Manne
29893
2011/03/23 07:18
#284831
Manne wrote:
Women’s tennis betting resumes this week with the Sony Ericsson Open, and it should be a real thriller as almost all the big names have signed on to play. Defending champion Kim Clijsters will be one of the favorites in this year’s impressive field.
Clijsters, though, is coming off a disappointing effort at the Paribas Open last week. After taking care of business in the first few rounds, the Belgian was forced to withdraw in the fourth against Marion Bartoli. Clijsters won the first set 6-3 but is struggling with shoulder issues. She packed it in trailing 1-3 in the second set. If Clijsters can stay healthy, though, don’t be surprised to see her race to the finals. She already has three finals appearances this season, including a victory over Li Na in the Australian Open.
World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki will also be making an appearance on Sony Ericsson odds. Wozniacki is coming off a win against Bartoli in the Paribas Open on Sunday. The Dane won in Dubai earlier this season and lost in the Qatar Ladies Open final against Vera Zvonareva, so she’s consistently buzzing around for a title. With Clijsters nursing the sore shoulder, Wozniacki is the safer bet.
In addition to Clijsters, there are a few other past champions who should be in the mix. Victoria Azarenka won the title in 2009, but her status could be in doubt this week. The Belarusian was forced to retire in the quarterfinals last week when she injured her hip against Wozniacki.
Svetlana Kuznetsova won the Sony Ericsson Open in 2006. The Russian hasn’t been terribly consistent this season, but she’s shown flashes. Kuznetsova lost in the finals to Wozniacki at the Dubai Tennis Championships and made the quarterfinals at the Medibank International, but she’s also been bounced from tournaments quite early, too (second round at the ASB Classic, fourth round at the Australian Open).
The Williams sisters have won eight of the past 13 Sony Ericsson titles, but neither will be making an appearance in 2011. Serena Williams is out with a foot injury and blood clot. Venus Williams pulled out last week thanks to an abdominal injury.
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2006/12/07
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29893
Monday has just a few matchups that will catch bettors' eyes, including Tomas Berdych facing Jeremy Chardy. Berdych is a -1100 tennis betting favorite over Chardy, who sits at +550 to win.
Berdych, a top-10 player in the world, hasn’t tasted much success in 2011, failing to get past the semifinal of any tournament. Most notably, he took a beating from Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open last month.
On Tuesday, some of the really big fish join the pond at the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Roger Federer is a -5000 favorite over Somdev Devvarman. Federer won the Qatar Exxon Mobil Open to start his season but hasn’t played since Djokovic upset him in the Aussie Open. In Devvarman, he certainly draws an obscure opponent, but the wildcard Devvarman did reach the final of ATP Johannesburg earlier this year.
Djokovic gets his tournament underway on Tuesday as well, He’s a -750 favorite for his draw against Michael Llodra (+450). The Joker doesn’t get the same free pass Federer gets. Llodra pulled off a shocker when he beat Djokovic last November.
Still, Djokovic will get plenty of tennis betting support after an Aussie Open win in which he stormed through Berdych, Federer and Andy Murray in succession. Anyone hoping to place a bet on Murray for this year’s Dubai Championships will be disappointed; Murray pulled out because of a wrist injury.
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