Events / Ben Caudell / 21 November 2009 /

Ben Caudell can't wait to see the world's elite lock horns in London. British hope Andy Murray faces US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro on Sunday night and a win for the "home player" appears to be on the cards.

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals brigade has finally arrived in the big smoke amid all the hype and anticipation surrounding the top eight ranked players on the planet. The stakes are high as are the rewards with over $5 million in total prize money, the chance to win one of the most prestigious titles in tennis and possibly finish the season as the highest ranked player in the world.

The format of this tournament provides the most challenging and gruelling of experiences for the participants - there is no place to hide with every match being televised. The unique round robin format will see all players playing a minimum of three matches each as they battle it out for a place in the semi finals and beyond. With the quality of each match akin to that of a Grand Slam quarter final, this will surely go down as one of the greatest sporting shows to hit these shores, something that cannot be missed....

Andy Murray (GBR) v Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)

Andy Murray reached the semi final stage of this tournament held in Shanghai last year, winning all three group matches including a win over Roger Federer, before losing to eventual runner-up Nikolay Davydenko.

All eyes will be once again on the young Brit, with expectations as per usual extremely high when he plays in London. Del Potro, who managed to win only a single match at last year's event has improved substantially since, winning the US Open in August and making the semi finals of the French Open earlier in the season.

Unfortunately the Argentine's form since the US Open has left us all a little confused as to how he will perform at the O2 this coming week. There's a big question mark surrounding the Argentine as to whether or not he is fit enough to be playing, having withdrawn against Radek Stepanek at last week's Paris Masters due to an unknown injury.

Andy Murray leads the head-to-head series 4-1 with three of the wins on hard courts. Their most recent battle took place at the Montreal Master Series final in which the Brit won 6-1 in the third set. Having had a week's rest and with great indoor form coming into this match (Andy Murray has won 13 of last 14 on Indoor Hard, including a tournament triumph at the Valencia open) a win here will put the Brit on track for a semi final berth with only Roger Federer and Fernando Verdasco standing in his way.

Selection: Back Andy Murray @ [1.45] to win match

Roger Federer (SWI) v Fernando Verdasco (ESP)

I cannot see Roger Federer succumbing to Fernando Verdasco in Sunday's evening match. Not only does Federer possesses a 4-0 head-to-head series lead over the Spaniard, he also enjoys a 48-1 record when playing in Great Britain due to his dominance at the All England tennis club.

Although the Swiss legend succumbed to the average Julien Benneteau in Paris last week, his focus has always been geared to performing at the O2 World Tour Finals this coming week, a tournament he has won four times in the past.

Fernando Verdasco will be relieved to have made the final eight of the World Tour Finals having sweated through the final stages at the Paris Masters - at one point there were three other players who could have taken his place had they progressed further in the tournament.

The Spaniard will come into this match with nothing to lose; his form has been questionable in recent months and he often becomes frustrated with his lack of ability to close out matches. He was in a commanding position against Marin Cilic in the fourth round in Paris only to crumble when the finish line was in sight. Don't forget that it was around this time last year that the Spaniard went up a gear in his standard of play, stringing together some of his best results of his career which included a semi-final epic against Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open.

I expect Federer to win this match; however there will definitely be value in backing the handicap markets which favour the Spaniard; this match could be a lot closer than the odds suggest.

Selection:

Back Verdasco +4.5 Games @ approx [1.85]
Back Tie Break? @ Approx [3.0]

Best Bet - Back Verdasco +4.5 Games @ 1.85 against Roger Federer (Barclays World Tour Finals Group A Match)

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