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Monday 31st August

The action gets underway today in the US Open with several of the big names in action on Day 1. Roger Federer and Andy Roddick being the pick of the men, the Williams sisters the main attraction in the women's draw.

In terms of the very top players, opportunities to get involved in their matches will come as progress is made through the tournament. For now we concentrate on several of the lesser lights.

Mikhail Youzhny (1/1) leads Paul-Henri Mathieu 4:1 on past meetings and looks worthy of a bet today. The Russian made the SF's here in 2008 and has a 12:6 record in New York where Mathieu has won just four matches in seven visits to Flushing Meadows. Youzhny can edge a close match.

Rainer Schuettler (4/5) can also beat Jan Hernych. The German leads their series 2:0 and despite being a fading force these days has a better profile this year and should just get past his tall Czech opponent.

In the women's draw, Sania Mirza (11/10) is fancied to win her match against Olga Govortsova. The Indian girl lost their last meeting when she retired but with greater Grand Slam experience, and a previous 6-1 6-1 win over the Belarussian, Mirza could well reverse that form today.

Plenty more to follow these coming two weeks. We've got free tennis tips right through the event and you can still get on our outright tournament bets as well, just click here to sign up.

Friday 28th August

More winners in the Pilot Pen Tennis last night as Sam Querrey W15/8 against the top seed, Nikolay Davydenko, and Jose Acasuso W10/11 saw off Florent Serra. And even though Leonardo Mayer went down in three sets to Igor Andreev, do make a note of the Argentine's name for future reference - he's definitely one to watch in the lesser tour events.

Match bet winners every day this week - W6/5 (Mon), W5/4 & W4/6 (Tue), W5/6 (Wed), W15/8 & W10/11 (Thu) - with our free tennis tips and plenty more to come so don't forget to bookmark this page for our regular daily updates for the ATP Tour.

Tournament picks for the US Open will be available this weekend and you can click US Open outright bets to make sure you sihn up for our analysis of the final Grand Slam of 2009.

As for the two SF's today in Conneticut there's little value to be had in backing the short-priced favourites - Fernando Verdasco (1/3) and Sam Querrey (4/11). They both should win, on form, but there are risks involved with both.

A solid top 10-20 player, Verdasco has always lacked the killer instinct - shown by the fact he's only ever won two career titles. He's had lots of chances but always seems to find a way to lose. Igor Andreev (5/2) trails the Spaniard 1:3 on the head-to-heads but won their last meeting in the 2008 US Open 6-2 6-4 6-4 and looks the better value for this match. Also, the Total Sets market is of interest with Three Sets (6/4) looking much the better bet than a straight sets win either way.

In the other SF, Sam Querrey (4/11) should beat Jose Acasuso - the American is 2:0 against Acasuso - but, at the odds, the better bet is again on a duration of Three Sets (13/8) in a match which could be closer than the outright odds suggest.

In short, both favourites could well win today but both look very short in the betting and offer very little value. More to come tomorrow and don't forget our US Open tips for Flushing Meadows.

Thursday 27th August

More success in New Haven's Pilot Pen Tennis yesterday as Monday and Tuesday's winners were added to by Florent Serra W5/6 over Rajeev Ram - that makes for winners every day so far this week from our daily free bets.

Because of the US Open, starting next Monday, the QF's come a day early this week in Conneticut and they are four very interesting matches.

Top seed Nikolay Davydenko faces a tricky opponent in Sam Querrey (15/8). Querrey, like most US players, tends to be seen to best effect when in his native North America and has enjoyed a good Summer to date. The 21-year-old Californian certainly has an outsider's chance in this match.

One player to recommend, as much for the future as today, is Leonardo Mayer. The Argentine has put in some eye-catching performances of late on tour and is worth flagging up as future tournament winner. Mayer (13/8) is against the generally unreliable Igor Andreev today - he could easily cause another upset.

The day's two other matches are also tough to call but No.2 seed Verdasco against Jurgen Melzer (11/4) isn't usually one to back heavily - the Spaniard always finds a way to lose a tournament when a short price - and Jose Acasuso (10/11) looks the clear pick against Florent Serra.

More free tennis tips to follow tomorrow with the SF's scheduled.

Don't forget to sign up for our US Open outright bets and also pre-orders are now being taken for the Tennis Formbook 2010.

Wednesday 26th August

Winners in the Pilot Pen Tennis yesterday included a success for Victor Hanescu W4/6 over Tipsarevic and Acasuso/Robredo W5/4 as their match went to three sets, Acasuso eventually winning 7-6 in the third. Kevin Kim W6/5 on Monday, so that's a good start to the week for our free tennis bets - especially on the back of so many winners last week (see archive).

There's no let up in this pace this week with the US Open starting next Monday in Flushing Meadows - this event will wrap up on Saturday.

