Russians Starlets in action in Stuttgart

Stuttgart, Germany – The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix boasts a star-studded cast of women, lead by the Russian duo of Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva as the top two seeds. Also in attendance is Jelena Jankovic, seeded third, and Belarusian tennis sensation Viktoria Azarenka as the fourth seed. With some of the best representatives of the top 10 elite women in the game competing alongside a healthy sprinkling of power-players and clay-court specialists, the tennis betting public at BetOnline Sportsbook is in for a treat this week. To get you started following the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, here is a look at some of the Russians in first round action on Wednesday.

Tennis Betting Line: Flavia Pennetta -400 Anna Chakvetadze +250

Match Time: 05:00 A.M. Eastern Time Wednesday April 29 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: There was a time when the bookies would have favoured Chakvetadze over Pennetta in a heartbeat. However, the Russian starlet has slipped to 22 in the rankings on the heels of a disappointing 2008 season. Her woes have spilled over into the 2009 term and are ongoing. She is 4-6 on the season, highlighted by a failure to string together back-to-back match wins, let alone opening match wins. In contrast, Flavia Pennetta is flying-high these days. Ever since her breakthrough at the 2008 US Open, she has been moving from strength to strength. Currently, she ranks 14th in the WTA and boasts a 15-9 mark, highlighted by a runner-up finish in Acapulco. Significantly, she owns a 2-0 mark over Chakvetadze, beating the Russian as recently as Fed Cup action last week.

Tennis Betting Picks: Pennetta in straight sets

Tennis Betting Line: Jie Zheng +110 Nadia Petrova -150

Match Time: 05:00 A.M. Eastern Time Wednesday April 29 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: At 26-years-old, Nadia Petrova is a bit of a veteran on the WTA Tour and happily she is still going strong. She ranks No.10 in the world and she arrives in Stuttgart with an 8-5 mark on the season. More importantly, she has a comfy 5-1 edge over the Chinese tennis sensation Jie Zheng. Zheng is a quality player though and ranks No.16 in the world. She is 12-7 on the season. She got into the win column against Petrova when she retired from their 2008 Miami R64 encounter, 2-1in the first set; hence, it was not a complete and satisfactory victory for Zheng. This match should be a close affair but Petrova should triumph.

Tennis Betting Picks: Petrova in three sets

Tennis Betting Line: Anna Lena Groenefeld +500 Elena Dementieva -1000

Match Time: 05:00 A.M. Eastern Time Wednesday April 29 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: World No.3 Elena Dementieva enters this match as the strong favourite at -1000. She brings a 26-6 mark, which includes two titles, and a 2-0 mark over No.57 Anna-Lena Groenefeld. This match should be straightforward.

Tennis Betting Picks: Dementieva in straight sets