Australian Open Round 1 Plays

[Toronto_Mike]

First major tournament of the tennis calender. Lots of action from both mens and womens draw. Should keep note that some players are carrying some injuries and long lay-offs, that doesn't bode well for the men who have to win 3 sets.

Andy Roddick vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7:00PM EST
Andy Roddick -9 $100 to win $85

Roger Federer vs Bjorn Phau 8:00PM EST
Roger Federer -11 $200 to win $170

Elena Dementieva vs Stephanie Fortez 8:30PM EST
Stephanie Forest +6 $50 to win $42.50

Marc Giquel vs Alun Jones 7:00PM EST
Alun Jones +5.5 $100 to win $85

Parlay:
Roddick -9
Jones +5.5
$50 to win $170

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Something Fishy here, Federer/Phau +/- 11 is now leaning heavily towards Phau

 

[Toronto_Mike]

lets see if gamebookers holds this bet

Karolina Sprem vs Maria Kirilenko
Karolina Sprem +4.5 $500 to win $425
Sprem is up 3-0 and the game was still listed

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Maria Elena Camerin vs Kirsten Flipkens
Kirsten Flipkens +3 $100 to win $85

 

[Toronto_Mike]

wow i'm getting hosed here.

Roddick wins in 4 sets losing the handicap by 3
Alun Jones won the 1st 2 sets and now is getting owned in the next 3
Roger Federer is messing about and right now all i can hope for is a push
Worst of all

Maria Kirilenko def Karolina Sprem
3-6 6-3 6-1

Got to love the moose job.

 

[gpcyan3]

tough start to the tourney Mike, It's a long one though - so keep at it.

I don't play handicap lines, cuz I don't have an account at a book that provides them... what book do you use for handy's? 5dimes?

Anyways hope you turn it around on day 2.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

i use gamebookers.com
5dimes now is a little disappointing with the handicaps, but they usually post some good props closer to the Q-Finals.
last play

Tommy Robredo vs Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo
Tommy Robredo -9 $250 to win $200

 

[Toronto_Mike]

thank you Tommy Boy for breaking the duck! Still horrendous, time to take the money back!

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Day 2:

Vania King vs Ana Ivanovic 7:00PM EST
Ana Ivanovic -6 $100 to win $85
Homer pick, simply cause i am a big fan of Ivanovic. Great talent but her main problem is always beating the top 10 players. She has no issues with beating anyone outside of the top 50. Vania King is a shrimp. Tiny girl who just has 0 power in her serve. She gets about by being patient and making smart shots. However, all that is great but if you can't hit a winner against a much more powerful Ivanovic, how can you expect a top 15 player to make consistant unforce errors?

Maria Sharapova vs Camille Pin 7:00PM EST
Maria Sharapova -8 $150 to win $127
Sharpova should take thsi one easily. Although my only doubts is the conspiracy that the people want their monies worth and actually watch a tennis match for longer than an hour. I think the least i would get out of this is a push, unless Sharapova's serve is off. She loves Australia and Australia loves her. The Princess of Tennis takes her stage.

Christophe Rochus vs Sebastien Grosjean 7:00PM EST
Christophe Rochus +7.5 $50 to win $42.50
Have a hard time taking Grosjean with this many games. Grosjean is a great underdog, but as a favorite, he is very iffy. This could be a hit or miss due to Rochus. It really depends on how the Belgian takes on this match as at times he will lose his cool. Grosjean's experience is probably why the line is set high, but Grosjean isn't someone who annihilates his opposition. He grinds them out and tires them out.

Robert Kendrick vs Rafal Nadal 8:00PM EST
Robert Kendrick +7.5 $115 to win $100
Basing this on Nadal's injury. Nadal will not want to force himself into this match. Even if Nadal wins in 3 sets i doubt he can cover 7.5 They met in 2006 at Wimbledon where Kendrick took Mister Nadal to 5 sets. Hardcourt is Kendricks bread and butter, and he should be able to hold his serve. Nadal will probably do his best to rally.

Parlay:
Ivanovic ML
Nalbandian ML
Nieminen ML
Davydenko ML
$200 to win $200

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Ivanovic cleans house
Sharapova is getting frustrated by Pin
Rochus retires waiting to see what Gamebookers does.
Nalbandian can't seem to hold his serve, getting broken left right and centre.

Klara Zakopalova vs Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur -5 $150 to win $127
Hometown girl, just feel she can at least give me a push. But that's what I said with Sharapova and well u get the picture. Stosur is a really tough cookie and with the country crowd behind her, i think she can really demolish the qualifier.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

the way Sharapova is playing right now, she is far from being the top seed.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

so it seems i am going to get hosed by the top 2 players again.

Kendrick just needs to get 3 points in the 3rd and he's choking.

Lots of delays, and its not raining, there is a heat warning so the games are postponed for the time being.

 

[gpcyan3]

I like Stosur to roll today. She's got more game than most...

You have any info on when they are planning to restart the schedule after the heat delay?

I'm anxious to see a couple of these matches and I hate waiting ^_^ , AO website doesn't have any info on when they will restart...