SAP Open 2nd Round Picks: Querrey and Dent clash for a spot in the quarters

San Jose, California – An all-American affair between Sam Querrey and Taylor Dent is set to get underway in the SAP Open second round, a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.

Sam Querrey appears to have the on paper edge with a better ranking in the ATP; he ranks at world No. 31 while Dent comes in at No.77. Consequently, he enters the match as the bookies favourite at -225 to win outright. Dent carries a price of +175 to win outright.

Querrey, has lost some of his quality ever since he injured his arm as it went through a glass table he had been leaning on, in a player’s lounge on one of his stops during the Asian hard-court swing last year. Querrey was forced to miss most of the fall swing as a result and since beginning his 2010 campaign, he has struggled to win matches. In fact, prior to San Jose, he had failed in three attempts.

Sam Querrey nicked his first Tour win of the season when he beat Teimuraz Gabashvilli in the first round. Good news, he won convincingly, in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. Finally getting a win under his belt will surely help his confidence going forward in San Jose.

Taylor Dent has gotten his season off to a slow start. He arrived in San Jose 1-3 on the season. He improved to 2-3 with a victory over Alex Bogomolov Jr. in the first round. Dent worked harder for his victory but still managed to pull through in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(2).

Tennis Betting Line:

Taylor Dent +2½ -125 +175 23½ O -115 U -125
Sam Querrey -2½ -115 -225 23½ O -115 U -125

First Set Line:

Taylor Dent +135 Sam Querrey -175

Match Time: Not Before 06:00 PM Eastern time Thursday February 11, 2010

Tennis Betting Verdict: The big question is where Sam Querrey’s form truly lies. If he is finally finding form (one victory is not enough to convince me so), he would be a worthwhile favourite to back. As things currently stand, he is an unsure favourite and therefore, not entirely worth what appears to be a rather generous price tag all things considered. Of course, if he is your man, you could do no worse than backing him for the win.

There is a real possibility Dent would edge Querrey in victory here, especially, if this match goes the distance. Querrey’s staying power has yet to be proven. Dent, who is injury free right now and should be in better form, has a slight intangible edge. This makes him worth the bet at +175.
Querrey’s recent difficulties and Dent’s inconsistent form however make this match a tossup and in some ways curiously symmetrical. It might be better to avoid the outright win and go for the performance of each individual player.

In terms of totals, I fancy the Over 23 ½ -115. Both players will be home favourites and with home edge cancelled out they will be looking to show up one another which could lead to some serious momentum shifts. Dent to cover the spread is the favoured outcome at + 2 ½ -125 but I would tip towards Sam Querrey at -2 ½ -115. I think there is more chance he would cover the spread than the other way around as the bookies have given him some leeway to play with.

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