ATP Dubai Final – Djokovic and Ferrer looking for First Title in 2009

Dubai, UAE – The Dubai title match this weekend promises to be a blockbuster showdown and the plum pick in the marketplace. Top seed Novak Djokovic and fourth seed David Ferrer will do battle for the Barclay’s Dubai Tennis Championships crown. Each player is seeking his first crown in 2009. So which player will join the winner’s circle this week? Care to bet on it? Here is a breakdown of their matchup for all ye tennis-betting faithful at BetOnline Sportsbook.

Tennis Betting Line: Novak Djokovic vs. David Ferrer

Match Time: 05:00 A.M. Eastern Time Saturday 28 February 2009

Head-to-Head Stats: No.3 Novak Djokovic and No.14 David Ferrer are level 3-3 in head-to-heads. Djokovic owns the most recent victory; he beat Ferrer in the quarterfinal round of the 2008 Australian Open en route to winning his first-ever Grand Slam title. Four of their six matches were contested on hard courts; Djokovic has a more decided edge as he leads 3-1. The only time Ferrer beat Djokovic on a hard court was during the round robin stage of the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup. Ferrer finished runner-up at the time, lost the title match to Federer.

Tennis Betting Analysis: This is the seventh career meeting between the two players and the most significant as the winner will lift his first title of the 2009 season. They have never met in the final of an event before. The deepest they clashed in a tournament was the US Open semis. Djokovic won in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

Djokovic: As the top seed in Dubai, Djokovic is on paper the favourite. He is also the bookies favourite as a result. However, if we were to be critical, Djokovic has not had a remarkable season, enjoying less success than he did last year – a term that saw him win both the Australian Open and the Masters Cup along with two Masters Shields in Indian Wells and Rome). Djokovic started his season on the wrong foot, losing to Ernests Gulbis in Brisbane. He went on to fall to Nieminen in Sydney in the semis and withdraw against Andy Roddick at the Aussie Open. In Marseille, he was dismissed by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semis – a player he beat in the Aussie Open final but has since loss to on four different occasions.

Ferrer: The Spaniard entered the main draw as the fourth seed. He brought a 7-4 mark to Dubai and has since improved to 11-4 on the season. Ferrer’s 2009 highlight reel includes two semi runs in Auckland and Johannesburg, a R32 at the Australian Open and a R16 in Rotterdam. Ferrer ranked as high as No.4 in the world early last season but a curious slump followed and he swooned in the ranks. Currently, he weighs in at No.14.

Tennis Betting Verdict: As mentioned above, Djokovic on paper would appear to be the clear favourite. However, his form, which has been off for most of the season, has barely struck an audible note in Dubai. He opened well enough against Flavio Cipolla but struggled against Jan Hernych, taking three sets to close the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. He bounced back against Marin Cilic in the quarters. But once again, he slipped against Simon, needing three sets to beat the Frenchman 3-6, 7-5, 7-5. Djokovic will have to raise the level of his game if he wants to beat Ferrer. The Spaniard has hit fine form in Dubai. Since opening the tournament against the tough competitor, Ivan Ljubicic and dropping the first set, Ferrer has not come close to dropping another set. He beat Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-2; Andreev 7-5, 6-1 and Gasquet 6-2, 6-2. His last performance his most convincing. If Ferrer takes the same form that saw him destroy Gasquet, Djokovic (the player he has shown to be lately) would not stand a chance.

Tennis Betting Free Picks: Ferrer in three sets

Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetOnline.com Locker