Wimbledon Betting / Editor / 25 June 2007 /

ROGER FEDERER will be keen to beat the predicted showers when he opens the Centre Court programme at Wimbledon 2007 at 2pm today.

Federer starts his quest to match Bjorn Borg's five men's singles titles in a row when he faces Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili and he is trading at 1.14 to win his opening match without dropping a set. Remember, he didn't drop a set in winning the Australian Open title in January. He can be backed at 5.5 to repeat the feat at the All England Club.

Betfair punters might be well advised to focus on the early matches if they want to be quids in by the end of day one rather than betting on a match which may be carried over on what seems sure to be a rain-affected day.

So which other matches will catch the eye? There are plenty to pick from but here are a Betfair Four to follow:

TIM HENMAN v CARLOS MOYA (25th seed)

With Andy Murray out injured, home fans will be rooting for former British number one Tim Henman. In case it's his final bow at Wimbledon, Henman has been given second match on Centre Court against 25th seed Moya.

They have met nine times and Moya leads 5-4 but they have never faced one another on grass - and, of course, that is Tim's surface. Even at 32, the serve-and-volley specialist may just have what it takes against the 30-year-old clay-courter from Majorca. Moya, though, gained a little confidence booster on Friday when he beat Rafael Nadal at Hurlingham.

Betfair have Henman trading at 1.67 to reach the second round and a clash with Britain's Joshua Goodall or Spain's Feliciano Lopez. Those less patriotic can get 2.44 on Moya going through against the four-time semi-finalist playing his 14th consecutive Wimbledon.

ROBBY GINEPRI v FERNANDO GONZALEZ (5th seed)

One of the first players into action at noon on Day One will be Australian Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez. And the Chilean faces an interesting match against American Robby Ginepri.

The two six-footers have met twice with Gonzalez, the fifth seed, having won on both occasions, most recently in two sets at Queen's Club in the last 16 of the Artois Championship. But they have not yet played one another over five sets.

Gonzalez, 26, wowed everyone with his displays in Melbourne and the world number 6 is trading at 1.24 with Betfair to get off to a flier against the 24-year-old, 40 places below him in the rankings, who is on offer at 5.

ANDY RODDICK (3rd seed) v JUSTIN GIMELSTOB

Andy Roddick comes in to Wimbledon off the back of a grim claycourt season but boosted by his fourth Artois title after beating Nicolas Mahut in the final.

The third seed will open the action on Court One with his all-powerful serve-and-volley game. Twice a finalist, he knows he will have to get past Federer if he is to make another final appearance.

The 24-year-old has former champion Jimmy Connors in his corner and that could make a big difference this time. Certainly he should have too much power for fellow American Justin Gimelstob and he is trading at 1.26 with Betfair to score a straight-sets win over the 6ft 5in New Jersey 30-year-old.

MARTINA HINGIS (9TH SEED) v NAOMI CAVADAY

The ladies get in on the act on day one as well with top seed and last year's runner-up Justine Henin taking on Argentina's Jorgelina Cravero straight after the Roddick match

But opening the action on Court 2 is comeback girl Martina Hingis. A winner of three of the four Majors (the French is the only one to elude her), she was Wimbledon champion in 1997 at just 16. Ten years on she is ninth seed and should get off to a confident start against Britain's 18-year-old Naomi Cavaday.

World number 11 Hingis, seeded nine, is trading at 1.24 with Betfair to win in straight sets against the world number 232 - and if it were to happen would leave her time to dash off and watch Czech fiancé Radek Stapanek take on Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in the second match on Court 19 later - weather permitting, of course.

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