Jose Acasuso is arguably a better player than Igor Kunitsyn (5/6) but he has struggled for form these past 12 months and clay, really, is the Argentine's best surface. His long match against Robredo yesterday may have done him no favours and Kunitsyn, for all his limitations, can edge the win on his favoured conditions, hard courts.

A number of other close matches today - Hanescu/Melzer, Bolelli/Mayer - but the other to mention is Florent Serra (5/6) against Rajeev Ram. The layers may have read too much into Ram's win over Mardy Fish in R2 (and his very lucky tournament win in Rhode Island a few weeks back). Ram is a very ordinary US Tour pro, with no great form prior to the past couple of months. Serra would be 1/3 for this match on clay and his record on hard (42:53) still reads far better than the American's (7:14) - added to his big win over Jeremy Chardy yesterday. Serra is the call.

More to come through this week and off to New York next Monday. Make sure you bookmark this page and come back for your daily free tips and also sign-up for our outright tournament betting previews.

Tuesday 25th August

Off to a winning start in New Haven as Kevin Kim W6/5 yesterday against a clearly out or form Teimuraz Gabashvili - a good winner for students of the formbook as the Georgian has been struggling very much of late.

Plenty more tennis betting advice to come this week as starting today the big guns enter the tournament. Nikolay Davydenko (No.1) and Fernando Verdasco (No.2) both start out in R2 matches against Robert Kendrick and Paul Capdeville, both should oblige, and guys like Mardy Fish, Igor Andreev and Victor Hanescu also enter the action.

Of these, Victor Hanescu (4/6) looks the only backable option. The big Romanian has been playing well of late and can see off Janko Tipsarevic.

Other players to note would be Taylor Dent (10/11) against Igor Kunitsyn - the big American still very much on the comeback from numerous back problems can build on his R1 win over Ivan Ljubicic - and in the Tommy Robredo match with Jose Acasuso the three set option for Total Sets Market (5/4) looks the call between two evenly matched players.

It's generally quite a tough looking day today with a number of matches looking pretty tricky - and the formbook offering little encouragement either way. However, these pointers are the best bets of the day and should have you back at the payout counter once again.

Don't forget, there's more free tennis tips to follow on through the week.

Monday 24th August

Last week's free tennis tips proved very profitable indeed in Cincinnati with no fewer than eight winners during the week. Now the ATP Tour heads off to New Haven for the final event before the US Open which starts next Monday. More free bets and more free winners then before we get to New York.

We've already advised our outright bets for this week, both players available at great odds, and you can still get on them when you sign-up today for our exclusive outright betting information for the Pilot Pen Tennis.

As for the match betting, Andrey Golubev (4/6), a 22yo from Russia now living in Italy, has strong claims against his Argentine opponent, Pablo Cuevas. The South American has come to note this year on account of his clay court form, thus far he's shown nothing on hard courts and Golubev's better record on this surface can see him home.

Elsewhere, all is not well with Teimuraz Gabashvili, in Montreal he lost to the world No. 679 and, in Cincinnati, Lukasz Kubot beat him 6-1 6-2 in 76 minutes. His opponent today, Kevin Kim, has very little to recommend him other than a backable price but so woeful is the Georgian that Kim (6/5) must be considered.

Plenty more to come this week with tennis bets right through the tournament as the top seeds start their challenge from Tuesday onwards. Don't forget to bookmark this page and come back tomorrow.

Sunday 23rd August

Big wins in the Cincinnati Masters yesterday for both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Federer proved way too good on the day for Andy Murray, dispatching the No.3 seed 6-2 7-6, and Djokovic was equally dismissive of Rafael Nadal as he defeated the Spaniard 6-1 6-4. Both players went into those matches as the underdogs but both managed to upset the odds.

They meet for the 12th time in the final today. Federer leads 7:4 (5:3 hard) but Djokovic has won their last two matches, both in SF's this year, on the clay of Rome and earlier on in Miami.

After a sluggish couple of tournaments Djokovic has certainly hit form this week and enters the final in good heart. Even so, Federer played well in Montreal before imploding against Tsonga and has done little wrong here. He may have been slightly flattered yesterday against an opponent not playing his best but he has still looked sharp these past two weeks.

The bookies go Federer (1/2) with Djokovic (2/1) - it's a tough call. The view is whilst Federer deserves favouritism, at the prices, Djokovic (2/1) offers more appeal. Returning as well to a favourite bet in finals, the First Set Correct Score. Federer 7-5 (12/1) and 7/6 (5/1) or Djokovic 7-5 (16/1) and 7-6 (13/2) - at these prices you would have made a tidy profit on their 11 matches to date.

The last tournament before the US Open also starts today in New Haven - there aret two cracking outright bets lined up, please sign up here for our New Havens tips.

And don't forget as well, pre-orders for the Tennis Formbook 2010 can now be made HERE.

