Chiefs Tennis Thread.

[Chief77]

Going to put my picks in this thread for this year to keep them all together. Picks will be backed with stakes ranging from 1-10 points.

Right the Morgan Keegan championship final in Memphis is on at 3am (ie 3 hours time) between Sharapova and Arvidsson, and I think Paddy Powers price on the handicap is a tad generous. I'm taking Sharapova (-6.5 games) @11/10

I freely admit I've never heard of this Arvidsson chick but I went through her results over the past year and shes been playing mainly challenger tournaments. Up until this tournament whenever she has come up against a top 60 ranked player the results have been pretty poor:

V Garbin Lost 6-2 6-3
V Kleybanova L 7-5 7-5
V Stosur Lost 6-1 2-0 (Retired)
V Keothavong L 6-2 6-2
V Wozniacki Lost 6-1 6-3
V Hantuchova Lost 6-4 6-1

Sharapova has won all of her 4 games so far in straight sets and has lost just 18 games in total thus far. The one fly in the ointment for this bet is the fact Arvidsson beat Melanie Oudin 6-1 6-3 which was a pretty impressive result in fairness. Anyway I'm gonna chance Sharapova to be be too strong for the Swede. I'm pretty sure she'll win in straight sets, just have to hope she doesn't drop more than 6 games.

Verdict:
4 Points on Sharapova (-6.5 games) @11/10.

[Swooperman]

G'luck Chief

[yorkieacer]

Good start chief

[engineer]

I gladly welcome your thread, Chief... and a convincing start this was

[Chief77]

Originally Posted by Chief77

Verdict:
4 Points on Sharapova (-6.5 games) @11/10.

Cheers lads! I'm gonna have to give Sharapova some of teh credit though. Couldn't have done it without her.

Winners/Bets: 1/1
Stakes: 4pts
Profit: 4.4pts

[Chief77]

Gonna do a single and a double tomorrow:

Michael Russell to bt Mischa Zverev @8/13 (Boylesports): Really like this bet. Russell has started the year off really well and got to his first ever quarter final in an ATP event last week in San Jose. He's played 11 games this year and only Querrey, Berdych and Del Potro have beaten him (He actually took a set off Del Potro in the Aussie Open)

His opponent Zverev is having a stinker of a year. Played 5 Lost 5. Wouldn't mind but he's been beaten by absolute nobodies. (Players ranked 225, 134, 86, 124, and 245) He's obviously having huge problems with his game. Russell is ranked in the 60's and should take this. 8/13 looks a steal.

Victor Troicki to bt R. Scuettler @1/4: Watched Troicki beat Schuettler easily (6-2 6-3) a couple of weeks ago in Zagreb and I can't see how the ageing German can turn the tables on him here.

6 Points Michael Russell @8/13
2 Points on Russell/Troicki Double @1/1

[Chief77]

Originally Posted by Chief77

6 Points Michael Russell @8/13
2 Points on Russell/Troicki Double @1/1

Sickener. Troicki won easily but Russell lost 7-5 in the 3rd after serving for the match and throwing away a match point.

Winners/Bets: 1/3
Stakes: 12 pts
Profit: -3.6 pts.

[Chief77]

Laying Djockovic to win 2-0 @1.9. He's a break down to Troicki in the 1st set.
3 Pts staked. Liability 2.7 pts.

[Chief77]

Originally Posted by Chief77

Laying Djockovic to win 2-0 @1.9. He's a break down to Troicki in the 1st set.
3 Pts staked. Liability 2.7 pts.

Wow. That was awful from Novak. Lost first set 6-3. He's in big trouble here. Troicki is serving very well. Temptd to back Victor @2.4 but I'm gonna leave it.

Winners/Bets: 2/4
Stakes: 15 pts
Profit: -.6 pts.

[Chief77]

Korolev to bt Nieminen today. I like Korolev and altough he's nhad a few iffy results recently (getting destroyed to Mardy Fish, wtf?!) 1I think he will be too good for Nieminen today. Niemenin is outside the top 100 now and had an awful year last year.

2 Pts win Korolev @1.9

[Chief77]

Originally Posted by Chief77

2 Pts win Korolev @1.9

Awfully strange match from Korolev. Looked good in winning the first set 7-5 and then just totally tanked when losing the next two sets 6-0 and 6-1!

Backing Djockovic to beat Baghdatis 2-0 today @2.04. Novak has been slow to get into his stride this week but he played well in the second half of yesterdays match and hopefully he'll have too much for Baggy.

Winners/Bets: 2/5
Stakes: 17 pts
Profit: -2.6 pts.

[Chief77]

Forgot to put the stake in the bet above. Meant to say 2 points.

[Chief77]

Originally Posted by Chief77

Awfully strange match from Korolev. Looked good in winning the first set 7-5 and then just totally tanked when losing the next two sets 6-0 and 6-1!

Backing Djockovic to beat Baghdatis 2-0 today @2.04.

Winners/Bets: 2/5
Stakes: 17 pts
Profit: -2.6 pts.

Slow start again by Novak. His serve was woeful in the first set (served 10 double faults today). He won but it took him three tough sets.

Backing Leo Mayer later on to beat Gulbis. Gulbis is the favourite in what will be a tight match but at the odds I'm on Mayer as Mayer beat Gulbis 2-0 just a few weeeks ago in San Jose.

Verdict:
2 Pts on Mayer @2.34

Winners/Bets: 2/6
Stakes: 19 pts
Profit: -4.6 pts.

[Chief77]

Originally Posted by Chief77

Verdict:
2 Pts on Mayer @2.34

Winners/Bets: 2/6
Stakes: 19 pts
Profit: -4.6 pts.

Terrible day at the office with Gulbis winning a tight match 7-6 6-4. Mayer had a set point in the 1st set but blew it. Bad bad to get involved in, in retrospect.

One more bet today and thats Navarro Suarez to bt Hercog in Mexico. Suarez is a great wee battler who reminds me of Sanchez Vicario (She's a short stumpy ugly Spaniard). She's a good clay court player having got to the quarter finals in Roland Garros last year. Hercog is still very young and a bit raw. Fancy the dumpy Spaniard to prevail

Verdict:
6 Points on Suarez Navarro @1.63

Winners/Bets: 2/7
Stakes: 21 pts
Profit: -6.6 pts.

[Chief77]

Originally Posted by Chief77

Verdict:
6 Points on Suarez Navarro @1.63

Navarro was well beaten by Hercog. Surprised at that result.

Backing King today to beat Zahlavova @ 1.6. King has had a couple of good results already this year, notably in the Aussie Open when she beat 23rd seed Cibulkova. Zahlavova has spent the last month playing clay tournaments so hopefully she'll take a bit of time to adjust to the surface.

4pts on King @1.6

Winners/Bets: 2/8
Stakes: 27 pts
Profit: -12.6 pts.