Tennis 10-16th September, Beijing, Bucharest (ATP) & Bali (WTA)

[Wittmann 44]

Not sure it can get much worse this week. My worst week this year was at Rome when I lost nearly 11 units but this is looking like it could be worse and aftert a poor US Open looks like the first time I’ve run two consecutive tournaments of losses.

1.25 Units Tsonga @ 2.22 -1.25 Units
1 Unit Pavel @ 2.42 -1 Unit
1.25 Units Hanescu @ 2.04 +1.24 Units

ATP Staked 12.25 Units
ATP Profit +0.45 Units

Lay Jankovic 2-0 @ 1.14 0.50 Units Risked -0.50 Units

WTA Staked 7.75 Units
WTA Loss -7.75 Units

[engineer]

Yes, it's the same with with me, I shouldn't have started the thread...

[Wittmann 44]

Tomorrow is another day as Dorothy says in Oz

One from China later this morning

Ljubcic - Bagdatis

Bagdatis seems to be suffering serve wise recently and his vitories over Peng and Pashkani weren’t that impressive. Ljub was better but he seems to be having problems of his own with some dodgy losses recently to the likes of Chela, Odesnik and Pavel. He also trails the h to h 3-0 although they were all very close and two occurred in Oz where Bagdatis traditionally does very well. This is another one that looks tough to call but with big question marks over Bagys serve I’m inclined to side with the dog here.

1.25 Units Ljubcic @ 2.10

[Peter Orchard]

Errani-Nakamura
Every reason to back the dog and no reasons to back Nakamura.

Cirstea beat Schnyder today. Tomorrow she continues her campaign against the Swiss. Lordy, palordy, this girl might even spank Roger Federer.

Jankovic-Davenport
Nice smooth introduction to ladies tennis, Lindsay but the Serb will have too much here, methinks.

Lee-Gonzalez
No reason to back Gonzo as favourite and HT gets the vote, especially on home territory.

Baghdatis won this last year and the Croat has convinced no-one this year.
Why should I back him here?

Robredo-Kunitsyn
I´ll leave this. The Russian can surprise and he might do so here.

Cilic-Kiefer
This is a shoe-in for a fit Niclas Kiefer. Had I been a girl I´d have clamoured to have his babies. Go Nic.

Armando did well as a qualifier but perhaps it´s time to say goodbye. Gilles Simon is not a man you´d lean heavily on but he loves this slow red stuff that makes the ball look like a grapefruit and his opponents look like cabbages.

Monfils. Shall we take a second Frenchman? This tournament is tailor made for guys looking for points and Monfils need all he can get. Go, my son.

Hanescu-Starace
You´d have to go with the Italian despite Hanescu home advantage. Nothing in the Romanian´s game suggests he´ll be good enough here.

Schukin-Berlocq
Who knows? The Russian is a challenger player and already happy with what he´s done here, I suppose.
I don ´t know a lot about Berlocq but guess he´ll be useful here on the clay against the unproven Russian.


I do no research into prices before I make my mind up and none of this stuff is price-dependent.


Cut and pasted from the peter orchard web site.

[rcgills]

Originally Posted by Peter Orchard

Cirstea beat Schnyder today. Tomorrow she continues her campaign against the Swiss. Lordy, palordy, this girl might even spank Roger Federer.

Gallovits is Romanian, isn't she?

[Peter Orchard]

I dunno mate.
You want to call her Romanian, I´m happy with that.
You might like to make a more positive contribution?
Picks, tips, opinions?

[Peter Orchard]

No?
Ok

MY website has loads of good stuff. Tennis and Horse Racing amongst other things.
SidandPete!

[rcgills]

Originally Posted by Peter Orchard

No?
Ok

Sorry, read that last post of yours before you'd edited it, and so have only now seen the bit you edited.

Only really look at the games in the morning, and don't have time in the morning to comment on them on here.

But if you'd like something positive in the mean time, I'm now positive that Gallovits is Romanian

[Peter Orchard]

You´re a mine of information and a credit to the tennis forum, rcGills.

[rcgills]

You've always struck me as a well-educated chap, Peter, and I thought you may appreciate being made aware of such seemingly minor details, if only for future reference.

[Wittmann 44]

Good stuff with Cristea Peter

You can rely on Patty to be unreliable

[Peter Orchard]

Opposing the Schnyder camp who, frankly, always looks like he´s just come out of the bar, is no biggie.

Back the Swiss and you might win money today but I doubt you´ll do it over a season.

[Wittmann 44]

From Bucharest tomorrow

Starace-Hanescu

Home town boy Hanescu gets the chance to repeat his beating of Starace first round in Bucharest in 2005. That was however in much different circumstances. Hanescu was coming off a QF in Roland Garros and nearing his highest ranking of 37. Starace was stuck outside the top 100. 2 years later and Hanescu’s back injury in early 2006 kept him out of the game for almost 5 months and he has never really recovered. Starace beat him easily 2 & 3 in the Lugano challenger in June this year and the Italian has kicked on this year in a major way with Finals in Austria & Valencia and a win in the big San Marino Challenger. Hanescu has been trawling (and doing well) in the smaller challengers but his lack of play at ATP level is highlighted by a W5 L12 record since 2006 with one of the victories a retirement and another over Martin Verkerk. Starace easily beat another Romanian yesterday and should have an equally comfortable time today.

2 Units Starace @ 1.66


Monfils-Gicquel

Monfils leads the h to h 4-3 here but has won 3 of the last 4. He also boasts a much better reord at the business end of ATP events – he is W7 L3 at the QF stage with excellent wins over Safin, Tursonov and Roddick (*2) amongst those – Gicquel is W3 L5 with two of those wins in France. Gicquel who is 30 ploughed the Challenger field for a long time before making some minor ATP headway in 2005 on. His ranking is starting to slide now so he will be desperate to do well here but he looks outclassed here. Monfils had to come through qualifying here (why I cannot fathom) so fatigue is a concern but I’m still inclined to think his power will be too much.

2 Units Monfils @ 1.46

Simon-Armando

Despite being 29 and a veteran this will only be Armando’s 2nd ATP career QF – the last was in 2004 and he lost that and the previous one. This is very much a career on the fringes. You have to go back to 2001 (over 20 games) to find the last time that he beat a current top 50 player – it is something he has only managed 4 times from 27 tries almost all on what is supposedly his best surface. Simon has had a solid if unspectacular year on his first full ATP year with a SF in Croatia the highlight. His game is Canas-lite with solidity from the baseline a key. The Frenchman is operateing at a significantly higher level than Armando and with a very open draw (Berlocq/Schuklin in his half) he must fancy his chances of at least making the final here.

2 Units Simon @ 1.42


From Bali

Errani-Nakamura

I’m going to side with Errani here. I know she is a clay courter but I wouldn’t be too convinced by Nakamura at 1.60 even if this is a surface and a venue she should be much more comfortable on. Errani did very well to take out Amamurdova (despite being two breaks down final set) first round and followed up with an equally solid 3 set win over Garrigues. Nakamura came through with difficulty against Tansanguran first round and with less fuss in the second round but I’m thinking she is underpriced here.

1 Unit Risked Lay Nakamura @ 1.60

[Peter Orchard]

Gallovits is Romanian and I apologise, RCGills.
One of those Freudian things where I always called her a Swiss when she never was and never has been and no matter how much I looked at that sentence, I found nothing wrong with it.

[rcgills]

No worries Peter

I know it may have seemed slightly pedantic to point out, but the fact Gallovits is Romanian made it a Romanian "derby", which I guess is an extra factor to be taken into account sometimes in these games.