UFC 102 Picks – Jardine vs. Silva should be a WAR

It’s been a rough run for Ultimate Fighter alums in the UFC, especially at UFC 101 as Forrest Griffin was embarrassed along with several other losses. But Keith Jardine can take a step in patching up the TUF reputation with a win over Thiago Silva at UFC 102.

Silva’s only loss was also an embarrassing one at the hands of Lyoto Machida but let’s be honest, there’s not too much shame in losing to a prodigy like Machida who’s never lost a single round in UFC competition.

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Silva (13-1 MMA record) is a much better fighter than he showed in his loss to Machida, and Jardine (14-5-1) is a much better fighter than a lot of the guys who came off of TUF despite his awkward-looking style.

Jardine’s had some inexcusable performances of his own but he also gained a ton of respect in his UFC 96 loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. I was there cageside and Jardine went toe-to-toe all night with one of the most feared strikers in all of MMA, taking some hard shots while still dishing out plenty of punishment. He is very unorthodox in his boxing as he throws loopy punches but also has his trademark leg kicks that did enough damage on Chuck Liddell to win him that fight.

BetOnline Sportsbook currently has Jardine listed as a -145 to +115 favorite over the underdog Silva in this one, perhaps a reflection of his performance against Jackson.

Many thought Jardine would be outclassed in terms of speed and explosiveness compared to Jackson but he showed he could bring his game up a notch when faced with better competition.

Jardine knows he turned in a good performance and even said a judge told him he was only about one bad minute at the end of the fight away from scoring a huge upset win, so he should be plenty motivated going into this UFC 102 bout against Silva.

Silva will be driven to erase the poor performance he gave against Machida, but he also could be gun-shy after the brutal KO loss as well.

This fight is billed as a brawl between two strikers, but Jardine has the edge in terms of power and perhaps versatility on the feet. Silva has an advantage on the ground but Jardine has the power to work his way out of trouble should the need arise.

In the end, expect Jardine to do his best to keep the fight standing and to wear Silva down with a good mix of leg kicks and his signature herky-jerky punches en route to a decision victory.

Silva has the talent to be one of the best in the 205-pound division but as his last fight showed, he’s not quite ready to go up against the division’s elite. Jardine’s big edge in experience should give him the advantage this time around.

UFC Betting Insider – Leben vs. Rosholt

Once perhaps the most infamous Ultimate Fighter alum of them all due to his destructive antics on the show, Chris Leben is now a kinder, gentler man who seems to have found his inner peace.

Of course, the Leben we see in the Octagon is a completely different person, however, one of the most reckless, intense, and relentless competitors in the sport. His nickname, “The Crippler,” definitely backs that up.

Leben returns to his hometown of Portland in what should be an emotional night for UFC 102 on Saturday to face off with Jake Rosholt.

Rosholt is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC, as his background as a former champion at Oklahoma State will tell you. He won three national titles in two different weight classes, that’s seriously impressive.

But Rosholt is still a bit inexperienced in MMA (5-1 career record) and dropped his first UFC bout to Dan Miller.

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Leben’s got the home crowd on his side along with experience (18-6 record) and a much better stand-up game at this point in his career. Perhaps this is why BetOnline is leaning towards Leben in this fight.

The Crippler is currently a -155 to +125 favorite over the Rosholt, which is actually a bit close considering the gap in experience and the fact that Leben has a ton of fans from his TUF days.

There will be a bit of “Octagon rust” for Leben, however, as his list fight was when he co-headlined UFC 89 against Michael Bisping back in October 2008.

The key to this fight will obviously be Leben’s ability to stop Rosholt from taking him down and working his ground-and-pound game. Leben has a solid wrestling background so he should be able to at least contain Rosholt’s takedown ability in this one, which could be all he needs to get Rosholt right where he wants him.

Leben isn’t the most technical striker ever, in fact his game main comes down to throwing his big right hand over and over again, but he’s improved a bit in that respect since his time in the UFC and become a bit more well-rounded.

His chin is also one of the best in the middleweight division, so Rosholt isn’t likely to do a whole lot of damage standing.

As long as Leben can keep his emotions from getting the best of him in this one with all the pressure to score a big knockout for the home fans, he should be able to control the pace of the fight with the threat of his big right looming and work Rosholt over standing, eventually setting him up for that one big punch that could end up being knockout of the night.

Leben isn’t the most secure favorite bet out there for UFC 102, but between his experience and boxing advantage, it’s hard to pick against him this time around, that’s for sure.