Saturday 22nd August

No surprises last night in the Cincinnati Masters as all four top seeds won, only Andy Murray dropping a set in his match against Benneteau, to set up a great SF line-up. And afer a fantastic week for our free tips, with no less than eight winners already, there's more to come today.

No.1 seed Roger Federer takes on the No.3 seed, Andy Murray, in the first of today's matches. The Swiss player has struggled with Murray in recent times and trails him 2:6 overall. in fact, Murray won their last four meetings since the US Open final 2008.

On the back of his Montreal win it's hard to pick holes in the form of the Scot and added to that head-to-head record Murray (10/11) must have slight preference in this match. Another market to highlight is Total Sets Market as each of Murray's four latest wins in their series have been in three sets, so go for the maximum number once again (11/10).

In the other SF, No.2 seed Rafael Nadal meets the No.4 Novak Djokovic. Rafa leads 14:4 in their series and has won their last five matches but the Serb is 4:3 ahead on hard courts. Tough match to call but the greater fighting abilities of the Spaniard make Nadal (4/6) the call to win through to the final and again the prefered option is for a three set match (5/4).

Do remember, play up your profits from our free tennis bets by signing up for our weekly outright tennis bets at just £9.99 per week.

And don't forget as well, pre-orders for the Tennis Formbook 2010 can now be made HERE.

Friday 21st August

More winners in the Cincinnati Masters last night as Tomas Berdych along with Julien Benneteau made it eight winning match bets this week from our free tennis betting tips - the list reads W7/5, W6/5, W1/1, W7/4, W8/11, W7/4, W8/13 & W7/5.

Today in the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters it's quarter-finals day and all the top players will be in action later this afternoon. All should win as well but their prices prohibit serious support.

Top seed Roger Federer (2/11) looks to have the easiest task on paper. He leads Lleyton Hewitt 14:7 on past meetings and has won the last 12 matches they've played so hopes can't be high for the Aussie causing an upset in this match.

Rafael Nadal (2/5) faces a sterner test. The Spaniard has had problems with Tomas Berdych in the past, trailing him 1:3 at one point (losing three straight times to the Czech on hard courts) before winning their last three matches to lead their series 4:3. Nadal should win this but Berdych certainly knows how to beat him.

Andy Murray (1/25) is up against Julien Benneteau. Murray is 1:0 against his opponent and the standard of the Scot's tennis over the last two weeks offers no hope whatsoever for backers of his French opponent.

Finally, Novak Djokovic (4/11) takes on Gilles Simon. Simon had a good win over Nikolay Davydenko yesterday and enters today's match not without a chance but Djokovic's form this week has looked better than in Montreal and the favourite should oblige.

Quiet day today but do remember, play up your profits from our tennis bets by signing up for our weekly outright tennis bets at just £9.99 per week.

Thursday 20th August

Winners again yesterday in the Cincinnati Masters as both recommended players were successful with Paul-Henri Mathieu W7/4 and Radek Stepanek W8/11.

Our free tennis tips have provided match betting winners each day this week and there's every reason to expect more as we approach the business end of the tournament - after today the QF line-up will be known.

Concerning the 'Big Four' all came through yesterday without dropping a set and each is a very short price to win again today. Federer (1/10), Murray (1/10), Nadal (3/10) and Djokovic (2/11) should all progress but even when combined together in a four-timer they would pay just 5/6 - however, this is not a bet we would generally advise.

Better to concentrate on win singles at backable prices, in the long-term this will return you a better profit. Hence, take a look at Julien Benneteau (7/5) against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. They're 1:1 on past meetings and although the Spaniard beat Benneteau in the final of the Austrian Open a couple of months back, that was on clay ... this is a hard court. Benneteau looks a fair price in a match between two average players.

Also, on general form and all-round ability, it would be a surprise if Tomas Berdych (8/13) couldn't reverse his past form with Chris Guccione. He's 0:2 to the big Aussie (Sydney 2008 & 2009) but is the much better player.

That's all the tennis bets for today. Friday is QF's day in Cincinnati so be sure to check in then for more Free Tennis Bets.

Wednesday 19th August

The Cincinnati Masters provided yet more winners on Tuesday as bets were landed on Jurgen Melzer W1/1 and Tomas Berdych W7/4 - Berdych claiming the win when his opponent, Fernando Gonzalez, retired at the end of the first set with a knee injury.

Plenty more free tennis betting tips coming up this week and don't forget our Tennis Formbook 2010 can be pre-ordered now, covering all of next season's ATP Tour action, and you can also sign up for our weekly outright betting previews as well.

The action in Cincinnati today sees a number of top players make their entrance into to tournament but guys like Federer, Murray and Nadal should all progress comfortably. Djokovic (1/6) is expected to do so as well but in Ivan Ljubicic he probably faces the most severe work-out of the 'Big Four' in R2.

