posted June 24, 2008 at 18:48 in Tennis Betting Trends

London, England – While typically in tennis betting, the online gambling favourites and the seeded players rule, delivering on their steeply priced tennis odds, ever so often, an underdog can sneak up and send seismic shock waves through a tournament shaking up the draw and the natural order of things. So in an effort to pick some of these potential value tennis bets, here are some choice tennis free picks on Wimbledon second round tennis betting action set for Wednesday, June 25, 2008 where the underdogs have a chance to cause the upset. Long shot pushers: here is a breakdown of some of the value underdogs in the second round of Wimbledon.

Tennis Betting Line: Thomaz Bellucci +135 Simon Stadler -175

Tennis Betting Prediction: In this left-handed affair, the lower ranked Simon Stadler (No. 172) is favoured over the higher ranked No.68 Thomaz Bellucci. Bellucci is known for his big clay court game. Spending most of the year on the challenger circuit, Bellucci has enjoyed a lot of success at this level, winning four tournaments – three of which were back-to-back. This is his first tournament (ATP or challenger) on grass. In his opener, he took out Igor Kunitsyn – a promising young player—in four sets. Simon Stadler on the other hand shocked Ivo Karlovic in the first round. However, the Croat typically does not perform well in Wimbledon and is in the throes of a dismal season this year – not to take away from Stadler’s victory of course but it may put it into context. So who will persevere: the player with the big opening round victory or the player who is accustomed to winning – albeit in lesser tournaments?

Tennis Free Picks: Bellucci in four sets

Tennis Betting Line: Feliciano Lopez -350 Roko Karanusic +225

Tennis Betting Prediction: Roko Karanusic of Croatia enjoys fast surfaces. At the Stella Artois Championships, he reached the second round and gave Djokovic a good match before succumbing in straight sets. Feliciano Lopez of Spain, unlike most Spaniards, also enjoys faster surfaces. While his clay court game is good, like many of his compatriots, his hard and grass court game is even better. In Dubai – way back at the start of the season—Lopez had his most promising run to the final (l. to Roddick). Since then Lopez has floundered in tournament play struggling to string together a consistent match-winning streak. In his last four tournaments he crashed out of the opening round. With his four set victory yesterday against Brian Dabul he broke the duck. Can he make it two wins in a row? At the whopping price tag of -350 he is overpriced. A shaken player is hardly worth a big wager like that. Although he should win as the better-known and more experienced player, his lack of confidence leads me to believe he could very well be ripe for an upset. Karanusic has an excellent opportunity to reach the third round of a Grand Slam event – can he rise to the occasion?

Tennis Free Picks: Karanusic in four sets

Tennis Betting Line: Tomas Berdych -900 Victor Hanescu +450

Tennis Betting Prediction: Berdych has long been touted as one of the most promising players but the Czech consistently falls short of expectations. After coasting for some time in the top 10, his ranking finally slipped recently when his overall discouraging 2008 season was punctuated by his failure to defend the Gerry Weber Open title a fortnight ago. Currently sitting at No.20 betting on Berdych is not worth the price tag. He is always a risky play and one never knows when he will check out of a match mentally. As such, I included his match in the underdogs with value section as Hanescu has an excellent opportunity to capitalize on Berdych’s inconsistency. The match is Berdych’s to lose and should he do so then a wager on Hanescu will pay out nicely. It is a long shot but worth a small wager I think.

Tennis Free Picks: Hanescu in four 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