Tennis(Australian Open)

still feeling my way through write ups, trying to condense everything in a nice package.

2* Ball -119
Big serving lefty vs a clay specialist. Fade of Riba once again, as he's inexperienced on this surface. He'll favour long rallies to put the Aussie in trouble but asking him to win 3 sets is a longshot. Ball has dropped 2 matches this year but played 5 tiebreakers in them. He's more comfortable on hardcourts and less likely to drop serve versus Riba who is only in the draw due to his ranking.

2* Cuevas -157
Interesting match between two clay courters. Gil has relied on his dirt results to climb the rankings while Cuevas has branched out on other surfaces to improve his game. He possesses a very big serve for a player his size and this can be credited to most of his success. Gil is more of a finesse player, relying on tactics and angles in a dirt style. They've met 3 teams previously with Gil holding a 2-1 h2h advantage.
Cuevas won in their only hardcourt matchup and I look for him to repeat that result here.

2* Larsson -117 (WTA)
Another fade vs a clay specialist. Lino had a surprising run at the US Open last year but the majority of her hardcourt wins came in qualifying rounds. Larsson is a solid indoor player but hasn't really translated that success to outdoor courts yet. She has more experience vs top hardcourt players so the veteran dirtballer shouldn't have any new tricks to catch her off guard with.

2* Paszek -126 (WTA)
Paszek is still fighting her way back up the rankings after tumbling from a high of 35 in the world. She worked a lot on her fitness during the off season and built up her confidence with solid play in Hobart. Vania King is mainly a doubles specialist, she grew up on hardcourts but doesn't excel with any shots aside from volleys. Paszek's patience and consistency will be the key to victory here.

1* Harrison +143
Bright futured American vs another up and coming talent from the French tennis machine. I feel that Mannarino's odds are a bit inflated due to his recent results in Auckland. This seems like a 5 setter to me with all the grand slam inexperience between them. I favour Harrison's conditioning to win in this one.

Futures
1* Soderling to win AO +1823
Disappointing and shocking loss to Granollers last year after coming into the tournament in terrible form. So with that...
He started off this year with his first ever outdoor hardcourt title at Brisbane, looking unbreakable in the process. A confident Soderling is a dangerous proposition and he's clicking right now. Couple that with Nadal still recovering from the flu and there's a chance for big things from the Swede.

1* Djokovic to win AO +999
Couldn't resist, especially since he won his only major here. His last two tournament exits here? 2010, he was on his way to victory over Tsonga in the QF's before suddenly becoming ill and losing in 5. 2009, he fell victim to the heat and retired vs Roddick in the 4th set...two losses but definitely flukey.
The weather report looks great for him as well and he should be hungry for another major after wrapping up a monumental Davis Cup victory for Serbia. Really found his game in the last half of 2010 and has built on it ever since.

1* Henin +515 (WTA)
Seems to be the forgotten contender among the early predictions.
Sure she's coming back from an injury, but she didn't drop a set at Hopman's and took down Ivanovic with ease.
She also loves playing in Australia, has won twice here, and oh...she's the 2010 runner-up.
Her toughest match before the QFs would be Kuznetsova in the 3rd round and she holds a 16-2 h2h advantage there. Add in an out of form Wozniacki and things just got interesting.

like that Harrison pick

good luck man

gl as well baker

2* Troicki not to win 3-0 -105
The talented Tursunov returns from a rash of injuries that plagued him throughout the last two years, finished 2010 with a few decent wins. He received some much needed match practice with qualifications at Brisbane, picking up a win and losing in a tight three setter. Two previous contests between them went the full distance and despite Troicki's great start to 2011, Tursunov should have his chances at a set in a best of five.

Have any thoughts on the Henin-Mirza match?  Was thinking the way Mirza has been playing that she can cover the +6.5... what do you think?  gl this week and thanks for adding the insight

where did you get the Troicki prop I really like that play he will be gassed and Tursunov is good enough to take a set off of him

the +6.5 looks tempting on Mirza sparty, 6-4, 6-3 for Henin or something similar.


all lines from pinnacle baker

good luck

good luck, man.  Loving Ball as well in this spot

Solid call on Tursy

2* Nadal/Daniel under 25.5 games -116
Daniel's here for the nice paycheck courtesy of an automatic main draw place thanks to his top 100 ranking. The veteran relies on clay for ranking points and is a fish out of water on any other surface as evident by his 1-8 hardcourt record since 2010. He has extremely limited weapons and will be outclassed for the entire match. Nadal will dominate every baseline rally, should have break chances on every Daniel service game, and wrap this up in under an hour.