Elsewhere Paul-Henri Mathieu (7/4) is a fair price against Ivo Karlovic. The tall Croat probably deserves to be the favourite but he looks way too short at 4/7 - more so as apart from his huge serve, the rest of his game is no better than the Frenchman's. Radek Stepanek (8/11), who hasn't been in great form of late, should still be too consistent for Marat Safin this afternoon. We backed Safin in R1 when he defeated Robby Ginepri but the form of that win isn't the most reliable and the Czech player, who does well in the US, can bag the win.

More free bets coming up throughout the rest of the week as tomorrow (Thursday) a full set of matches will be played to finalise the QF line-up.

Tuesday 18th August

The Cincinnati Masters started where Montreal left off, more free betting information which provided more winners. Our tennis tips were spot on yesterday as both Marat Safin W6/5 and then Marin Cilic W7/5 to start the week off on a profitable note.

Should be more to come this week as the action starts to get more competitive in the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati.

Today's match-ups look quite tricky, as a number of matches could easily go either way - e.g. Lopez/Melzer, Youzhny/Hanescu, Petzschner/Bolelli, Simon/Andreev, Haas/Isner, Ferrer/Cilic and even Soderling/Hewitt. All of these have the potential to be very close indeed.

As ever we return to the formbook. Here we find that the Czech player Tomas Berdych (7/4) v Fernando Gonzalez has won their last two matches the Chilean (latest Tokyo 2008 6-0 6-4). Berdych has even beat Gonzalez here in Cincinnati.

Jurgen Melzer (1/1) leads the talented but erratic Spaniard, Feliciano Lopez, 2:1 on past meetings and may just prove a more reliable option in their match today.

And don't forget as well, pre-orders for the Tennis Formbook 2010 can now be made HERE.

Monday 17th August

There was a stream of match betting winners advised during last week in Montreal as Youzhny W7/4, Hanescu W6/4, Tsonga W8/11 & W5/1, Davydenko W8/11 and Del Potro W11/8 & W10/11. Our free tips also highlighted the eventual winner, Andy Murray W4/6 & W8/15.

This week all the top players congregate again but this time in Cincinnati for the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters. Don't forget you can get our outright tips for this tournament by signing up HERE.

The action promises to be just as competitive as players build up their preparation for the US Masters in New York (starts Aug 31st) and the first of the R1 begin this evening.

Marat Safin (6/5) must be regarded as one of the great wasted talents of the modern game. A twice Grand Slam champion the Russian had the game, if not the health or temperament, to win the many more titles his ability merited. Ginepri, a recent winner in Indianapolis, beat Safin recently in Los Angeles but the view is that Marat can reverse that form today.

Marin Cilic (7/5) has been disappointing of late, whilst his opponent Juan Carlos Ferrero has been in decent form, however, once again, we'll fly in the face of the formbook to recommend a bet on the talented Croat.

Elsewhere, Gilles Simon hasn't looked great on hard courts recently and his opponent, Wayne Odesnik, can make this a close match. Check out the Total Sets market where a total of three (2-1 either way) is 11/8.

Remember, play up your profits from this week by signing up for our weekly outright tennis bets at just £9.99 per week.

Sunday 16th August

The Rogers Cup has provided match bet winners right through the course of this week.

Youzhny W7/4, Hanescu W6/4, Tsonga W8/11 & W5/1, Murray W4/6, Davydenko W8/11 and Del Potro W11/8 & W10/11 being just a sample of the BIG winners advised. Remember, these free betting tips come from our professional tennis experts and WILL provide you with winners!

We're down to the final two in Montreal today with Andy Murray facing Juan Martin Del Potro. Reports would lead us to believe there's not much love lost between the pair ... which should make for a good final.

Murray (8/15) has been in tremendous form this week and with a 3:1 career lead over the Argentine has to be the call. The Scot has won both their previous hard court encounters (Miami & US Open) and looks to have just a bit too much class for his opponent who is looking for his first Masters Series crown and second title in consecutive weeks. Murray is too strong, too solid and simply too good.

Next week's action takes us to Cincinnati for another Masters Series event with all the big names in attendance once again.

Remember, play up your profits from this week by signing up for our weekly outright tennis bets at just £9.99 per week.

Saturday 15th August

More success last night in the Rogers Cup as Del Potro W11/8, Murray W1/3 and there was even a word for Tsonga W5/1 against Roger Federer - the Frenchman coming back from 1-5 down in the third set to win the match 7-6 1-6 7-6.

That's makes for a stream of winners this week W11/10, W11/8, W6/4, W7/4, W8/11, W8/11 etc and there's the potential to add to that tally today over in Montreal.

It's the SF's today with Andy Murray (1/4) a warm favourite to defeat Tsonga. The Scot has been in blinding form this week and comes into this game as the logical choice. However, Tsonga (4/1) leads their series 2:1 and won their last match (admittedly way back in the Australian Open 2008). Much depends on how much the underdog has in the tank after his big effort against Federer last night.