Vera vs. Soszynski – Will the Polish Experiment be a Success?

Here are the BetOnline UFC betting odds on the fight:

UFC Light Heavyweights

August 29 — Portland, OR

BRANDON VERA -200

KRZYSZTOF SOSZYNSKI +160

For betting purposes, let’s size up the contestants:

VERA (10-3, 7 KO’s), the -200 favorite in the BetOnline UFC mixed martial arts betting odds who is known as "The Truth," is a former athlete at Old Dominion University who later joined the Air Force and wrestled with its team. He later got introduced to mixed martial arts and made his debut in that sport in July of 2002 when he stopped Adam Rivera. He won the vacant WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) heavyweight championship in January of 2005 when he stopped Mike Whitehead, then entered the UFC on an Ultimate Fight Night in and halted Fabiano Scherner with knees inside two rounds. Vera’s best win, and his eighth straight as a pro, took place at UFC 65 when he scored a TKO over former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in 69 seconds. This led to a bout against Tim Sylvia at UFC 77, where he broke his hand, but went the entire distance in losing a unanimous decision, the first blemish on his record. In his next fight, he lost on a TKO to Fabricio Werdum, as the fight was inexplicably stopped by the referee. After that, Vera moved down to the light heavyweight division and disappointed a bit with a decision over Reese Andy, then dropped a split decision to Keith Jardine at UFC 89. His last fight was March 7, a TKO win over journeyman Mike Patt

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SOSZYNSKI (18-8, 6 KO’s), the +160 underdog at BetOnline, is a native of Poland who grew up in Canada. He competed as a professional wrestler and has trained some in jiu-jitsu. He made his MMA debut in September of 2003 with a submission over Matt Laframboise. He won his first five bouts, but then went through a tough streak where he went 0-4-1 at one stretch. He went into the International Fight League (IFL) and fought seven times there for the Los Angeles Anacondas. In two of those fights he lost to IFL champion heavyweight Ben Rothwell. he came to the UFC in December of last year and scored the Submission of the Night over Shane Primm. He won that honor again in his next bout against Brian Stann. His last fight was on May 23, as he knocked out Andre Gusmao on punches at UFC 98. Those two submissions were made with a Kimura, but he also likes to do the "ground and pound."

You have to figure that Soszynski is going to be at something of a disadvantage in the stand-up. That’s where Vera, very skilled at Muay Thai, would like to keep this thing as much as possible. I wonder how long he’s going to be able to do that though. It’s not that Vera is bad when he’s on the ground, but in this respect you could easily give an edge to Soszynski, who is very good at submitting opponents.

It could well be that Vera is a "tweener," as he was not big enough to contend with the top heavyweights, but has nonetheless not been that impressive at the light heavyweight level. Of course, a split decision loss to Keith Jardine is not at all shameful, but there is still not a lot there to indicate that he is going to be a force at 205 pounds. To be sure, he has fought bigger and stronger guys, so he’s not going to be overpowered, but I like what Soszynski has demonstrated since he came over from the IFL. He can get Vera to the floor, and control things from there. He may even score a submission.

I’ll take a shot with underdog Soszynski at +160 in the BetOnline UFC 102 mixed martial arts betting odds.

JAY’S PLAY: SOSZYNSKI TO WIN (+160) **

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

UFC 102 Fight of the Night – Jardine vs. Silva will be a WAR

Keith Jardine is Going to Get Ugly Against Silva

I know that’s an ironic headline considering that Jardine is already the strangest looking competitor in the sport (notwithstanding that giant 18 foot Asian gimmick fighter who recently fought Jose Conseco), but I’m talking about his gameplan, not his looks. Jardine lost a decision to Rampage Jackson by making a terrible last-second decision in the final seconds of the final round. It put Jardine on the losing end of the match, and a forgotten commodity for the time being. That’s just how like Jardine likes it however, and Silva is in for the fight of his life.

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The previously undefeated Silva is a scrapper by nature, but he’s never seen anything like Jardine. The last time we saw Silva in action, he was dropped distinctly by Lyoto Machida. Silva will be looking to stay away from Jardine’s stand-up, which will cost him energy wise. Jardine is much more difficult to take down than he looks, and Silva simply doesn’t have the pedigree to keep pace. He bought in to the hype of his own undefeated record, but the loss to Machida sent him crashing back down to Earth. Jardine is going to make sure he stays there.

