ATP Basel: Federer and Stepanek bid for a spot in the quarters

Basel, Switzerland – Roger Federer and Radek Stepanek will be in action on Wednesday, aiming to be amongst the first to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. World No.1 Federer, the three-time Basel champion, is gunning for his fourth straight victory on home soil. He is making his first appearance since falling to Juan Martin Del Potro at the US Open final in September. Standing in his way is to a final eight berth is Andreas Seppi of Italy. The Swiss crowd will be almost exclusively behind the top seed Federer, cheering him on to the quarters. No.5 seed Stepanek, meanwhile, will go head-to-head with Florent Serra.

Tennis Betting Line: Radek Stepanek -400 Florent Serra +250

Match Time: 08:00 A.M. Eastern Time Wednesday November 4, 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: World No.14 Radek Stepanek will go head-to-head against world No.71 Florent Serra for the fourth time in his career. Stepanek has never lost to Serra and will be looking to improve to 4-0 when they collide in the second round at Basel. The last time the pair met was at the ATP Masters Rome this spring wherein Stepanek eked out Serra in a competitive three set victory 7-6(1), 4-6, 7-5

Stepanek is after a solid 41-18 season, which includes two titles. Most recently, Stepanek featured in back-to-back quarters in Shanghai and Vienna. Serra, on the other hand, has been underwhelming this year on a 23-28 mark. He did reach, however, the quarters in Lyon last week, a home event for the Frenchman.

The pair have had competitive matches before and there is every indication this one will be so. However, Stepanek has the head-to-head edge as well as the mental edge that comes with having never lost to a player. Stepanek also has good form going for him.

Tennis Free Picks: Stepanek in straight sets

Tennis Betting Line: Roger Federer -5000 Andreas Seppi +1200

Match Time: 08:00 A.M. Eastern Time Wednesday November 4, 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: Roger Federer is the prohibitive favourite in the market, listed at -5000 by BetUS bookies to go into the quarters at the expense of world No. 51 Andreas Seppi, tipped at discouragingly long odds of +1200. Federer owns the series between the two, holding a 5-0 all-time edge. In 2009, Federer came across Seppi three times and each time he beat the Italian comprehensively. In fact, in all their encounters Seppi has never been able to take a set off the Swiss maestro. The betting on this match is no mystery indeed, but it has to be said it will not be windfall payout.

Tennis Free Picks: Federer in straight sets