Events / Sean Calvert / 14 February 2011 /

We're on the indoor courts of the US this week where the market favoyrite should be taken on and two up-and-coming stars of the ATP Tour can 'go deep', as they say on the other side of the pond.

My two long shots didn't quite pay off last week, but at least my advice to back Michael Llodra to beat Nikolay Davydenko proved spot on at a handy [2.94].

I'm sticking with the indoor circuit this week and it's over to America for the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, where the draw looks to be wide open, especially in the bottom half.

The number one seed, Andy Roddick, looks to have a tough route to a potential fifth Memphis final (won two, lost two so far) with the up and coming Richard Berankis first up and then Janko Tipsarevic (2-1 head-to-head Tipsarevic) next.

Roddick would then most probably face Lleyton Hewitt in the quarters and after that a potential semi final against perhaps John Isner, Juan Martin Del Potro, Ivan Dodig or Ivo Karlovic.

In addition to the tough draw, Roddick's indoor hard-court form hasn't been great lately, with a poor show at the ATP Tour Finals, where he lost all three matches; he hasn't won an event in these conditions since here in 2009.

The American's feeble effort in Melbourne doesn't breed confidence either, so I'm happy to take A-Rod on this week and lay him at the current [4.3].

That top half is packed with potential finalists and a lot could depend upon the highlight of the first round match-ups, which is Isner v Del Potro, with the winner standing a decent chance of reaching the final.

Del Potro is inching his way back to form, fitness and confidence in that injured wrist slowly, but it doesn't seem 100 percent yet, so despite the Argentine's 2-0 record over Isner, I would just favour the big American in that one.

There are also a couple of dangerous Croatians in the mix in that top half, with recent maiden tour titlist Ivan Dodig and Ivo Karlovic drawn in the same mini section next to Isner and Del Potro.

All in all, that top half looks very tough to call, but the bottom half looks weaker, with defending champion Sam Querrey in woeful form just now and a tricky first rounder against Denis Istomin is not what the doctor ordered for the American.

Querrey has lost in the first round in his last five events stretching back to October last year and it seems that he's still on a Murray-like downer after losing a tough five setter to Stan Wawrinka in New York.

If he is to come back to form this week then he has the draw to do well, with only Mardy Fish of any real note in his quarter, although Lukas Lacko is in there, who beat Querrey last week in San Jose.

Fish himself has had injury and illness problems for a while now and he too has done little since the US Open, having played just three events since then due to an ankle injury.

If Fish is fit, then he stands a chance with a handy draw, but he hasn't won an indoor title since 2003, although he did reach the San Jose final in 2009.

The final quarter is fascinating, with Fernando Verdasco facing an immediate repeat of Sunday's San Jose final against new sensation Milos Raonic in the first round.

Who's to say that the 20-year-old Canadian can't repeat here at around [20.0]? With that massive serve of his, anything's possible and I snapped up a huge [80.0] about a Raonic win ahead of the San Jose final.

Also in the mix in that quarter are Johannesburg champion Kevin Anderson, along with wild card James Blake, Benjamin Becker and Radek Stepanek.

Anderson has hardly played indoors at tour level and has never been past the second round of any ATP indoor event, so he's not one for the short list this week, but the unpredictable Stepanek has a 8-3 record here, so is not without half a chance.

So, it's a wide open Memphis this year, with any one of at least eight in with a real chance, but the safest play is to lay Roddick and have a small interest on the new boys, Raonic and Dodig at big prices with a view to trading out.

Recommended bets:

Lay Andy Roddick at [4.3]
Small back to lay bets on Milos Raonic at [20.0] & Ivan Dodig at [40.0]

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