At -140, Jardine is ready to prove his naysayers wrong. To be honest, he deserved the match against Rampage despite being knocked down at the final moment of the match. He’ll be out for blood, which isn’t a good thing for Silva considering that Jardine looks like he feasts on toddlers the night before a fight. Do not underestimate Jardine in this match. He’s been flip-flopping wins and losses for the past two years, and coming off a loss that he didn’t deserve is going to fuel this man’s fire.

Jardine is ready for the big time. He was always considered a stepping stone, but wins against Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell have proven that he has the punching power to knock anyone on their backs. Jardine is ready to show Silva that he’s not ready for the big leagues yet and that his overinflated record needs to start balancing out.

Getting rid of Silva will be a good thing for Jardine as he ascends the ranks once again. It’ll be a good thing for us as fans too. I’m having keeping track of all these damn “Silva’s”. one of them needs to disappear. It’s like the talking about the damn Olsen Twins for God’s sakes.

Furious Free Pick: Jardine -140

Jay Cutler Returns to Denver – Bears vs. Broncos from Mile High

NFL PRESEASON BETTING – Game Match-Up 8/30

Chicago Bears vs. Denver Broncos 8:00 ET

NBC scheduled a doozy for their initial 2009 NFL betting broadcast of the season when the Chicago Bears (1-1, 1-1 ATS) invade Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium to crack skulls with the Denver Broncos (1-1, 1-1 ATS). Unless you were living under a rock during this past offseason, you might have heard that these teams exchanged QB’s and a number of draft picks in the biggest trade before the summer. It’s only fitting that Jay Cutler returns to Denver to hear the wrath of the Broncos fans after he left on such rocky terms.

Denver currently sits as a 2.5-point home favorite with the game ‘total’ set at 38.5 per the current BetOnline.com NFL betting lines.

Chicago looked like a completely different team last week against the NY Giants than it did in its sports betting battle at Buffalo the week before. QB Jay Cutler immediately got into the good graces of the fans that packed Soldier Field by leading the Bears to points on their first three possessions. The Windy City’s new QB1 completed 8 of 13 passes for 121 yards, and led TD drives of 80 and 92 yards respectively. Chicago fans and NFL bettors got a glimpse of what’s to come when he hooked up with former Vanderbilt teammate WR Earl Bennett for a 27-yard pass and catch; look for that combo to have big numbers in ’09. Most impressive however was the rushing of RB Matt Forte who looked fully healed from the hamstring injury that nagged him throughout camp. The former Tulane Green Wave carried the ball nine times for 58 yards and a score; his 32-yard scamper put the Bears up 10-0 in the 1st quarter.

Defensively, it’s still unknown as to what the Bears got due to the Giants ineptitude throughout the entire game. That said; it limited a potent Giants attack to just three points and sacked NY QB’s a total of five times.

The Josh McDaniels era got off to a decent start in San Francisco two weeks ago, but it took a turn for the worse in Seattle last Saturday night. The Broncos were thoroughly dominated on both sides of the ball as the Seahawks offense had its way while showing off their new toy; WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh. However, the good news for Broncos fans is that QB Kyle Orton responded to last week’s car wreck of an effort in San Francisco by completing 16 of his first 19 throws with a TD before another lapse in judgment in the red zone that cost his team points. "He played, you know, fairly well. There’s still obviously room for improvement," McDaniels said. "But he did what we feel he is capable of doing."

The Broncos defense leaves much to be desired. It did a solid job limiting Seattle’s ground attack, but it got no pressure on the QB allowing Matt Hasselbeck & company to throw on the back seven with ease.

The formula for this one is quite simple. Cutler goes into Invesco. Reaches into Denver’s collective chest. Rips out heart. Takes a bite out of it. Spits remnants into fans faces. Yes, it’s graphic but it’s a perfect picture as to what this game means to Cutler regardless of how he’s portraying it to the press. Denver’s up against it with the 1st teamers, and they don’t have the depth to compete with Chicago once Lovie Smith pulls his starters. You don’t need the points, but take as many as you can get!

Rose’s Recommendation: 3* Chicago Bears (+2.5) -105

(Rating Scale: 1* – 5*)

UEFA Super Cup – FC Barcelona vs. Shakhtar Donetsk

The UEFA Super Cup, the biggest one-off matches in European soccer, is just a mere hour or so away as reigning Champions League champs Barcelona take on Europa League champs Shakhtar Dontesk. A scenario where second-tier champions pit themselves against top-flight champions is always interesting. Thrilling even as both have to play at elevated levels. Barcelona have to win to prove why they are the best in Europe. Shakhtar will aim to measure up, if not accomplish the unthinkable. Something that has not been done since Dynamo defeated FC Bayern Munich in 1975.

