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Thursday, May 6, 2010

Thursday’s Tennis Betting

There are several tennis tournaments taking place around Europe this week and for today’s article we’re focusing on one match from the WTA Rome Masters tournament and one game from the ATP Estoril Open.

The women’s fixture sees two of the biggest names in women’s tennis face off as Venus Williams takes on Jelena Jankovic, while the men’s fixture sees the biggest draw in tennis in action as Roger Federer meets Arnaud Clement. Will the favourites win these matches? BetRepublic.com previews all the action here.

Venus Williams v Jelena Jankovic:

This Quarter Final match sees one of the closest rivalries in women’s tennis go another round. These two players have met on ten previous occasions, with the score tied at five wins apiece. This match promises to be a classic match and bookmaker William Hill believe it is going to be so close that they cannot separate either player and both are available at odds of 5/6.
Both players have played two matches each in the tournament, with Williams having dispensed with her opponents in a typically efficient fashion. After skipping the first round with a bye she thumped Patti Schnyder 6-2, 6-2 in the second round before getting past Shahar Peer 6-3, 6-4 to book her final eight place. Jankovic had a tough time in the second round against Bethanie Mattek-Sands but progressed 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 before breezing past Yanina Wickmayer 6-2, 6-0 for her Quarter Final spot.

This will be the eleventh match between these two players and the winner will take a six-five overall lead. Venus Williams has won the last two matches between the players and will be looking to make it three wins in a row. However, of the four matches that they have played on Clay three of them have been won by Jelena Jankovic. Will she make it four from five? I think she will as she is returning to form and Williams has not beaten her on Clay since Rome 2005. However, she will not have it easy as all of their last nine meetings have gone to three sets and I don’t see any reason that this should change in this match.

BetRepublic.com Recommends: Back Jelena Jankovic to win the match 2-1 @ 3/1 with William Hill.

Roger Federer v Arnaud Clement:

This Quarter Final match at the Estoril Open sees the world number one face the world number eighty-three in their tenth ever meeting. Federer leads Clement six-three after their previous nine encounters and the Swiss national will be in highly confident of making it seven-three after his first win on clay in 2010.

Federer defeated Bjorn Phau in the second round, after receiving a bye in the first round as the top seeded player. Federer had failed to win on clay before this in the calendar year but strolled through this match in straight sets, winning 6-3, 6-4. Clement has already played two matches and he defeated Igor Kunitsyn in three sets in the first round before beating Columbian Alejandro Falla 6-4, 6-3 in the second round.

Despite these two players having met on nine previous occasions, their paths have not crossed since 2006. Federer has won the last five matches between the two players in a run that goes back as far as the start of the 2001 season. Despite Federer having had a poor start to his clay season this year I do not see him losing this match, however of the five straight victories he has recorded over Clement two have seen Clement take a set from Federer, including their last match. This coupled with Federer’s poor start to the year makes me think that Clement may take this match to three sets.

BetRepublic.com Recommends: Back Roger Federer to win the match 2-1 @ 7/1 with William Hill.

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