The other SF is a repeat of the Washington final of last Sunday as Del Potro faces Andy Roddick. That win in DC by the Argentine took him to 2:0 versus A-Rod and he would be the call to win again tonight and make a second straight final. Del Potro (10/11) looks the bet in this match.

Remember, play up your profits this week by signing up for our weekly outright tennis bets at just £9.99 per week.

Friday 14th August

Three bets, three winners in the Rogers Cup last night as Tsonga W8/11, Davydenko W8/11 and Murray W4/6.

More expected today as the top eight players in the world rankings contest the QF's in Montreal, the first time this has ever happened on the ATP Tour - not the top eight seeds in the QF's (this has happened many times before) but not when they also fill No's 1-8 on the world list.

As such we should expect some great action. Andy Murray (1/3) has looked in very good form this week and is taken to defeat his Russian opponent, Nikolay Davydenko - they're 4:4 on past meetings but Murray won the latest in Monte Carlo 7-6 6-4. Murray is very short in the betting though at not viewed as a great betting option.

Alternatively Novak Djokovic (11/10) looks decent value to defeat what must be a tiring Andy Roddick. Three more sets last night against Fernando Verdasco whilst Djokovic looked good in beating Mikhail Youzhny 6-3 6-3.

The Nadal v Del Potro match is very tough to call as we've seen little of the Spaniard this week. Del Potro (11/8) won last week in Washington so must have half a chance if Rafa still isn't fully up to speed.

And, finally, Roger Federer is the call on form over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga but the Frenchman at 5/1 is a big price to cause an upset - provided he serves well tonight.

Remember to play up your profits this week by signing up for our weekly outright tennis bets at just £9.99 per week.

Thursday 13th August

This week's Rogers Cup in Montreal reaches R3 today with all of the remaining 16 players in action during the course of this afternoon and this evening. So far this week our tennis tips have landed match bet winners at W7/4, W6/4, W8/13 & W8/13 and there's plenty more to come.

We start today with Nikolay Davydenko (8/11) to beat Fernando Gonzalez. The bookmakers find it tough to split this pair but the 4:0 career advantage of the Russian over Gonzalez points firmly to him making it five in a row. A recent winner in both Umag and Hamburg, Davydenko is also 2:0 against the Chilean on hard courts and must get the vote for tonight's encounter.

In other matches, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (8/11), who struggled in R2 yesterday against Rainer Schuettler, can step up to the mark and see off his fellow-countryman Gilles Simon tonight, who himself hasn't been paying well of late. They're 1:1 on past meetings but in time Tsonga has the scope to improve well beyond Simon's level and looks the better player on hard courts.

Federer (over Wawrinka) and Nadal (over Petzschner) should both ease into QF's later today as should Andy Murray against Juan Carlos Ferrero. Murray is 2:0 against the Spaniard and hasn't dropped a set in either of those matches, Murray 2-0 (4/6) is the call on the set betting in their match.

Little else appeals tonight. Djokovic, Del Potro and Roddick are all favourites who should win but all look far too short in the betting to merit any serious appeal, more so as they face opponents who could push them close if they fail to perform up to scratch. Not bankers by any means and all best left alone.

And don't forget as well, pre-orders for the Tennis Formbook 2010 can now be made HERE.

Wednesday 12th August

After highlighting the importance of head-to-head form yesteday, Victor Hanescu W6/4 duly obliged in the Rogers Cup over in Montreal.

Today, already noted is the huge price about Igor Andreev (11/2) in his match with Andy Roddick. Andreev leads 2:1 against A-Rod and even if the American is much the better player he might just be a little jaded after his exertions in Washington last week. A speculative bet but possibly one with some value. The match is also a big price in the Total Sets market, a three set total being available at 9/4.

Tonight's other matches produce little guidance in terms of the match history so we're left to work off general form and ability, tournament performances and world rankings. As such Gael Monfils (11/10) could well be worth a look against Juan Carlos Ferrero - although the Spaniard's R1 defeat of Lleyton Hewitt reads a little better than the win of Monfils over Marat Safin. The Frenchman is one of the hardest players on tour to judge accurately, highly talented but hugely erratic, but if he does start this match well then he has the game to see off his opponent.

Rafael Nadal will hope to emulate the wins of Federer, Murray and Djokovic last night as he plays his first match in two months. In an all-Spanish affair he faces David Ferrer who he leads 7:3 overall (but does trail 1:2 on hard courts). Even so it woud be unwise to consider Rafa not to be ready for his comeback - he's also played a couple of matches in the doubles this week.

And don't forget as well, pre-orders for the Tennis Formbook 2010 can now be made HERE.

Tuesday 11th August

Winners last night in the Rogers Cup included Mikhail Youzhny W7/4 and Gael Monfils W8/13 and Igor Andreev W8/13, by virtue of the retirement of his opponent, Dmitry Tursunov, with an ankle injury. All were solid form picks and once again illustrated the value of in-depth knowledge of the head-to-head figures when any two players meet.

