US Open Betting / / 01 September 2007 /

Perfecseun previews Saturday's US Open action

H. T. Lee (Korea) vs A. Murray (GBR)

Anyone can take on Andy Murray these days, for example Fognini had his chances in Montreal and took it. And, worryingly for British fans, there is nothing striking about the way he is playing at the moment to suggest that anything special is in the offing.

The 31-year-old Lee is showing no signs of tiredness or ageing and his win against Canas underlines the fact that he loves the hard court and playing the US Open. Murray struggled against Bjorkman even if he won the match emphatically in the fifth set, he was handed the match by Bjorkman who age was definitely a factor as the 35-year-old could not keep up in the heat.

Murray has not been playing well in the past couple of weeks and it's a bit risky to believe he has improved because of his two wins at the US Open - of which one was against a qualifier ranked 129. Lee has featured in three of 4 quarter finals during the US Open series losing to Andy Roddick on a couple of ocassions and at the semis in Los Angeles it was Blake who put him out. Their head to head is 1-0 in favour of Murray but that win was in three sets which ended in a close tie-break in the third set.

I really fancy Lee to keep his US Open challenge alive by overcoming Murray today. The Brit has a temperament which creeps into his game when he gets tested and those antics wont face the easy going Lee.

Suggested Bet: Lay Murray to win 3-0 @ 4.1 and Lay Murray to win the match @ 1.59

US Open Womens Singles

T. Paszek (Austria) vs P. Schnyder (Switzerland)

Paszek had her chances at Wimbledon to cause a major upset in the round of 16 but the power of Kuznetsova was too much for her. Even then, the 16-year-old put out players like Golovin and Dementieva. The experience she gained in that tournament would serve her well today when she takes on the other 'Swiss Miss'.

Schnyder is in good form as she showed en-route to the finals in San Diego. She is playing well on the hard courts this season and is a threat to anyone if she keeps her mind on the job. It will be a hard job for Paszek to get this win but it is not out of reach as Schnyder has been known not to keep her mind on the job and lose easy matches she is expected to win comfortably.

The pair have never met before so this is new territory for either party. Paszek relies on power and placement to finish her points and she will get her chances against Patty to put away some weak returns and tuck away second serves that are not potent.

Suggested Bet: Lay P. Schnyder to win 2-0 @ 2.08 and small stakes Lay P. Schnyder to win the match @ 1.42

Players under the microscope

Vaidisova is not a reliable player. She seems to have a phobia of closing out matches under pressure, for example against Ivanovic at Wimbledon and most recently against Pennetta when leading 6-5 and serving for the match. Peer on the other hand has cooled off somewhat since last season and perhaps needed the spotlight off her to lift her career. She can stay with Vaidisova and move on to win in three sets.

Sania Mizra is one player to watch. It seems like an age ago when she burst on the scene with energy and precision but all that promise did not materialise. Her recent level of tennis has picked up whereas her opponent, Chakvetadze has dropped a notch in recent weeks even though she has had a brilliant year. Mirza could edge this tough encounter and will be confident with the successes she had on hard courts in the last few weeks.

The last player to follow today is Stefan Koubek. He has been on my watch list all summer and even though the task ahead tonight is gigantic one, he still has a chance to do some damage. Koubek won his last match in straight sets and he will be a lot fresher than Blake who was pushed all the way by Santoro in that epic five set match. Perhaps there's another epic ahead or a surprise Koubek win but surely he is going to take a set and there is definite value in laying Blake to win 3-0 sets.

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