US Open Betting / Ben Caudell / 31 August 2010 /

A player on the up against a player in decline - there can only be one winner, can't there? Ben Caudell selects the best bets on day two at Flushing Meadow.

Radek Stepanek (CZE) v Julien Benneteau (FRA)

Despite reaching the quarter-finals at New Haven last week, Radek Stepanek has had a terrible year, plagued by illness and injury. After returning from a knee injury that forced him to withdraw from both the French Open and Wimbledon, he lost three consecutive first round matches at Washington, Toronto and Cincinnati. He has a 2-1 head-to-head lead over tonight's opponent Julien Benneteau but the Frenchman is enjoying a decent run of form during the American hard court swing.

Benneteau produced a dogged display of aggressive counter-attacking tennis against Novak Djokovic in Toronto, losing 7-5 7-5 in his second round match. The following week in Cincinnati, he defeated fellow countryman Michael Llodra in three sets and then Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4 6-2, before losing an epic match against Rafael Nadal 5-7 7-6 6-2.

The French number four will fancy his chances of making it through to the next round; his form is peaking just at the right time, he's up against a player in decline, whose confidence has been at an all time low. Benneteau has won five of the last six matches when priced as favourite and he is my pick to succeed today.

Selection: Back Julien Benneteau @ [1.72] to win match

Coco Vandeweghe (USA) v Sabine Lisicki (GER)

This time last year Sabine Lisicki was ranked just outside the top 20 in the WTA world rankings. Due to a reccuring ankle injury the promising German youngster has found it difficult to return to the form she was showing towards the end of last season and is now ranked at a low of 94.

Since the Australian Open in January, Lisicki has played just eight matches in total, winning two and losing five. Her most recent matches, a first round loss against Kristina Barrois at the Bronx ITF tournament and prior to this another first round loss this time at the Cincinnati Premier event to Monica Niculescu provides us with little confidence in backing her against her American opponent Coco Vandewehe.

Home favourite Vandeweghe, who was born in New York and is ranked at 166 in the world, recently shook the tennis world with her commanding performances at the San Diego International event where she reached the quarter-finals having won through three rounds of qualifying. The American teenager recorded her career best wins over Gisela Dulko and Vera Zvonareva before bowing out to eventual winner Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Showing great form on the American hard courts and with ITF circuit tournament wins in El Paso and Carson this summer, and due to the fact that Lisicki is struggling with her confidence, I am going to have to side with the home favourite.

Selection: Back Coco Vandeweghe @ [1.72] to win match

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