Australian Open Betting / Ben Caudell / 23 January 2009 /

The Frenchman is infamous for his failure to seal the deal from promising positions but our man believes his current price is a healthy one... Meanwhile, yesterday provided a clean sweep for Ben's bets but can he get it right on day six?

Yesterday was a good day for our tips with all three selections winning. Tommy Robredo was too strong for Yen-Hsun Lu and enjoyed a resounding 6-1 6-3 6-2 win.

Marin Cilic faced a tougher match against the dogged David Ferrer, he was only broken twice compared with Ferrer's four times, served seven aces and won a higher percentage of receiving points.

In the final match of the day, which ended up finishing well after midnight, Marcos Baghdatis also won in straight sets 6-2 6-4 6-4. The Cypriot is starting to show the same passion and determination that took him to the final two years ago. He now faces Novak Djokovic in a match which could turn out to be a classic.

Today's Selections

Richard Gasquet v Fernando Gonzalez:

I'm a little surprised that Richard Gasquet isn't a shorter price than the [2.3] on offer. Not only has the Frenchman, better match, service, break point, and return statistics than Fernando Gonzalez on the hard court surface, he has also prepared a lot better leading up to the Australian Open and has significantly better current form than the Chilean, reaching the semi-finals of Brisbane and Sydney. These two have never met before in a competitive match.

Selection: Back Richard Gasquet at [2.3] to win the match

Radek Stepanek v Fernando Verdasco:

Stepanek has a 3-0 head-to-head record against the left handed Spaniard with his most recent win in the Brisbane Final two weeks ago. Verdasco will be seeking revenge and although head-to-head scores are a major factor in determining the winner, I have to side with Fernando here because of his new found confidence from the back of the court and his serving prowess. In his last two matches he has served 82% of first serves and 61% of second serves, Verdasco has hit no less than 52 winners and only 30 unforced errors. Stepanek struggled against Michael Berrrer and has a poor Grand Slam record winning only two of his last ten third round matches.

Selection: Back Fernando Verdasco @ 1.66 to win match

Selection: Small bet on Gael Monfils to win 3-1 at [4.0].
Selection: Small bet on Victoria Azerenka to win 2-0 at even money.

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