ABN AMRO Quarters: Monfils vs. Youzhny

Rotterdam, Netherlands – Gael Monfils and Mikhail Youzhny are set to go head-to-head in the ABN AMRO quarterfinals on Friday. The winner will set a date with Novak Djokovic who got a free pass into the semis when Florian Mayer withdrew with a leg injury.

The billing between Monfils and Youzhny was pre-ordained. Pundits had their quarterfinal appointment pencilled into their draws before the tournament got underway. The prospect of their clash is scintillating, as it will pit two different types of players against each other: Monfils athleticism against Youzhny’s versatility.

Youzhny goes into this match with a 2-0 head-to-head edge. The mark is unrepresentative however as both meetings are out-of-date, going back to the 2005 Cincinnati

Masters and the 2007 Doha tournament.

What is representative of both players is their current ranking and their marks on the season. Monfils ranks at world No.13 and takes an 10-3 mark into their clash, including two semi-final appearances in Brisbane and Johannesburg. Monfils also reached the Aussie Open R32 wherein he lost to John Isner but that result was considered underachieving of the Frenchman.

Youzhny is up to world No.20 after falling off the radar from 2008-09. He arrived with a mere 2-1 mark on the season, comprised of a first round exit in Doha and a third round exit in Melbourne (withdrew with an injury). Youzhny improves to 4-1 ahead of the quarters.

Tennis Betting Line: Gael Monfils -160 Mikhail Youzhny +120

First Set Line: Gael Monfils -150 Mikhail Youzhny +110

Match Time: 12:30 PM Eastern Time Friday February 12, 2010

Tennis Betting Verdict: The billing between Monfils and Youzhny will be the night feature match at Rotterdam. The bookies have rolled out a rather conservative line, tightly cast with Monfils favoured at a mere -160 and Youzhny modestly disadvantaged at +120. The line is fitting in my opinion. And is further proof of their asymmetrical rivalry (if you can call two matches that).

Whichever way you slice this match, there is value. Tennis bettors looking to back Monfils will find his price well worth the risk, as his price to take the first set at -150.

Bettors looking to back Youzhny will also like his underdog price of +120. He is cast just so to suggest he is more than capable of vexing Monfils. He has two wins over the Frenchman to back that price, even if they are out-of-date in the broader sense. Youzhny to take the first set is a mere +110.

Tennis Free Picks: The betting trend will most likely side with Monfils, and for my part, I think he should win this match and make good on his higher ranking. I am sure Djokovic would prefer to play Monfils, as he owns the Frenchman 4-0 lifetime whereas Youzhny has a more competitive h2h against Djokovic, trailing 2-3 lifetime. Having said that Youzhny is the better bargain for bettors and significantly, he has shown his versatility can best Monfils athleticism. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did win.

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