Events / Ben Caudell / 13 October 2009 /

On day three of Asia's premier tennis event, Ben Caudell selects the bets as two of the games great entertainers clash. Meanwhile, who will prevail in an all Spanish battle?

Gael Monfils (FRA) v Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
Two of the tennis' most celebrated entertainers face each other for only the third time in their careers (1-1), in what I think will be the best match on Wednesday.

Gael Monfils the ever present, enigmatic, showman of tennis has performed well since his loss to Rafael Nadal at this years US Open. Barring his unexpected Davis Cup defeat at the hands of Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands, he has shown what he is capable of by recently winning Metz, reaching the quarter-finals of Kuala Lumpur, and the semi-finals of Tokyo all in the space of a month. He has become a feared opponent, a bogey man of many players due to his uncanny ability to be unpredictable in his shot making and attitude on court.

In contrast to Monfils unpredictability, Lleyton Hewitt's defensive play, reliable groundstrokes and determination have never wavered throughout the course of his illustrious career. He is Mr Consistent, able to play on all surfaces and always up for a fight. If this match was best of five sets, I would be favouring the Australian to win; Monfils would struggle to get to grips with Hewitt's tenacity and willingness to battle all the way to the end.

However, this being a best of three set match, Monfils will have too much power for the Australian; he will dismantle Hewitt's game from the off, hitting winners from all angles of the court, not allowing Hewitt to find any rhythm. An important fact to remember, is that Gael Monfils coach Roger Rasheed was also Lleytons coach from 2003 - 2007. Baring this in mind, Rasheed will know the inn's and outs of Hewitt's game and provide his protégé Monfils with a game plan that will send him through to the next round.

Selection: Back Gael Monfils @ [1.6] to win match

Feliciano Lopez (ESP) v David Ferrer (ESP)
Feliciano Lopez has a 5-3 head-to-head lead over David Ferrer, three of which have come on either indoor or outdoor hard courts. David Ferrer was victorious in their most recent match played at this year's Monte Carlo Master series 100 event 6-2 6-3 on clay. Both Spaniards are struggling to find form and will be determined to go further at this year's Shanghai Masters in order to improve on their current world rankings, (Lopez is currently 33 and Ferrer 19).

Lopez is 1-8 in all matches, having lost in the first round of his last six tournaments including the Davis Cup match against the USA; his confidence will be at an all time low. Ferrer can be an extremely tough opponent to break down; the dogged baseliner will fancy his chances against lefty Lopez after a decent performance in the first round where the Spaniard defeated Richard Gasquet in straight sets. I believe this match will be a similar formality for Ferrer who will be relishing the prospect of coming up against US Open winner Juan Martin Del Potro in the next round.

Selection: Back David Ferrer @ [1.4] to win match
Back Ferrer 2-0 @ [2.2]

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