Swedish Open Quarters - Pennetta vs. Kudryavsteva

Bastad, Sweden – In keeping with the theme, a mixed day for the seeds at the Swedish Open, the second quarter of the draw served up varied results for third seed Flavia Pennetta and eighth seed Iveta Benesova. Third seed Flavia Pennetta continued her good form in Bastad, beating Masa Zec Peskiric easily, 6-1, 6-2 to advance into the quarters; meanwhile, eighth seed Iveta Benesova exited on the heels of a straight set loss to Alla Kudryavtseva.

Pennetta and Kudryavtseva are set to battle for a spot in the semis on Thursday. BetUS Sportsbook has already rolled out tennis betting lines for their match as well as the other three quarterfinal encounters. Here is a look at how their showdown might play out.

Tennis Betting Line:  Flavia Pennetta -500          Alla Kudryavtseva     +300 

Match Time: 05:00 A.M. Eastern Time Thursday July 9 2009

Head-to-head Analysis: It will be the first ever meeting between No.15 Flavia Pennetta and No.100 Alla Kudryavtseva.

Flavia Pennetta -500: Flavia Pennetta goes into this match as the firm favourite at -500 and she is probably your best bet in this match. The 27-year-old Italian is enjoying another solid season this year. She arrived in Bastad 24-15 on the season and in reaching the quarters, she improved to 26-15.

Alla Kudryavtseva +300: The 21-year-old Russian Kudryavtseva punched above her weight class to secure a berth in the final eight in Bastad. However, her season, unlike her performance at this tourney, has been abysmal, evinced by her 9-18 mark and a failure to string back-to-back winning streaks at most events this year.

Tennis Betting Verdict: Small events such as these are great opportunities for lower ranked players to gain points and improve their ranking so as to better position themselves in the main draws of bigger events. Kudryavtseva has seized the opportunity and pushed past Karin Knapp and eighth seed Iveta Benesova. However, Pennetta will be her biggest challenge yet. The Italian is a top 20 player and on form this season. The match is on her racquet and unless Kudryavtseva plays sensationally, she should come through on her favourite odds and advance.

Tennis Free Picks: Pennetta in straight sets