Similarly Tomas Berdych (8/11) has sound claims today on account of his 5:0 lead over his German opponent, Philipp Kohlschreiber. And, by the same token, Ivo Karlovic (1/1) leads Tommy Haas 4:1 on their past meetings which must make the 6'10" Croat of some appeal in their match.

More speculative, Igor Andreev (5/1) holds a 2:1 advantage for his R2 encounter with Andy Roddick - although the American brings much the better recent form with him, A-Rod might just be a little tired after his exertions in Washington.

All these bets, like last night's winners, suggest that a blind following of the formbook is the way to back a lot of winners. Well, it's not quite as simple as that but such statistical pointers are certainly worthy of note when you're determining a bet in any given match.

One other method is to look at players who have played numerous times, say, on more than five occasions and they have either a tied record or one player is just one win ahead of the other. This would suggest their odds should be very close. Look at Victor Hanescu (6/4) who is 4:4 with Jurgen Melzer on past meetings (and leads 1:0 on hard courts) but is the clear underdog for their match. Interesting.

All handy hints when you're assessing matches on the ATP Tour.

Monday 10th August

It's the Rogers Cup this week in Montreal as the North American hard court season hits full swing in its run-up to the US Open (starts in New York on August 31st).

Question marks about several leading players, notably the new world No.1, Roger Federer, and the returning Rafael Nadal. As such the outright market looks very open this week with some attractive prices freely available about players with real, live chances of success. Sign up today for our outright betting tips.

Regarding the R1 matches on offer for Monday there's quite a lot of previous head-to-head data at hand. Mikhail Youzhny (7/4) leads Marin Cilic 2:0 on past meetings and given Cilic's poor showing in Washington last week (lost R2 to Somdev Devvarman) his Russian opponent might just offer some value, even if not in great form himself. Likewise, Nicolas Kiefer (13/8) leads Stanislas Wawrinka 2:1 on past meetings and merits a second glance against the unconvincing Swiss player.

More solid options look to be Igor Andreev (8/13) against Dmitry Tursunov, he leads 6:1 and the match which puts together two of the most erratic players on tour sees Gael Monfils (8/13) take on the soon to retire Marat Safin. Both players come with a huge wealth warning but Monfils is 3:0 against his opponent today.

Always worthy in match betting to be fully aware of the head-to-head records as they provide a valuable guide as to which players merit support and those who seem unworthy of the favourite's tag. In this respect, tonight's offer some interesting illustrations of this fact.

Sunday 9th August

Andy Roddick meets Juan Martin Del Potro in the Legg Mason Classic final later today in Washington DC. The pair have met once before, in the final of the LA Tennis Open last year, when the Argentine breezed through the match to record a 6-1 7-6 win.

That performance may have said more about the form at the time of Roddick as opposed to Del Potro, as the No.1 seed is fancied to land his fourth title in the US capital this evening. Roddick (5/6) just gets the call for this match after his comeback 6-7 6-2 7-5 win over John Isner last night, even though the No.2 seed, Del Potro, looked in good form himself in downing Fernando Gonzalez 7-6 6-3 in their SF.

The Argentine still has doubts about his ability at the very highest level and for all his progress over the last 18 months Roddick, on home soil, can just edge what looks a very tight match to call.

Also, with both players in good form, and pretty reliable on serve on this surface, a First Set Correct Score bet is worthy of note. This is a very under-rated bet. Roddick 7-5 or 7-6 is on offer at 5/1 and 14/1 respectively, Del Potro is 11/2 and 18/1 to land the first set by the same scoreline. Even put together in a perm these options would generate a decent return.

Don't forget - it's the Rogers Cup in Montreal this coming week so sign up today for our exclusive outright betting advice and also remember to pre-order our 400 page Tennis Formbook 2010.

Saturday 8th August

Washington DC yesterday and in the Legg Mason Classic there were wins for Andy Roddick 7-6 7-6 over Ivo Karlovic (their history of tie-breaks was discussed prior to the match), Fernando Gonzalez W4/5 against Tommy Haas and John Isner upset Tomas Berydch in three sets. The final SF place went to Juan Martin Del Potro as Robin Soderling defaulted on account of a right elbow injury.

In today's matches Andy Roddick brings a 1:0 career record with him against fellow American, Isner. That meeting was in the final here in 2007 when A-Rod won 6-4 7-6. Aiming for a fourth title in the US capital, Roddick has looked solid this week and should prevail. In fact, after playing the 6'10' Croat, Karlovic, Isner will seem small ... he's only 6'9''. Greater experience and ability should see the 1/6 favourite home but there seems little value in any markets concerning Roddick nor the match as a whole.

