Events / Ben Caudell / 15 March 2009 /

Ben Caudell has the pick of the bets from the fifth day of action at Indian Wells.

It was a mixed day for the daily tips yesterday. Fernando Gonzalez beat Lleyton Hewitt in three sets, putting the Chilean 5-2 up in the head-to-head and hasn't lost a match against the Australian sine 2004.

The other tip was to lay Ivo Karlovic 2-0. Unfortunately, the lanky Croatian's service was on top form winning a staggering 96% of first serves and only having one break point against him throughout the whole match.

There were upsets galore in yesterday's women's draw. The 18-year-old Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova recorded her biggest ever win by beating former number one Jelena Jankovic in two astounding sets, 6-4 6-4. The other big upset of the day came from little known qualifier Petra Cetkovska, she managed to get past most people's favourite to win the Paribas Open, Elena Dementieva. Dementieva, known for her aggressive yet consistent game, was erratic during the two-hour upset. She once again struggled on her service games hitting an astonishing 14 double faults - the equivalent of three-and-a-half service games.


Today's Selections

Alexa Glatch (USA) v Urszula Radwanska (POL)
These two wildcard entries have never played against each other, but there may be meetings aplenty in the future. Both are extremely promising with the younger Radwanska having already knocked out Svetlana Kuznetsova the 2007 and 2008 finalist in the second round. There are doubts concerning an injury to Urszula which could have a bearing on the overall result of this match. Glatch playing only her third Indian Wells tournament will no doubt have strong support from her local fans, she is yet to drop a set at this year's running with straight sets victories over Carla Suarez Navarro and Stephanie Dubois. I can see the young American taking a set off the Polish talent so I suggest laying 2-0.
Selection: Lay Urszula Radwanska 2-0 @ [2.7]


Marat Safin v Nicolas Massu
Marat Safin has a 3-1 head-to-head record against the Chilean Massu. All four matches have been played on red clay, Massu's favourite surface, so it will be interesting to see how he will fair against the Russian on the American hard-court. This will surely be Marat's last Indian Wells tournament before he retires from the sport he has - at times - graced, not only with his tennis prowess but also with the distinct characteristics he possesses endearing us both on and off the court. I expect Safin to sweep aside Nicolas Massu if he turns up with the desire to do well here.
Selection: Back Marat Safin @ [1.36] to win match and @ [2.0] to win 2-0

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