Rome Masters Tennis Betting: Day three tips

Events / Ben Caudell / 29 April 2009 / Leave a Comment

Struggling Simon could fall to Fognini in wet 'n windy Rome.

Another rain drenched day at the Rome Masters forced play into the early hours of the morning. It wasn't until 2am local time that the last match between Fernando Gonzalez and Jeremy Chardy was finally completed, Gonzalez winning in straight sets 6-4 6-1. It is possible that today will also be another wet and windy day full of disruptions to the order of play.

According to the weather forecast Saturday will be the only day of the week that we see bright skies and a full day's play...

Three of the four big guns will start their Rome campaign today, ATP World Tour No.1 and three time champion Rafael Nadal, No.2 Roger Federer and No.4 Andy Murray highlight Wednesday afternoon's matches on the stadium court.

Murray was supposed to play yesterday, however due to the adverse weather conditions his match against Juan Monaco was re-scheduled for 13:00 local time today. Yesterday's tips to back Juan Monaco @ [4.4] and lay Murray 2-0 still stand, please refer to Tuesday's tips for further information regarding this match.

Today's Selection

Gilles Simon (FRA) v Fabio Fognini (ITA)
Simon has had a torrid time since reaching the semi-final of Dubai nearly two months ago. He has since lost to Ivan Ljubicic, Tomas Berdych, Radek Stepanek, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, and his first clay court match of the year last week in Monte Carlo to Andreas Beck. There are obvious confidence issues with the Frenchman at the moment and with the French Open fast approaching he needs to find something in his armoury to get out of the mire.

Fabio Fognini has a great record in his home country, winning eight of his last ten matches. In previous years at the Rome Masters he has defeated the likes of Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin Del Potro. Clay is without doubt the Italian's favoured surface; he has a 31-13 record on the red stuff within the last 12 months including recent wins over Nicolas Massu, Tomas Berdych, and Marin Cilic.

The value is definitely with Fabio Fognini, it does however depend on whether he has recovered from his late night slogging match with Filippo Volandri. He will no doubt have the support of the home crowed and with Simons current demise, I have to be backing the Italian.

Selection: Lay Gilles Simon 2-0 @ [2.24]
Back Fognini @ [3.1] to win match