Naturally, the favourite/underdog depiction is in accordance to the status of their titles. Barcelona enter this match as the massive favourites, listed at BetOnline Sportsbook at -285 while Shakhtar come in as the heavy underdogs at +700.

Soccer Betting Line:

FC Barcelona -1½ +105 -285 3 O -105 U -125 Draw +325

Shakhtar Donetsk +1½ -135 +700 3 O -105 U -125 Draw +325

Match Time: 02:45 P.M. Eastern Time Friday August 28 2009

Venue: Stade Louis II – Monaco – France

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Soccer Betting Verdict: The UEFA Super Cup should be an exciting contest and soccer bettors can find many angles for profit. In terms of betting on the outright win, Barcelona are listed as firm favourites. The market is confident the Spanish side will live up to its lofty European Champion standard and take the victory. History is on their side as well as it has been just over 30 years since a second tier champion upset a top flight champion.

Shakhtar Dontesk competed in Champions League last season and they have lots of quality. They dropped to UEFA Cup when they failed to advance out of the group stage. Despite dropping to UEFA Cup, it did not deter them from have an extraordinary campaign.

In the time they spent in Champions League, they met Barcelona. Each recorded an away win. Shakhtar has a decent record against Barcelona (two wins from six previous meetings, which includes a 3-2 triumph at Campu Nou) as well so they will not be intimidated so.

"We are ready, it’s a big challenge for us," said the Barcelona coach. "Shakhtar beat us last season and then had an extraordinary UEFA Cup campaign. Very few teams can dominate a match like Shakhtar can. Lucescu and some of his players have been there for four or five years and they’re doing a good job." [UEFA.com]

Soccer Free Picks: In a perfect world, Barcelona should win this match, yet I keep turning to Shakhtar and all they have achieved. They are not a side to be underestimated and they have confidence coming into this match and a strong belief they can win. That is half the battle as anyone who has ever played a match will know. If you don’t believe you can win then you will not. Shakhtar does. And it is not like it has never been done before. Just not in some time. If there were a side that could do it, Shakhtar is that side. It is a long shot bet at +700, better left for the romantic bettor. Pragmatics should stick to Barcelona at -285 or even the draw at +325, which is good value. Take the over 3 goals -105. With all the firepower contained on both benches we have to see a lot of goals.

Big Apple Bragging Rights – New York Jets vs. New York Giants

NFL PRESEASON BETTING – Game Match-Up 8/29

New York Jets vs. New York Giants 8:00 ET

Bragging rights in the Big Apple will be on the line in the Meadowlands on Saturday night when the New York Jets (0-2, 1-1 ATS) head into combat against their inner-city rivals, the New York Giants (1-1, 1-1 ATS). Both teams will be looking to bounce back after losses in Week 2 NFL preseason sports betting.

BetOnline oddsmakers are giving the nod to the G-Men in this one, as they have been lined as 3.5-point favorites. The ‘total’ has been set at 36.5.

QB Mark Sanchez made his first career start against the Ravens in the “Rex Ryan Bowl” on Monday Night Football last week, but it certainly wasn’t a day to remember. After throwing a pick-six to DT Haloti Ngata on a screen pass gone awry, he would’ve pulled off the same dubious feat if LB Ray Lewis had held onto the football. In all, Sanchez went just 3/8 for 43 yards. He did throw his first professional touchdown in defeat, but all in all, it was a day to forget. None of New York’s quarterbacks completed more than 50% of their passes against a stout Baltimore defense. The rushing attack looked strong though, as the trio of Leon Washington, Danny Woodhead, and Thomas Jones combined to tote the rock 30 times for 121 yards. The defense held up its end of the bargain by allowing only 10 of the 24 points scored, and limited Baltimore to just 248 yards after it piled up 500 the week before.

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There wasn’t much for HC Tom Coughlin to be pleased with from his Giants last week either. The offense got absolutely nothing rolling against the Bears’ ‘D’. QB Eli Manning went 7/10 for 62 yards, but backup David Carr failed to complete a pass. New York’s offensive line may have opened up some decent holes for the running attack (which carried the ball 22 times for 119 yards), but the unit allowed five sacks. Defensively, the Giants gave up 323 yards, including 58 yards on just nine carries to RB Matt Forte. No quarterback for the Giants has reached the 100-yard plateau this year, though both Manning and Carr will probably get there by the time the clock reaches zero in tonight’s game against the Jets.

