WTA Monterrey Open 1st Round Picks: Safarova and Medina Garrigues in action

Monterrey, Mexico – Sixth seed Anabel Medina Garrigues and eighth seed Lucie Safarova are set to open their Monterray Open campaigns in the first round today when they take on Klara Zakopalova and Julie Coin, respectively. As usual, BetOnline.com is there, bringing all the action to you with tennis betting lines and odds on these matches and more. Here is a look at the market trading this instant.

Tennis Betting Line:

Lucie Safarova -6 +105 -1000 18½ O -135 U -105
Julie Coin +6 -145 +500 18½ O -135 U -105

First Set Line: Lucie Safarova -500 Julie Coin +300

Match Time: 08:00 PM Eastern Time Monday March 1, 2010

Tennis Betting Verdict: France’s Julie Coin has masterminded a couple of big wins in her career with victories over Ana Ivanovic and Amelie Mauresmo, both on Grand Slam stages. But such performances come few and far in between for the French player and as such, they are not enough to set her up well in the market. She enters this match as the significant underdog and further underscoring her puppy odds are additional signs of her inconsistency – a ranking of No.88 and a season mark of 1-5.

Safarova, who is seeded eighth in this tournament, is the solid favourite at -1000. In fact, I would go to say she is the untouchable favourite. Safarova weighs in at No. 38 and she takes a 6-5 mark into her first round encounter against Coin, which includes a runner-up finish in Paris a fortnight ago.

Tennis Free Picks: The match is on Safarova’s racquet and she should win this match handily. Punters will want to complement bets on her fixed odds with plays on the handicap and totals; that is, if they want to walk away with a decent payout. Therefore, Safarova to cover the spread at -6 +105 is a good bet as well as the Under 18 ½ at -105.

Tennis Betting Line:

Klara Zakopalova +4½ -130 +250 20 O -125 U -115
Anabel Medina Garrigues -4½ -110 -400 20 O -125 U -115

First Set Line: Klara Zakopalova +200 Anabel Medina Garrigues -300

Match Time: 10:00 PM Eastern Time Monday March 1, 2010

Tennis Betting Verdict: Anabel Medina Garrigues is the solid -400 favourite in this match but I believe that to be more a function of her seeding rather than her prowess on hard courts. You see, Garrigues is predominantly a clay-courter; that is, clay is where she enjoys her best results. She is an adequate hard court player but a beatable one in my opinion. Klara Zakopalova is the +250 favourite, which is relatively modest in my opinion. Zakopalova has a shot in this match to upset Garrigues. Question is whether she will step up to do so.

Tennis Free Picks: Garrigues is a good bet to win this match because she is seeded and has the ranking edge over Zakopalova. The value bet though is on Zakopalova, and it is a play specifically for punters looking to buck the trend and take a chance on a bigger payout by backing a puppy. Zakopalova to in at +250 therefore is the pick with hedge bets on Garrigues to cover the spread at – 4 ½ -110, just in case she does avoid the upset. The Over 20 -125 is the totals play because this should be a closer match than the market would suggest.

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