 6-1 lifetime record over Hantuchova, the last time the Slovak beat Sharapova was in 2004 at the Tokyo Pan Pacific.

Therefore, does this all add up to a resounding victory for Maria Sharapova. More or less – YES! Sharapova is the sure play and will be the bettors pick to advance.

Hardly seems fair to dismiss the defending champion so callously though! Hantuchova is a great tennis player who has a clean and fluid game. She arrived into the final eight without having dropped a set, but at the same time, she has faced very little contest en route to the quarterfinals. On the heels of a mercurial performance last year, Hantuchova seized the title, defeating at the time the heavily favoured Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets. Confidence in Hantuchova has been somewhat shaken after her unravelling performance in the Australian Open semifinal; after taking the first set 6-0 and leading 2-0 in the second over Ivanovic, Hantuchova fell apart, allowing Ivanovic to get back in the match and take the victory 0-6 6-3 6-4.

Hantuchova has surprised on big occasions before, but with surprise performances too far and few in between, she is not a sure play – even though she would be a tempting morsel to pick at +300. I cannot recommend picking her with the utmost certainty, but at the same time, I would not discourage picking the Slovak, simply because she is capable of orchestrating an upset and because her price tag would payout three-fold.

Tennis Free Picks: For those bettors who like to bet on a sure thing, then Sharapova is your gal. Take the odds makers favorite, and more than likely, she will be the winning play. However, for those of you long-shot thrill seekers, then Hantuchova is your dark horse in this match. She has won this event twice (2002 and 2007) and as the defending champion she will bring her best to stop Sharapova’s bid to dethrone her. I must admit to a penchant for this underdog. Heck, I will pick her to do what most will consider impossible to orchestrate at this prestigious event in the Californian desert.

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