posted June 13, 2008 at 17:30 in Tennis Betting Trends

London, England – Online tennis betting for the Stella Artois Championships enters the semi-final round and what a billing it is. Rafael Nadal booked his place in the final four with a hard fought victory over Ivo Karlovic 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-6(4). His reward is a semi-final encounter with defending champion Andy Roddick, who moved into the semis on a free pass when Andy Murray withdrew from their quarterfinal with a right thumb injury. So with such a tennis betting delight to kick off a sports betting weekend, here is a breakdown of this exciting online wagering matchup.

Tennis Betting Line: Rafael Nadal vs. Andy Roddick

Match Time: 05:00 AM Eastern Time, Saturday June 13, 2008

Head-to-Head Analysis: Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal are level at 2-2 lifetime. This is their first –ever career meeting on grass.

Head-to-Head Details:

2008 Dubai U.A.E. (Hard) QTF Winner: Roddick 7-6(5) 6-2

2007 ATP Masters Series Indian Wells CA, U.S.A. (Hard) SF Winner: Nadal 6-4 6-3

2004 ESP v. USA Davis Cup Final Seville, Spain (Clay) RR Winner: Nadal 6-7(6) 6-2 7-6(6) 6-2

2004 US Open NY, U.S.A. (Hard) R64 Winner: Roddick 6-0 6-3 6-4

Tennis Prediction: A lot is at stake in this match. This is not just a semi-final encounter but a preview of what is to come during the upcoming grand slam event. So as the top seed Nadal and third seed Roddick duel, who will come out on top, establishing himself as potentially the more serious threat on grass this season? No question but this match will have far-reaching consequences.

Andy Roddick enters this match with a 24-5 mark for the year and two ATP titles. This is his first tournament since he withdrew from the ATP Masters Series in Rome with a shoulder injury. Going in his favour is the added day of rest Andy Murray’s withdrawal earned him.

Rafael Nadal The Indefatigable warrior Nadal enters this match with one slight handicap – the marathon match against Ivo Karlovic, which went to three tie-breakers, surely took a lot out of him. However, Nadal is a player who has bounce back-ability. Nadal arrived in London with a 44-7 mark for the season and four ATP titles – one of which was the French Open.

Tennis Prediction: If this were a clay tournament there would be no question of who would enter the match as the steep favourite. But this is a grass tournament and Roddick just might enter this match slightly favoured over Nadal. If not I expect the odds to be pretty tight.

Until Roger Federer seized his first Wimbledon title, Andy Roddick was considered one of the better – if not the best grass courter at the time. Though Federer ascended, establishing his monarchy over grass, Roddick’s grass court game continued to earn him praise but he had to contend with the fact that he is just not as good as Federer. Over the last two years, Nadal featured in the Wimbledon final; his back-to-back runner-up finishes in Wimbledon established him as a player who could potentially threaten Federer on grass. Up until last year, he was not taken as seriously.

Tennis Free Pick: To be fair, this will be an open match. Both Roddick and Nadal are viable contenders for a final berth. However, if I were to bet on this match then it would be Nadal all the way. He is on a mission to win Wimbledon this year. A victory at the Stella Artois Championships on Sunday would go a long way to improving his odds in accomplishing the feat.

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!