posted May 14, 2008 at 18:22 in Tennis Betting Trends

Hamburg, Germany – As the R16 line-up at the Tennis Masters Series in Hamburg is already determined, tennis odds available at BetUS online sportsbook, what lies ahead for the online betting community is another exciting round of sports betting action. Still alive in the tournament is short-odds-on favourite Novak Djokovic as well as three unseeded players in the form of Ivo Karlovic, Janko Tipsarevic and Albert Montanes. So as the third round gets ready to kick off, here is a look at the stellar billings in the third quarter of the draw, complete with fast facts and tennis free picks.

Tennis Betting Line: Janko Tipsarevic vs. Albert Montanes

Match Time:05:00 AM Eastern Time, Thursday May 15, 2008

Tennis Prediction: Right from the onset, I am going to pick Janko Tipsarevic. Why? Well to get ahead of myself for a second, aside from anticipating an all-Serbian showdown in the quarterfinal with Novak Djokovic (my second tennis free pick in this section), Tipsarevic is the better pick in this clash because he has been quietly enjoying some good results this season. Although not as big a name as his compatriot Novak Djokovic, Tipsarevic gained encouraging attention when he stretched Roger Federer to five sets in the third round of the Australian Open. Although he lost, Tipsarevic proved he had a lot going for him. Coming into Hamburg, Tipsarevic has been ingood form and has seen his ranking rise, currently he weighs in at No.33 (a career-high ranking). He is not necessarily a clay-court specialist, but can play with the best of them. In his junior years, he reached the French Open junior quarterfinal. In Hamburg, Tipsarevic ousted seventh seed James Blake, a victory that should give him confidence in the next round.

The Spaniard Montanes is a clay-courter and like most clay-courters, during the clay season, he rises from relative obscurity, only to go back once again when the season turns to grass briefly, before returning to hard courts. In spite of Montanes proficiency on the red dirt, Tipsarevic will be favoured for the win, making it his to win or lose. Should he remain focused, Tipsarevic will emerge the victor.

Tennis Free Picks: Tipsarevic in three sets

Tennis Betting Line: Novak Djokovic vs. Ivo Karlovic

Match Time: 05:00 AM Eastern Time, Thursday May 15, 2008

Tennis Prediction: This is the first-ever meeting between Novak Djokovic and Ivo Karlovic. It should be an interesting match as most bettors will be curious to see how the high-flying Serbian is going to handle the 6’10” Karlovic – especially his big serve. Djokovic is in the midst of a great clay-court season – a winner of his first major clay court title in Rome last week – high hopes precede him in Hamburg. However, in Karlovic he may find a difficult player to overcome.

Last week in Rome, Karlovic reached the R16 where he lost to Federer. In 2008, he is 0-1 against top 10 players. This is his second encounter against one of the elite. However, he earns his first shot against the No.3 player at an inopportune time – as Djokovic is on fire.

Both players are adept of the red dirt. But with Djokovic coming in as the heavy favourite, it is his match to win or lose. Against Robredo today, Karlovic fired 20 aces while serving at 66 percent! Against Djokovic, he might have to serve up just as many aces but improve on his serving percentage if he wants to orchestrate the upset. Djokovic will have to play aggressive and use his deep groundstrokes to force Karlovic behind the baseline.

Few bettors would bet against Djokovic at this stage and I agree, on paper and based on his year, he is the better play; although, should Karlovic orchestrate the upset I would not be too surprised.

Tennis Free Picks: Djokovic in straight sets

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

So there you have it! A nice short tennis betting preview of some of the exciting tennis betting action on the ATP Masters Series Hamburg available in the online sports betting market at BetUS Sportsbook. Now that you are all read up, you are ready to start wagering on tennis!