Even though these two teams rarely meet up when the games are for keeps, they do see each other once every preseason. The Jets may be scoring points, but they’re certainly not moving the ball well right now. The Giants seemed to sleepwalk their way through Week 2 of the preseason, and very well could do the same tonight. The G-Men rank 30th in total offense at 224.5 yards per game, while the Jets only rank 13th in yards per game (317.5) thanks to a big second half effort in their first preseason game against the Rams. The L/8 preseason meetings between these teams has played ‘under’ the ‘total’, and unless both offenses suddenly get a wake-up call, tonight’s contest should be no different.

Rose’s Recommendation: 3* NY Jets/NY Giants Under 36.5

(Rating Scale: 1* – 5*)

Sam Querrey reaches quarters and clinches US Open Series

New Haven CT – Sam Querrey caps a successful summer American hard court swing by clinching the US Open Series with a straight set victory over Bjorn Phau on Wednesday. Querrey dismissed Phau 7-5, 6-3 at the ATP World Tour 250 point’s tournament in New Haven to advance to his seventh quarterfinal of the season. Querrey will now be competing for up to an additional $1 million in Bonus Prize Money at the US Open (which he would collect should he win the coveted crown).

Next up for the 21-year old Querrey is Nikolay Davydenko of Russia who moved into the quarters with a straight set win, 7-5, 6-3 over veteran Fabrice Santoro. The quarterfinal matchup is set and ready to take centre court. Davydenko is favoured in the betus market to take the win at -220, but Querrey offers a lot of value at +170 should he continue his run of form in New Haven.

Elsewhere, Jurgen Melzer and Fernando Verdasco will battle for a spot in the semis along with Jose Acasuso and Florent Serra. Here is a look at the afternoon and evening quarterfinal line-up at the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament.

Tennis Betting Line:

Jurgen Melzer +4 -115 +250 22 O -120 U -120

Fernando Verdasco -4 -125 -400 22 O -120 U -120

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Match Time: 04:15 P.M. Eastern Time Thursday August 27 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: Fernando Verdasco takes a 2-1 edge into this matchup and a favourite price tag of -400. The last time they met was in 2006, ironically at New Haven, when Melzer got into the win column over Verdasco when the Spaniard retired mid match, down 6-4, 4-1.

The world No. 10 Verdasco is in the midst of a standout season; 36-16 (including this week’s results) highlighted by an impressive run in the early months that featured a quarterfinal or better appearance. Verdasco reaches the quarters with victories over Paul Capdeville and Andreas Seppi. Verdasco has not dropped a set yet in New Haven. Meanwhile, Melzer got a free pass into the third round when Pablo Cuevas retired down 6-2, 3-0. He went on to earn a hard fought victory over Victor Hanescu 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-1.

Tennis Free Picks: Verdasco in three sets -400 | Over 22 -120

Tennis Betting Line:

Jose Acasuso -130 23½ O -115 U -125

Florent Serra -110 23½ O -115 U -125

Match Time: 08:15 P.M. Eastern Time Thursday August 27 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: Florent Serra and Jose Acasuso are set to meet for the first time ever in their careers. Both are enjoying a great week in New Haven, punching above their weight class to reach the quarters. No.52 Acasuso, prior to Pilot Pen, was struggling. He arrived 15-16 on the season. In reaching the quarters, he improves to 18-16. He took out Maximo Gonzalez, third seed Tommy Robredo and 14th seed Igor Kunitsyn.

No.60 Florent Serra arrived in New Haven 17-23 on the season. In reaching the quarters, Serra improves to 20-23. He advances at the expense of Steve Darcis, tenth seed Jeremy Chardy and American wild card Rajeev Ram, who had take out fifth seed Mardy Fish prior.

Tennis Free Picks: Acasuso -130 | Over 23 ½ -115

UFC 102 Heavyweight Picks – Gonzaga vs. Tuscherer

As a massive training partner of Brock Lesnar, Chris Tuscherer is a trendy upset pick for UFC 102 against Gabriel Gonzaga this Saturday in Portland, Oregon.

Bettors can get some quality odds on Tuscherer if they act quickly over at the BetUs.com Sportsbook, with Gonzaga currently listed as a -350 to +250 favorite over the heavy underdog Tuscherer.