2* Raonic 1st set -114
The promising Canadian recovered from the brink of elimination in the last round of qualifying, showing tremendous mental toughness, to secure his place in the main draw. The difference between the top players and the rest is the mental aspect of the game and Raonic has shown promsing signs rarely seen in young players. Couple that with a huge, spectacular serve and he has the makings of dangerous player in the very near future. I favour the first set here, over a match bet, as Phau is a tricky veteran and could grind the youngster down in a long match. Raonic should have the advantage in the first set with his serve, as the German will spend most of the set trying to get accustomed to it.

Smart bet on Raonic

good luck

wow what happened to Larsson. Talk about a beat down. GL to you n3g. Im on Ball and Tomic pretty big.

GL

As well as Hewitt. Going with all the Aussies in the 1st round.

absolutely railed in the first round, embarrassing picks.

Tuesday

3* Monaco +103
Haase will be the hot pick but I'll go against the dutchman in this contest. Monaco had some difficulty with his first round match, it was far from his A game but he still won in straights over a tricky veteran. His game can only improve from here and his baseline consistency mixed with an attacking net play will keep his young opponent off balance. Haase's mediocre return of serve will be the difference here against a solid all around opponent.

1* Dimitrov 1st set +224
The young Bulgarian will be creating headlines very soon and has the makings of a top 10 player with his talented arsenal. With that, I think his best chance here lies with the first set. Wawrinka can be a slow starter and relies on finding a rhythm to get into a match. This often gets him in early difficulty and I'm looking for Dimitrov to get the jump on his Swiss opponent.

1* Mahut +400
Should see a run of seeds fall in the next few days and I think Mahut has the makings of a live dog. Troicki's been hot to start the year, riding his Davis Cup victory, and has been serving tremendously. He's very susceptible when that's not working and I feel he's due for a letdown match soon. Mahut doesn't possess a good return game but he attacks the net consistently to pressure opponents into errors. He'll need to keep Troicki off balance and keep attacking to have any chance of the upset.

Weds

2* Simon +8 games -126
Holds a 2-0 h2h over Federer and represents a frustrating style of play for anyone to go against. Simon has attempted to add sprinkles of an attacking game to his repertoire, but his bread and butter is his patience and stroke consistency that lulls opponents to sleep or frustrates them into going for an unlikely winner. He claimed a title last week so he's in good form and I like his chances of keeping it close and possibly taking a set.

2* Stepanek +109
Isner's tactics in his first round match were very suspect and his movement looked slower than usual. Stepanek has a solid return game that won't nullify Isner's massive serve but he'll accumulate chances throughout the match for the important break opportunities. Isner is extremely one dimensional, comparable to Karlovic and Stepanek has shown he can play the role of giant killer with a combined 4-1 h2h against the titans.

1* Baghdatis +119
Baghdatis spent the off season focusing on his fitness and that just might be the key to victory. Del Potro's fitness on the other hand is questionable. After willing himself to a 3 set victory vs Lopez last week, he had nothing left for his next match even with an extra day of rest. His mental fortitude is unquestionable but I don't think his legs will carry him to the next round here. Baghdatis is a big step up from Sela and that may be asking too much for the rusty Argentine this early in a grand slam.

good luck n3...you'll get it back...i have not doubt.

GL N3

I like the Dimitrov wager...he has the best chance of taking the 1st set.

Step and Simon buddy hope they come through for us!

1* Raonic +3.5 -103
Clash of two big servers with Raonic winning on home soil to lead the h2h. Expecting a few tiebreakers in this one so I'm siding with the young Canadian who has expressed confidence in holding his own serve. Llodra has an abysmal record here and I think he'll be pressed to the limits in a tight affair.

Oh Canada- GO RAONIC!

Raonic! 

Great pick

Nice job on Raonic