The ATP tour is on a minor hiatus this week, as 16 teams begin their chase to win the Davis Cup this weekend, with eight ties ranging from Belgrade to Baie-Mahult to Birmingham. But first, a quick review of our last few tennis betting tips.
FEBRUARY REVIEW
Our tip of Gael Monfils to win the ATP Rotterdam event heading into the last four was looking great after dispatching Philip Kohlschreiber in the semifinals 6-3 6-2 and winning the first set of the final against Martin Klizan. Unfortunately for us, Klizan got more aggressive in the latter two sets, which combined with winning a higher % of points on his second serve as opposed to his first serve (a rare tennis anomaly) allowed him to triumph and take the title. Klizan followed this up with a first round defeat in his next tournament to Nick Kyrgios, so perhaps we were a tad unlucky.
Less unlucky was the prediction of Rafael Nadal to defeat Dominic Thiem in straight sets in Argentina. Nadal lost in three, and since then has yet to threaten to become the physical beast on clay he has been in the past. Like many, we’ll be watching the upcoming 1000 events to see if “Rafa” can regain his mojo.
On the flipside, Thiem went on to win the Buenos Aires tournament over Nicholas Almagro, following that up with a semi-final appearance at Rio followed by winning the event in Acapulco on hard courts. A player on the rise at only 22 years of age, Thiem is definitely putting his hand up as perhaps the next superstar once our current “big four” era is over.
Kei Nishikori to win Memphis was a win for us but was a bit of a gimme pick. His opponent in the final, Taylor Fritz, is only 18 and showed some class in reaching the final including beating the #2 seed Steve Johnson. He is one to keep an eye on for the future.
But, now, a look to the action this weekend.
AUSTRALIA VS USA (Kooyong, Channel 7)
Australia begin life under new Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt with a tricky first round tie against the Jim Courier led American team in Melbourne. This is probably the most difficult draw Australia could have pulled from the hat, as both teams should find the grass courts to their liking (who can forget John Isner and his marathon 70-68 final set on grass vs Nicholas Mahut at Wimbledon). You can expect to see plenty of aces, and tiebreaks, over the three days of play. In fact, with all four singles players ranked inside the top 30, this should be the tie of the round.
While our hearts of course bleed green and gold, we must bet with our head and that favours the Americans. Nick Kyrgios pulled out of semi-final in Dubai and has (at the time of writing) been under an injury cloud. Hewitt has claimed the issue is a virus, as opposed to a back problem, but we remain somewhat unconvinced. As well as that, the US team of the Bryan brothers should have the edge in the doubles against Sam Groth and debutante John Peers. It is going to be a great close tie, but in the end, the US should get it done on the final day in the reverse singles.
Bet: USA to win the tie at $2.17 at Sportsbet
GREAT BRITAIN VS JAPAN (Birmingham, indoor hardcourt)
Andy Murray is 5-1 lifetime against Kei Nishikori, and Great Britain have the better doubles specialist in Jamie Murray. Britain should have this one wrapped up after the fourth rubber at odds of $1.22 at Sportsbet.
POLAND VS ARGENTINA (Gdansk, indoor hardcourt)
Argentina are making their 15th consecutive appearance in the Davis Cup World Group, and should have enough firepower at $1.40 at Sportsbet to get past the Polish side making their debuts at this level.
GERMANY VS CZECH REPUBLIC (Hannover, indoor hardcourt)
The Czechs, led by Tomas Berdych, should overcome the Germans with relative ease at $1.44 at Sportsbet. Berdych is 8-1 lifetime vs Kohlschreiber, 2-0 vs Alexander Zverev, and on the hardcourts should be able to get the job done.
A multi of Great Britain, Argentina and the Czechs is paying $2.45 at Sportsbet for those who like to combine their wagers.
In the final four ties, Croatia should qualify away from home against 2015 finalist Belgium. Serbia, led by Novak Djokovic, should easily account for Kazakhstan, while the Milos Raonic withdrawal for Canada has almost certainly booked France a place in the last eight. Finally, Switzerland, missing both Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, will struggle on the road against Italy.
Looking forward, the futures markets still have Serbia as the team to beat at $3.50 on Crownbet. France has come in, from $5 at the time of writing our last article, in to $3.25 on Sportsbet.
COMING UP
After this weekend, the ATP tour heads to the United States, for two hard court ATP1000 events to be held in California, and Miami. These mini-majors (ESPN and ESPN2 in Australia) are compulsory events for the ATP elite, and will be the first time that all the stars have been in the same event since the Australian Open in January.
Make sure to read full terms and conditions of any betting promotion before placing any bets.
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Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
