With the first round of Davis Cup action behind us, it is time we look forward to the next stop on the ATP World Tour, this week back in the United States as we look at Indian Wells betting tips. But first, a review of last week's Davis Cup tips...
DAVIS CUP ROUND 1 REVIEW
While there was disappointment for Australia on the grass courts of Kooyong, it was a great week for anyone who followed our tips last week. The USA were at $2.17 on CrownBet at the time of publication last week, but before the tie started Australia had Nick Kyrgios ruled out with a virus. The US odds plummeted as a result, and by the time of the first serve Australia to win the tie were out to $2.25, allowing for an easy layoff opportunity to guarantee a profit, or for those willing to let it ride, an excellent good value bet at the initial price. With Lleyton Hewitt having to come out of retirement to play doubles, Australia battled hard but went down 3-1 in the tie, sending Australia into the World Group playoffs to be held against an as of yet unknown opponent in September, and some cash into the pockets of those who bet on the USA.
We also went 7 out of 7 for our other tips this week, with 3 seeded teams falling at the first hurdle. The biggest shock almost happened in Belgrade, where Kazakhstan were one set away from knocking out competition favourites Serbia, with Novak Djokovic on the ropes vs Mikhail Kukushkin. Fortunately for the Serbs, Novak rallied to win his match, and Viktor Troicki the final rubber of the tie to seal a spot for them in the quarter finals against Great Britain. That matchup should be the tie of the round if Djokovic and Andy Murray are both fit to play.
Congrats to anyone who followed our bets, and now we look forward to our next ATP tournament
AN EARLY PREVIEW: ATP INDIAN WELLS
The tour heads to California for the first ATP1000 event of the year at Indian Wells. The nine ATP1000 events are one rung below the Grand Slams, and with a 96 person singles field, hopefully we can find ourselves some value over the next week and a half. Only Roger Federer and David Ferrer are missing from the top 10, so there is plenty of star quality on display.
For the first round, all 32 seeds will be given a first round bye. This additional rest means that for the most part, I am less inclined to bet on unseeded players against the top 32 than I otherwise would be in an event such as a Grand Slam or 64 person event, where even a relatively straight forward 6-3, 6-2, win can drain energy over the course of a tournament. Temperatures are expected to stay between 26 and 33 degrees over the course of the tournament, so be wary of betting those who have previously played long day games in later rounds.
As of the time of writing, the 96 man field has not yet been set, so there are not many H2H markets up across the various sports betting operators. From the limited markets I have seen, I might have a small wager on
- LUKAS ROSOL vs Adrian Mannarino ($1.75 Sportsbet)
- ALIJAZ BEDENE vs Mikhail Youzhny ($1.93 CrownBet)
Other tips may be coming later on in the week, so make sure to give us a twitter follow on @Before_You_Bet to keep up to date with the latest tips.
Finally a look at the “to win the title” odds. Sportsbet have created a market for Novak Djokovic vs the field, with Novak a $1.72 favourite vs $2 for the field. While many would look to fade Novak due to his 11 set workload in three days last weekend in Davis Cup, a combination of a longer break for him compared to usual back to back events, his supreme fitness regime, and a favourable draw (Nadal/Nishikori in a semi-final as opposed to possibly Wawrinka) would have me leaving this market alone for now. For those looking to bet on someone other than the Serbian gun, Wawrinka at $8.50 on CrownBet might be more appealing to those who want to fade Djokovic.
For those looking to catch matches on the box, ATP1000 Indian Wells in on ESPN and ESPN2 over the next 10 or so days, so check your local guides. As a side note, for those who love drama it is possible to see a Tomic vs Kyrgios quarter final should they advance that far. While it is very unlikely to see the Aussie pair defeat all of Murray, Raonic and Berdych, I think everyone would be intrigued should such a match occur, given the allegations made by Tomic during the last Davis Cup tie. Be sure to prepare the popcorn if that match was to eventuate!
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!
