Match Tip – 11/08 – Haas to beat Karlovic

 Tommy Haas vs Ivo Karlovic – Montreal Masters

Haas has had a brilliant summer and he is back in the world’s top 20 for the first time since January 2008.

The 31-year-old has clearly put his injury problems behind him now and his semi-final showing at Wimbledon proves this.

Straight sets loses to Querrey and Gonzalez in recent weeks may be a sign of tiredness however I feel he will have enough to get past big serving Karlovic.

The Croatian, like Haas, was at the top of his game at Wimbledon before being cast aside by Roger Federer.

However I wasn’t as impressed with ‘Big Ivo’ in a match against Andy Roddick at Washington last week.

He was a break up in both sets but was broken back and ended up losing 7-6 7-6.

If Karlovic was bang on form he would not be losing his serve as we saw for 14 sets in a row at SW19.

Haas has lost to the 6′10 giant on the last three occasions but the last time they played was in 2007.

The German is a brilliant returner and seeing as he is playing his best tennis in a long while, he should be able to pick off a few of the massive serves coming at him and advance to the second round.

This tip was provided by Pinewood, a writer for our new sister site The Betting Battle - click here to find out more.

French Open Final Prediction

Roger Federer vs Robin Soderling

Throw the 9-0 head to head record out the window. Soderling is now a completely different player to what he was coming into this tournament. His wins against Ferrer, Nadal, Davydenko and Gonzalez have given him unbelievable self belief and he will go into this match thinking he can win it.

He may be nervous at the beginning of the match due to the unfamiliar circumstances he has found himself in but he will soon settle down and get his game going.

Federer has been playing reasonably well throughout the tournament but this will be his biggest test yet. The Swiss master is definitely the favourite here however Soderling is riding the crest of a wave and has to  be feared.

This said I think Federer, who has far more big match experience, will take his first French Open title but it won’t be easy. I can see this final lasting at least  four sets.

Prediction – Federer win 3-1

Match Tipping – French Open – 05/06/09

Semi Finals

Robin Soderling vs Fernando Gonzalez

My immediate thoughts are that Soderling will lose this match just like I thought he would lose against Ferrer, Nadal and Davydenko. From time to time top 30 players go on unbelievable runs where they play at their absolute optimum level and this is currently happening to Soderling. I think this match will be close but I have to give the edge to the Swede as something has clearly clicked for him over the last two weeks.

Gonzo beat Murray in the last round which looks like a good win but really the Scot isn’t anywhere near the force he is on hard courts. The Chilean has a tendency to be on fire for a set and then drop off for the next and if this happens he will be in all sorts of difficulty. He needs to be pumped up to play well and Soderling may not let him play the massive forehands which allow him to build momentum. 

Prediction – Soderling win 3-2

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Roger Federer vs Juan Martin Del Potro

Del Potro has been playing well this tournament but I wouldn’t say he has come up against any particularly testing competition. Igor Andreev hasn’t been on good from as of late, Tsonga is a hard court player and Robredo doesn’t hit hard enough to trouble the top players. That said I feel the Argentine has a chance today as he must be feeling really confident.

Federer hasn’t been at his best but at times during matches he really excels and proves just why he was number one in the world for so long. For me he is a clear favourite here and I would be surprised if he didn’t advance to the final. Federer has spent longer on court than Del Potro but I think this counts in the Swiss master’s favour as he must be nicely tuned up.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Del Potro came out firing on all cylinders and won the first set. After that though, Federer should take the next three and win comfortably.

Prediction - Federer win 3-1

Match Tipping – French Open – 01/06/09

Tommy Robredo vs Philipp Kohlschreiber

Oh dear. This is a massively tough match to call. I wrote in a previous post that I would put a considerable amount of money on whoever Kohlschreiber was playing due to his erratic tendencies.

Having now seen he is playing Tommy Robredo I am certainly not so confident.

This is a match the German should win in my opinion and that is precisely the reason why I am going to pick Robredo to advance to the next round.

Kohlschreiber had nothing to lose against against Djokovic and was able to play without a hint of pressure. This match will be a different kettle of fish and he will have a degree of expectation on his shoulders which could effect his play.

This match has five set thriller written all over it and I reckon Kohlschreiber will bottle it.

Robredo win 3-2

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Tommy Haas vs Roger Federer

Federer should stroll this match against the aging Haas. I think the first set will be competitive however after that Federer will dominate.

Federer win 3-0

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Juan Martin Del Potro vs Jo Wilfried Tsonga

On any other surface I would have no doubt in my mind that Tsonga would have a great chance of winning.

