Australian Open

[kouga]

Stanislas Wawrinka +120

This one looms as probably the hardest match to predict of the men's 3rd round matches - Berdych has really impressed me in the first two rounds but we all have fallen for THAT trap before. In two matches to date, the Berd man has rattled off 21 aces, won 78% of first serve points and has outnumbered his unforced errors with winners - not always a given for this man. Ginepri and Dabul failed to trouble him, but things will get tougher for him here against the Swiss number two Wawrinka who improved yesterday on his R1 effort. Things still weren't smooth sailing for Stan, but he did control a lot of the baseline rallies against the fiesty Klein and produced 78% and 75% success rates on the first and second serves respectively, saving the one break point he faced the entire match. His 2009 form has generally been good after making the final of Kooyong, but he'll be the first to admit he's not at his absolute accurate best. The h2h series between the pair stands at 3-2 for the Czech, winning the only previous best of 5 encounter but that was inside his home country in Davis Cup action. Wawrinka won the only hard court meeting which was last year, and it's interesting that Tomas has lost the only 2 matches out of the 5 whereby his game hasn't been aided by fast or skiddy surfaces (indoor & carpet the other 3 times). He has the bigger serve and the crisper, heavier groundstrokes, but the mental strength is simply not there which could really hurt him against a guy of Wawrinka's fighting qualities. Berdych struggles to get the radar up much past 200km/h, so it isn't as if Wawrinka won't be without his chances, after all he boasts wins over Safin (2), del Potro (2), Cilic (3), Roddick, Ljubicic, Ancic, Almagro, Karlovic (2), Rudeski and Guccione - all of whom probably have claims of being at least a heavier server if not more difficult also. Stan wants to re-enter the top 10 and has a big opportunity for some points here now after exiting R2 last year, while the pressure is on Berdych after he made the R16 last year before losing to Fed. We all know how Berdych deals with pressure, you've just answered your own question...

 

[kouga]

Marin Cilic -140

Cilic overcame not only a dangerous opponent Tipsarevic, but also two other important factors that will help mature him as a player. He wasn't phased by the constant racial taunts directed at him by Serb fanatics (Tipso copped the same from the Serbs), and he didn't let a third set lapse bother him where he led by two sets and a break, only to lose serve twice and conceed the set from nowhere. The talented Croat has produced, so far this tournament, 38 aces and has won 83% of first serve points, though his second serve success rate and occasional shot selection are definite "room for improvement" areas. David Ferrer, after outlasting Gremelmayr in a five set thriller, bamboozled Hrbaty in little over an hour but don't be fooled by that result. The Slovak veteran, although in form, had played 9 matches and 22 sets since January 4 (17 days), had travelled to Perth to win the Hopman Cup then made a quick flight to NZ where he lost first round, and within 24 hours of returning to Melbourne had to contest qualifying. He was, to put it kindly, quite tired. Ferrer, to his credit, lost just two points on first serve and committed just 18 unforced errors as he allowed the ironman to virtually commit fatigued suicide. This pair have never met, but last season Cilic was able to quell the likes of Martin, Rochus, Melzer, Monaco, Robredo, Nieminen and Davydenko who are some of the better defenders and ball-retrievers on tour. He has the big power behind the serve and the groundstrokes to have Ferrer etched a long way behind the baseline - a difficult position for anyone to make a lasting impression. Ferrer's serve can be a huge liability as it doesn't have pace and can become a little predictable, and I believe the youngster will be able to swing freely to earn himself numerous break point chances. He still looms as a dark horse threat to some of the bigger names, and with his Croatian clan behind him Cilic looks destined to carry on his Oz Open dream

 

[kouga]

Marion Bartoli -180

Safarova was in cruise control against Erakovic before the tide turned in their second round match, only to claw her way back at the tail end of the third to clinch a thrilling marathon match. The lefty is slowly returning to form but she's not won a third round Grand Slam match since the French Open of 2007. Things don't get easier here as she takes on hard-hitting Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli, the much-maligned Bartoli started slowly against Pironkova before eventually eclipsing the Bulgarian finishing with a 69% success rate behind the first serve and winning 70% of second serve return points with some brutal winners. She has belted Safarova in two previous encounters including one at Grand Slam level, and speaking to Fox Sports yesterday looked absolutely delighted with her performance and is enjoying her tennis while fit and healthy. She has definitely put in the hard yards over the break, and when she's not immobile Bartoli is one of the sweetest hitters on the tour. She has her serving problems and players with great accuracy can expose her reach on the double-handed grips, but Safarova lacks the confidence and results at Grand Slam level to really put pressure on this area. She is too passive, produces too many short mid-court balls and here that is going to be punished by Marion stepping into the court and dictating play

 

[crazyivan]

Good Luck, I'll tag along.

 

[TheBrainiac]

Great work , that is what we are looking for in this forum .

 

[PABronco]

:wink:What's up w/using Destroyer's comments mate:wink:

 

[crazyivan]

who is destroyer? where does he post?

 

[kouga]

:wink:What's up w/using Destroyer's comments mate:wink:

Because I want to help others to make some money ....I`ve never said those are my comments, "mate"

 

[crazyivan]

Kuoga, where do u find this info? What site? Thanks,

 

[kouga]

Kuoga, where do u find this info? What site? Thanks,

tennisinsight.com ....its a free site now but I`ll have to upgrade my account to have access to their plays

PS:my account expires in 9 days

 

[PABronco]

Fair Enough.

 

[Brotherwo]

what is tennisinsight (destroyers) record for the Australian Open?

Cilic seems the bet of the evening, doesnt it?
Anyone going to take a stab with Delic for the major upset?

 

[crazyivan]

tennisinsight.com ....its a free site now but I`ll have to upgrade my account to have access to their plays

PS:my account expires in 9 days

Thanks alot, hope to see you posting too.

if u want to split cost I won't mind helping.

Ivan

 

[kouga]

Thanks alot, hope to see you posting too.

if u want to split cost I won't mind helping.

Ivan

Glad I could help and dont worry about the cost :toast:

 

[HNYLOC]

Sorry for the off topic but any of you guys have issues logging on to TennisInsight? every new user account I set up comes back with invalid username and password when I try to log in. And I even had them email me the password. Any ideas?