The other SF pitches Juan Martin Del Potro against Fernando Gonzalez in an all-South American clash. Gonzalez leads 3:0 in their series, beating his opponent on clay, carpet and most recently in the Australian Open 2007 - when Del Potro retired in the fifth set. Tough match to call but given the level of form he's shown this week Gonzalez (11/8) gets the call (even though Del Potro had a 'rest day' yesterday) with a high number of games also expected in what could be a tight, hard-fought match.

Yesterday we highlighted Maria Sharapova 7/4 in Los Angeles. She's now into SF's and faces Flavia Pennetta (leads 2:0) for a place in the final.

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Friday 7th August

Last night's action in the Legg Mason Classic saw all eight favourites win their respective matches - in fact, the only player really pushed was Juan Martin Del Potro who eventually saw off Lleyton Hewitt 7-6 in the third set.

Tonight's four QF matches are all interesting. No.1 seed Andy Roddick may well be 4:1 versus Ivo Karlovic but 9 of the 12 sets they've played in those 5 encounters have gone to tie-breaks. Karlovic, due to an immense serve and rather poor return, is very often involved in tight matches - with few service breaks and a high number of games. The Croat can surprise at big odds but also disappoint at short prices. Roddick (1/3) will be glad to get past him tonight.

Similarly, John Isner is another big server who must have half a chance against Tomas Berdych. Based on form and ability, the Czech player has to be the call but at 8/15 he's one best left alone.

In the two other matches, No.2 seed Del Potro faces no easy task against Robin Soderling as the Swede has been in good form of late. As such, the Argentine looks plenty short enough at 1/2 in the win market (even though he won their last meeting in Auckland 6-4 6-3) and in what could be a tight match we just prefer a three-set win for the favourite at 11/4.

Finally, best bet of the night looks to be Fernando Gonzalez (4/5) over Tommy Haas. The Chilean has won his two matches here in solid-looking fashion and Haas, who has enjoyed a great spell of late, might just find the South American a bit too strong. Gonzalez leads 2:1 on past meetings.

Interesting to watch Maria Sharapova this week in Los Angeles. Still very much on the comeback trail the Russian is now 7/4 favourite to win the WTA event and certainly bears a look in a tournament where several top girls have already gone out.

Thursday 6th August

It's R3 in the Legg Mason Classic tonight over in Washington DC with the players competing for a place in the QF's tomorrow. Already this week we've lost Tsonga (No.3), Cilic (No.6) and Robredo (No.7) but the other top seeds have all made it safely through to the last 16.

As such, we're presented with several seemingly uncompetitive matches tonight as Gonzalez (No.4) v Odesnik, Soderling (No.5) v Gicquel and Berdych (No.8) v Petzschner should all win comfortably.

However, Roddick (No.1) v Querrey could prove to be a scrap for the three-time former champion and Del Potro (No.2) v Hewitt is no easy ask for the defending champion. Of the two matches, Lleyton Hewitt (7/4) has claims to defeat the Argentine, more so when you consider their only meeting to date saw the Aussie run out a 6-3 7-5 7-5 winner at Wimbledon earlier this year.

In the day's other matches, John Isner can build on his win over Tsonga by seeing off De Chaunac and Ivo Karlovic should have too much power for Devvarman. Finally, Tommy Haas v Juan Carlos Ferrero is an interesting game. Ferrero leads 3:1 on past meetings, but all his wins came on clay, so Haas might just shade this one today even though odds of 2/5 for the German make the Spaniard the better value at 7/4 in this battle of the 'old-stagers'. Ferrero is 29, Haas all of 31!

Wednesday 5th August

There are a dozen matches R2 in the Legg Mason Classic tonight in Washington DC and, generally speaking, like the first couple of days of this tournament, match betting opportunities are few and far between.

One market which can often be worth exploring in this event is set betting. More so when we're dealing with three set matches as opposed to the five-setters we encounter at the Slams. Given the best-of-three format there are only four possible outcomes to a match: 2-0 and 2-1 either way, and if we fancy any one player to win, well there's only two options 2-0 or 2-1.

Available at bigger prices than the outright markets they can often turn a short-priced match bet into a decent value scoreline bet. For example, in a tight looking match tonight between Tommy Robredo and Juan Carlos Ferrero you can back Robredo to win 2-1 (10/3) or Ferrero to win 2-1 (10/3) - cover them both and it still pays 5/4.

Likewise you could consider Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He's 2/5 to beat John Isner tonight but for Tsonga to win 2-0 he's even money which is probably not too bad a bet if the Frenchman continues his impressive hard court form of 2009 here.

Remember, this type of bet is worthy of consideration when the overall match betting looks short of possibilities.

Tuesday 4th August

No great surprises in the Legg Mason Classic yesterday with most favourites winning, amongst them the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, John Isner and Frank Dancevic.