Much like Lesnar, Tuscherer is a 6-foot-2, 265-pound wrestler from a cold climate state (North Dakota) who’s made a habit of finishing his opponents in quick fashion, and his 17-1 record even has six submission wins packed into it, suggesting that Tuscherer has some skill to go with his size.

But watch Tuscherer fight and you get the sense that he just doesn’t seem to match up well against a versatile, quick heavyweight like Gonzaga in this UFC 102 matchup.

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He doesn’t have nearly the athleticism or raw power that Lesnar has and he has less muscle mass for sure. While Tuscherer is expected to come into the fight against Gonzaga a bit slimmed down, he might not have much of a strength advantage over Gonzaga at all come fight night and that’s really the only tangible advantage he has going into the fight.

The other x-factor that could work in Tuscherer’s favor going into this fight is Gonzaga’s tendency to be a bit inconsistent. The thing is, Gonzaga looked pretty good in the Shane Carwin fight before being caught by arguably the most powerful right hand in all of MMA right now, and he got dropped.

Gonzaga is one of the top jiu-jitsu practitioners in the heavyweight division and his striking is also much more technical than Tuscherer’s including some quality boxing skills and the ability to string together combinations plus a devastating high kick that happened to knock out the best high kick artist in MMA, Mirko Cro Cop.

Some view the Cro Cop win as a bit of a fluke from Gonzaga, but while Napao hasn’t quite lived up to the hype he generated after that win, he still has established himself as one of the best heavyweights in the UFC and he should prove that again at UFC 102 by outclassing Tuscherer in all areas of the game on his way to a solid win.

The Pick: Gonzaga by Decision

WTA New Haven – Kuznetsova, Wozniacki and Pennetta in the quarters

New Haven, CT – Russian Elena Vesnina was the first player to confirm her spot in the semis when she took out compatriot Anna Chakvetadze 6-1, 7-5 on Thursday morning. Next up is Virginie Razzano and Caroline Wozniacki as they battle on centre court for a spot in the final four. Elsewhere, Magdaelna Rybarikova who upset Marion Bartoli on Wednesday will take on hot betting ticket Flavia Pennetta. Finally, the showdown between Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amelie Mauresmo will take place at prime time on Thursday.

Tennis Betting Line:

Virgine Razzano +4 -115 +200 21 O -110 U -130

Caroline Wozniacki -4 -125 -300 21 O -110 U -130

Match Time: 03:00P.M. Eastern Time Thursday August 27 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki and Virginie Razzano are scheduled to take centre court after the thrilling billing between Nikolay Davydenko and Sam Querrey concludes..

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World No.9 Wozniacki is the hot favourite at -300 but she is not so tipped to be an untouchable favourite by betus bookies. Huh, interesting. Wozniacki is an impressive 51-17 on the season with two titles. She also owns a 3-0 edge over Razzano having beaten the Frenchwoman three times this season. At the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament, Wozniacki has been devastating. She kept a clean sheet against Gallovits, beating her 6-0, 6-0. She took out promising Russian teenager 6-1, 6-4.

Wozniacki is on form. She has confidence. She is the defending champion and she owns Razzano. For all these parts she is the better play.

Tennis Free Picks: Wozniacki -300 | Under 21 -130

Tennis Betting Line:

Magdalena Rybarikova +4½ -130 +235 20½ O -130 U -110

Flavia Pennetta -4½ -110 -375 20½ O -130 U -110

Match Time: 03:00P.M. Eastern Time Thursday August 27 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: Slovakian Rybarikova impressed against Marion Bartoli on Wednesday. After losing the first set hopelessly 6-1, she recovered in the second set, saving two match points at 5-3 to take it to the tiebreak and clinching the set 7-6(5). She raced to a 2-0 lead in the third set when Bartoli called it quits. Though Rybarikova was denied the full satisfaction of victory, she deserves credit for hanging in there and rebounding so nicely. Next up for Rybarikova is a stiff challenge from Flavia Pennetta, an on form player who recently won the biggest title in her career in Stanford.

Curiously, Rybarikova owns the slim 1-0 edge over Pennetta after beating the Italian in Hobart earlier this season in the last 16 7-5, 6-3. For Rybarikova that victory should be a great source of confidence and it makes her underdog odds worth a think. Yet, Pennetta is hot right now and with her newfound self-belief, she should be able to dispatch Rybarikova.

Tennis Free Picks: Pennetta in straight sets | Over 20 ½ -130

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