ATP Indian Wells Quarters: Roddick vs. Robredo

Indian Wells, California – American Andy Roddick is gearing up for a quarterfinal clash against Spaniard Tommy Robredo, a spot in the Indian Wells semis on the line. It has been a long time since Roddick won a title of this magnitude and there is nothing the American hopeful would like more to do than to reverse that score. His last Masters victory came in 2006 at Cincinnati, which he also claimed in 2003. He also picked up Masters titles in Miami (2004) and Canada (2003).

Roddick is well poised in the market to reach the semis, he is conspicuously favoured at -800 to win outright over Tommy Robredo, trading at large +425 odds.

Bookies are confident Roddick is the correct play for several reasons, namely because Roddick owns Robredo. He has a whopping 10-0 head-to-head mark over Robredo.

Of course, if there were an incentive for Robredo in that it would be to avoid a frustrating eleventh consecutive loss to Roddick. Doing it on Roddick’s home soil would make that victory somewhat bittersweet. Question is, can he do it. Stare down Roddick and a crowd full of his supporters. Easier said than done.

Tennis Betting Line:

Tommy Robredo +4 +105 +425 22 O -115 U -125
Andy Roddick -4 -145 -800 22 O -115 U -125

First Set Line: Tommy Robredo +275 Andy Roddick -450

Match Time: 05:00 PM Eastern Time Friday March 19, 2010

Tennis Betting Verdict: Roddick is trading at whopping -800 odds to win outright and surely, bettors will be pounding those odds, even if they are steep and promise little return. There is little to suggest Robredo can upset Roddick after all. In knowing that there is comfort, as surely there will be a payout on Roddick –albeit small.

Those looking to back Roddick might fancy the spread and totals because there is better value in those markets. Roddick to cover the spread is listed at -4 -145. The 4-game-point is not so outrageous and doesn’t suggest Roddick will win comprehensively. Therefore, there is room to play with especially if Robredo puts up a fight. I think you couldn’t find a better price-point than here.

The totals are listed at Over 22 with the Under trading at -125 as the favoured outcome and the over trading slightly less so at -115. Again, the games total is just so to suggest a competitive match either way of the mark. I fancy a 6-4, 6-4 score line so I would recommend going with the under here.

Tennis Free Picks: Roddick in straight sets

ATP Indian Wells Quarters: Murray vs. Soderling

Indian Wells, California – The upset bug is highly contagious, and it spreads like wildfire amongst self-doubters and mental train wrecks, yet somehow Andy Murray has avoided the bug at Indian Wells while others like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have fallen victim. Hmph. Go figure.

I thought it would happen to him to be honest. I thought it might happen against Nicolas Almagro in the fourth round specifically given how well the Spaniard had been playing up to that point.

And after the first three games of their encounter were done and dusted, highlighted by Almagro running Murray ragged and breaking him on serve, I thought he would take the express exit queue.

Unfortunately, Almagro, and some would say fortunately for Murray, suffered a foot injury mid-match and had to retire at the beginning of the second set. What a reprieve for Murray to get – although by then he had found his game and looked to be well on his way to the quarters.

Next up for Murray, however, is a dangerous dark horse in Robin Soderling. Murray won’t be getting any reprieve here. I am not a huge fan of the Sod, don’t fancy his big-swinging forehand at all which is the ugliest forehand in the game if you ask me, but I recognize the Swede poses a threat and has the game to vex Murray.

Murray just edges Soderling in head-to-heads at 2-1 lifetime but their mark is so out of date to be irrelevant for their upcoming match. The last time the pair met was in 2006, an encounter Soderling won in straight convincing sets 6-1, 6-4.

Soderling is blessed with a healthy disrespect for all top players. He is not the type of player to be struck by the awe of his opponent on court, quake in his custom-made trainers, and doubt his abilities.

On the contrary, he is that blend of arrogance and egotism to be that irksome opponent that gets under your skin. Spells a bit of trouble for Murray.

When it comes down to keeping emotions in check and not allowing an opponent to get under your skin, he fails miserably.

Tennis Betting Line:

Andrew Murray -2½ -125 -200 23½ O -110 U -130
Robin Soderling +2½ -115 +150 23½ O -110 U -130

First Set Line: Andrew Murray -170 Robin Soderling +130

Match Time: 07:00 PM Eastern Time Friday March 19, 2010

Tennis Betting Verdict: Murray is the conservative favourite at -200 to win outright and for the most part, bettors will be backing him for the win. What with his top five ranking and heir to the World No.1 rank pretensions, you have to give him the edge. I get that.

This match is far from being that simple however, evinced by Soderling’s mere underdog odds of +150. Soderling is a real threat and has the ability to beat Murray.

Importantly, he is not afraid to do so. That makes him the value bet in my opinion. I personally would prefer a Soderling-less tournament but I can’t say I will get my wish.

Soderling backers might want to hedge their bets with a risk on his spread odds, listed at +2 ½ -115. If he wins or loses, the expectation is it will be a close match.

Complimenting this play is a bet on the totals, listed at 23 ½ -130 for the Under the favoured outcome and 23 ½ Over at -110. I fancy the Over in this match.

Tennis Free Picks: Soderling in three sets > > JOIN TO BET < <

WTA Indian Wells Semis: Wozniacki vs. Radwanska

Indian Wells, California – US Open runner-up in 2009, Caroline Wozniacki is a victory away from a potential spot in Saturday’s finale. Standing in her way is Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, a lovely talent in the game.

For Wozniacki, who is a counter-puncher, this is a good matchup. Radwanska doesn’t have many weapons in her game to hurt her, rather she has a good head on her shoulders and relies more on strategy and technique than anything else.

This should therefore be an interesting display of chess-like tennis. Something the tennis purist will enjoy immensely, without the distraction of that senseless ball crushing that is prevalent in the women’s game these days.

