French Open Betting / Ben Caudell / 31 May 2010 /

Andy Murray's out but the excitement continues at the French Open where Ben Caudell has a pair of bets today

Fernando Verdasco (ESP) v Nicolas Almagro (ESP)
Today's all-Spanish affair between left-hander Verdasco and clay court specialist Nicolas Almagro has all the makings of another five-set classic. The winner will get to test his abilities against the world's best, Rafael Nadal, in the quarters unless Thomaz Bellucci pulls off one of the greatest upsets in tennis.
Seventh seed Verdasco struggled to reach the fourth round of the French Open when beating Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 2-6 6-3 6-3 6-7 6-4. The Madrid native, who now has a problem with one of his toes after that epic four hour battle, committed 61 unforced errors but managed to break the German nine times.
Verdasco, who won in Barcelona and reached the finals in Monte Carlo and Nice on clay this season, has gone on record stating what great shape he is in and though a little fatigued and possibly slightly injured he is still a massive price at [1.83] on Betfair. Verdasco is aiming for a first French Open quarter-final and has a 3-0 head-to-head lead over Almagro with all three wins coming on clay. In fact, their most recent match was in the third round of last year's French Open which Verdasco comfortably won in straight sets.
Almagro, however, is playing some of his best tennis of the season and a win here would take him back to the quarters, a stage he reached in 2008. So far this season he has managed to take a set off Nadal in Madrid earlier this month and is 8-2 on the clay.
An important stat to look at is the fact that Almagro has lost ten of his last 11 matches when his opponent is a top-ten player and has also lost seven of the last eight against fellow Spaniards. He is 5-5 against left-handers
Almagro is a wonderful player when he wants to be, but suffers lapses in concentration which affects his shot-making from back of the court. Verdasco, on the other hand, is super-intense and is more likely to go though even if carrying a slight injury.
Selection: Back Fernando Verdasco @ [1.84] to win match


Jelena Jankovic (SRB) v Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)
This will be a very entertaining match-up between the no.4 seed Jankovic and the 23rd seeded player Hantuchova. It will be the sixth time they have met one another on the WTA circuit. The head- to-head series is currently tied at three apiece, however more important is the fact that the Slovakian has won the last two, both in 2010, and both on clay.
Hantuchova has been working on her physical fitness, stamina and strength a lot more this year, she is quicker around the court and lasts a lot longer in the rallies. There is definitely value in backing the Slovakian at [3.2] considering their previous two meetings. The likelihood is that this match will go to three sets, so I will also be backing overs on the total games market
Selections: Back Daniela Hantuchova @ [3.2] to win match
Back Over 21.5 Games @ [1.92]

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