Denis Istomin (8/11) v Sebastien De Chaunac looks the best bet on another generally difficult looking day. The 22-year-old has an impressive record on both the Challenger and Futures Tour (winnng five times on each) and his relatively young age still gives us the chance to believe that the Tashkent resident remains on the upgrade.

Generally speaking, on the men's tour, it's the norm for the top players to be making their mark aged 19, 20 or 21. A few players prove to be late developers but as most careers tend to tail off from the age of 27 onwards the time for players to make their mark is sooner rather than later - in 2009, there have been 27 ATP Tour events won by guys aged 19-26 and only 9 won by players aged 28-31.

Anyway, Istomin, despite being mauled by Sam Querrey 0-6 2-6 in his last match in Los Angeles may still prove too strong for the veteran Frenchman (De Chaunac is 31) who is ranked lower in the world than the man from Uzbekistan (181 to 67) and hardly offers much chance of late improvement himself.

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Monday 3rd August

Plenty of match winners last with Hernych W5/6, Serra W5/2, Martin W4/5, Mayer W1/1 plus Thomaz Bellucci W2/1 & W9/10. That second win for Bellucci came in the final of the Swiss Open in Gstaad, his maiden tour title, whilst we also saw good wins yesterday for Davydenko (Umag) and Querrey (Los Angeles).

This week's it's the Legg Mason Classic in Washington. Don't forget you can currently get outright bets for both this event and next week's Masters Series tournament, the Rogers Cup from Montreal, on a two-for-one deal when you sign up for next week's outright betting advice. So don't miss out, sign up today!

As for today's R1 match bets, a tricky looking bunch of games. Guys like Lleyton Hewitt, John Isner and Frank Dancevic should all progress through with the minimum of fuss.

However, Mikhail Youzhny v Robert Kendrick (5/4) could see the Russian face a tough workout on his US debut this year. Kendrick isn't in the same class as his opponent but his recent 6-0 6-0 demolition of Vincent Spadea in LA, followed by a game loss to Dudi Sela, suggests he has half a chance of causing an upset - if the price isn't necessarily a generous one. A small interest on the American looks the best of a bad bunch of potential match bets tonight.

And don't forget the outright bets, which include a great value 12/1 shot who simply has to be backed this week!

Sunday 2nd August

A good win for Thomaz Bellucci W2/1 yesterday over Igor Andreev. No doubt the Brazilian has talent and remains a player to look out for on clay in the future. However, the defeat of Andreev highlights the fact that the Russian remains a player to be very cautious of when a short price in the outright market, for any tournament.

Similar to guys like Fernando Verdasco, Stanislas Wawrinka, Gael Monfils and David Nalbandian (other players who share this fundamental flaw) Andreev simply doesn't win often enough to merit such short odds... although week in, week out he always appears near the top of the lists!

Finals day on Sunday in this week's three events. The Croatia Open should go to Nikolay Davydenko who looks in good nick at present and has won his last two meetings with today's opponent, Juan Carlos Ferrero.

In the Swiss Open, it's Thomaz Bellucci (9/10) v Andreas Beck (1/1) with marginal preference going to the South American. These two played in Tunis in 2008 when Bellucci won 6-0 6-7 6-3 - forcing 14 break points to Beck's one - and his record on the Challenger Tour (on clay) of 53:19 as opposed to the German's 34:26 is much more eye-catching.

Over in the LA Tennis Open, Sam Querrey (1/5) should beat Carsten Ball ... but Querrey was a similar price to beat Rajeev Ram in Rhode Island recently and blew it - so be warned!

Don't forget, next week we've got the Legg Mason Classic in Washington and the week after it's the Rogers Cup, a Masters series event, in Montreal.

You can currently get outright bets for both these events on a two-for-one deal when you sign up for next week's outright betting advice. So don't miss out, click Outright Tennis Bets and sign up today!

Saturday 1st August

Don't forget, next week we've got the Legg Mason Classic in Washington and the week after it's the Rogers Cup, a Masters series event, in Montreal.

You can currently get outright bets for both these events on a two-for-one deal when you sign up for next week's outright betting advice. So don't miss out, sign up today!

Saturday is SF's day in this week three events. In the Swiss Open, Igor Andreev is the outright favourite but he still remains a difficult player to win with (three career wins, all back in 2005). As short as 10/11 he still looks more of a lay than a back. What's more Thomaz Bellucci (2/1) isn't without hope of beating the Russian today.

In the Croatia Open, a better looking outright bet would be Nikolay Davydenko. The Russian is playing well at present and should beat Jurgen Melzer today. However, do check Andreas Seppi (2/1) against Juan Carlos Ferrero in the other semi. Italians have a good record in this event and Seppi is 2:0 against his Spanish opponent, both on clay.

Finally, in Los Angeles, the withdrawal of Mardy Fish yesterday with a side strain looks to have left the way clear for Tommy Haas to win a third title here in California. However, Sam Querrey will be no SF pushover for the German as he looks to add to his 2004 & 2006 titles.