Wozniacki naturally enters this matchup as the favourite to win outright, she has the slight edge on paper to make her the better bet.

Radwanska is the underdog obviously but she has been a bit of a surprise package in Indian Wells, really rising to her full potential. Question is whether she can out-punch Wozniacki to really rise above her weight class.

Tennis Betting Line:

Agnieszka Radwanska -105 22 O +105 U -145
Caroline Wozniacki -135 22 O +105 U -145

First Set Line: Agnieszka Radwanska -115 Caroline Wozniacki -125

Match Time: 10:30 PM Eastern Time Friday March 19, 2010

Tennis Betting Verdict: Wozniacki is the ever-so slight, favourite to win outright at -135 and the even tighter favourite to take the first set at -125. There is value in Wozniacki of course; she is the world No.4 player and with an impressive resume for a 19-year-old. That she is the darling of the women’s game helps her win fans everywhere she goes.

Radwanska however is a great talent, very Hingis-like when the Swiss was at the top of the women’s game. Radwanska is not a player to underestimate and the market certainly doesn’t listing her at favourable -105 odds to win outright. She is also only marginally shorter to take the first set at -115.

Whichever way you slice this match, there is value. Little separates the two players in the market estimation so tennis bettors can’t go wrong here. If I were playing with house money, I would back Radwanska.

Tennis Free Picks: Radwanska in three sets

If you enjoyed this article then get full access to all our other features plus a 50% bonus when you sign up with us by clicking on this link!

Tim Tebow Should Blame Florida Gators For His Unenviable Position

Tim Tebow may be one of the most unique athletes to grace the NFL Draft, but this is still a league which needs to pigeon-hole players no matter what. The prospect of the Florida Gators is by and large still a quarterback despite the rumors that he’ll be an NFL tailback to some degree. The invite extended to Tebow to be in New York is promising for his chances of being selected in the first two rounds, but should scouts really be dazzled by what he did at his Pro Day?

Showing off a new much tighter throwing motion and a complete departure from his awkward “picking the football off the ground” technique, Tim Tebow delighted NFL scouts and head honchos. Sure, the delivery looked much, much better than what we’ve seen from him, but he wasn’t throwing over an offensive line, nor were there any defensive lineman trying to chew his insides as an afternoon snack.

Even more importantly, one has to ask: what the hell took so long?

Lost asunder in the 2010 Tebow Love Tour is the inability of his college head coach, Urban Meyer, to properly develop his quarterbacks into legitimate pros. At the college level, Meyer used Tebow more like a bulldozing battering ram than a quarterback, and his awesome rushing numbers are a reflection of that. Let’s not forget that Tebow is a four-year senior. What on God’s green earth has the coaching staff been teaching him all this time?

The pedigree of Florida Gators’ quarterbacks is anything but glorious. Their past five quarterbacks have included Tim Tebow, Chris Leak, Rex Grossman, Doug Johnson, and Danny Wuerffel. Calling any of those players an NFL success is like saying that the kids from “Jersey Shore” are actually the best thing to happen to television since the cast of “90210”. Great at moments, memorable at times, but a lasting legacy is not part of their resume.

Old habits die hard, and while Tebow was able to refine has passing motion in the past few months since losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship game, that can’t possibly be enough for coachs to spend a first-round pick on him? Can it?

That’s the allure of Tebow though. He’s simply one of the most gifted kids to enter the draft from a physical standpoint. Yet he’s not even the among the top quarterbacks on the draft board. Tebow is miles behind Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen, and even Colt McCoy.

The teams in attendance included the Carolina Panthers, the Cleveland Browns, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New York Giants. While the first three teams are certainly in the market for a quarterback, aren’t the other three already in the business of paying big money for their lead men?

Sign up now and get FULL access to all of BetOnline features!

You can call Tebow’s new passing style anything you want. I’m still going to call it “awkward, unreliable, and forced” because that’s exactly what it looked like. To put it more elementary, it looked unnatural. The last thing you want your quarterback doing is thinking about a movement where so many mechanical failures can happen, when what he should be concentrating on is checking down his receivers and picking up blitzes. Throwing a football should be second-nature by now. It shouldn’t be something that he’s scrutinized for or must be adjusted to this extreme.

Fans and football betting nut jobs are the ones who are supposed to get caught up in the hype of a Heisman winner. Coaches and talent scouts are supposed to be better judges of this kind of stuff. Of course, with quarterbacks like JaMarcus Russell and David Carr floating out in the void, the NFL Draft is still as much of a guessing game as it ever has been.

On the positive side, what Tebow did show is an aptitude to change if necessary. NFL teams hated the way he threw the ball so he changed it. I wonder if he’d do the same if they said the same about his wardrobe or haircut?

The bigger issue is that Urban Meyer and Florida aren’t developing quarterbacks despite gunning for national titles. While Meyer rakes in millions as one of the highest paid coaches at the college ranks in any sport, he’s doing so at the cost of his own players. Tebow will find his way to the NFL one way or another, but the reason he even attended Florida still stemmed from the same motivation all kids have when they go to college – to discern a career and gain valuable skills (yes, of all sorts). What Tebow will find when he gets to the NFL is that all this effort he has subjected himself to in an effort to attract suitors wasn’t worth it because teams want guys who spent four years in college refining their already-sterling talents.

What they don’t want, and what teams don’t need, is a guy basically starting from scratch. It’s as much Tebow’s fault as it is his college coaches’, but those in a position to foster young talents like Tebow must do more. They owe it to their players at the very least. As is stands right now, the Florida Gators missed an opportunity to make an already great athlete an even better football player. But instead they prioritized their own desires for glory above the player.

Bet on this and more of the hottest sports events at BetOnline.com >> Join NOW