posted April 2, 2008 at 22:33 in Tennis Free Picks

Miami, Florida – So a Williamses clash in the semifinal of the Sony Ericsson Open was not meant to be as Tuesday’s quarterfinal matchup between Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova ended with a triumph for the latter. Kuznetsova edged past Venus Williams in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to take her stead in the semifinal against defending champion Serena Williams.

The WTA Sony Ericsson Open Semifinal is set to kick off on Thursday, April 3, 2008. The tennis odds are currently live at BetUS, so don’t wait and start wagering on the final eight women as they vie to keep their campaign alive at this premier Tier I event.

BetUS Tennis Odds:

Match Time: 11:00 AM Eastern Time, Thursday April 3, 2008

Serena Williams -3 -125 -220 Over 22½ -120

Svetlana Kuznetsova +3 -115 +170 Under 22½ -120

Serena Williams (1st Set) -175 Over 9½ -125

Svetlana Kuznetsova (1st Set) +135 Under 9½ -115

Analysis: 2007 Miami champion is no stranger to success in the Magic City, after all, she has won this event four times. Tipped at -220 favorite odds, few would bet against Serena Williams at this stage of the tournament. Now especially, as in her quarterfinal performance against World No. 1 Justine Henin, Serena Williams put together a mercurial performance that saw her dismiss her rival with a near perfect score 6-2, 6-0. In her victory, Williams demonstrated some sensational tennis that has everyone convinced she is the player to beat in this tournament. In fact, the title is pretty much hers for the taking, unless another player is lucky enough to string together a perfect game to knock her off her stride.

Such a stumbling block could come from Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova. Kuznetsova has enjoyed a solid season, finishing runner-up in three of her five events contested thus far this season. Kuznetsova enters with an enviable 18-5 record for the season, but trails 1-3 against Williams’s lifetime.

In 2007, Williams and Kuznetsova met twice; the first victory went the way of the Russian in Stuttgart 6-3, 6-3, before Williams evened the score in Moscow 7-6(2), 6-1.

There is much to recommend both players in this match up. Williams by virtue of being the defending champion and with home court advantage is the better play. However, if there were a player to beat Williams, Kuznetsova is such a player, thus her underdog odds at +170 also hold value.

In the end, my pick is Serena Williams. After her imperious performance over Henin in the quarterfinal, Williams’s flawless performance has me convinced she is almost unbeatable in this tournament.

Tennis Free Picks: Serena Williams in straight sets

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