However clay courts do not suit his gung ho type of play as we have seen from his mediocre results as of late.

Personally I am not a fan of Del Potro but he has chalked up a few good results on the surface.

Like Tsonga he is not the greatest on clay either but his comfortable win against a ‘proper dirtballer’ in Andreev the previous round makes me side with the lanky Argentine.

Del Potro win 3-1

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Gael Monfils vs Andy Roddick

Monfils should get the better of Roddick on this surface however the Frenchman always seems to make life difficult for himself.

Roddick is a fighter and now he has come this far into the draw I am sure he will have been working on a plan to disappoint the French crowd by knocking their favourite player out.

Roddick will need to serve well to keep Monfils at bay.

And if Monfils fails to get into the Roddick service games he may lose confidence and go on the defensive which would allow Roddick to start dictating points.

If this happens we could be in for a long match however Monfils will eventually scrape the win by grinding down the American.

Plus Monfils has points to defend here which is an added incentive for him.

Monfils win 3-2

Match Prediction – Indian Wells – 16/03/09

Here are my match tips for the third round of Indian Wells.  Predicted winners are highlighted in bold.

Philipp Kohlschreiber vs Nicolas Lapentti

Kohlschreiber is be expected to win this match and I think he will however the German often makes life difficult for himself. The German should advance but it may take three sets against Lapentti who is capable of causing anyone problems on his day.

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Paul-Henri Mathieu vs Andy Murray

Mathieu is a decent player but he doesn’t have the mental or physical capabilities to beat Murray here. The world number four will come through in two tight sets.

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James Blake vs Fernando Gonzalez

There is talk of Blake wanting to get his ‘revenge’ on Gonzalez after his loss to the Chilean at the Olympics where he had match points. Personally I think this memory will count against Blake and Gonzalez will again be victorious.

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Richard Gasquet vs Fernando Verdasco

This is Verdasco’s first tournament since his fantastic showing at the Australian Open and I fully expect him to carry on his scintillating form. Gasquet has been playing better recently but I just can’t think of a reason why I’d prefer him to the red hot Spaniard.

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Tommy Robredo vs Marin Cilic

Very tough match to call. I think serving will be crucial in this contest and Cilic has the better delivery so I will go with him to come through in three sets.

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Gilles Simon vs Ivan Ljubicic

If Ljubicic played to his best ability he would have a big chance however I haven’t seen him on form for a while. I think the resilient Simon will win perhaps in a couple of tie break sets.

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Ivo Karlovic vs Roger Federer

This match will be a struggle for Federer. We saw yesterday Monfils go out to big serving John Isner and this game could have the same outcome. However Karlovic is so limited and immobile from the back of the court that I can’t see him breaking Federer. I think the first set will be a tie break which Federer will win and then he will dominate in the second set.

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Igor Andreev vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Battling Murray sends Federer home

Andy Murray showed once again why he is the best player in the world at the moment as he fought out a 3 set victory over Roger Federer 4/6 7/6 7/5 in the Shanghai Masters Cup.

This match was fascinating from start to finish with the majority of the crowd in support of Federer. The atmosphere couldn’t have been more different for Murray when compared with the match he played against Gasquet at Wimbledon where everyone was behind him. However he didn’t seem too bothered.

The only incident where the crowd did effect Murray came in the second set where clapping could be heard every time he missed a first serve. This proved crucial as he double faulted on break point after appearing frustrated to allow Federer to break back bringing the score back to 5-4.

This just shows the world wide respect that Federer has earnt over the years during his time at the top of the mens game.

With Federer serving at 4-5 in the third, I witnessed the most spectacular service game I have ever seen. The world number two saved seven match points by playing some breathtaking tennis and then won the game which took over 15 minutes to complete. 

 I even found myself slightly wanting the Swiss master to come back from the dead and win the match after an amazing show of courage and fight to bring the contest to 5-5 despite clearly being extremely tired.

I have to say that Murray at this point with the match duration approaching 3 hours, still looked as fresh as ever and I knew there was only going to be one winner.

The question is, will Murray be tired for his next match tomorrow against Nikolay Davydenko? He certainly can’t play any better than he did today and if Davydenko, who has had a day to prepare, plays as well as he did in his last match I think we could be seeing the Russian advance into the final.

Murray will have to prove me wrong again

Murray played sensationally against Haas and sent out a message that he is in serious form.

The German tested Murray in the second set before the British number one upped his game in the third and fourth set.

Gasquet is another step up in class in my opinion and has been playing brilliant tennis this week.  He is one of my favourite players on tour and has the ability to hit a winner from anywhere on the court as well as having a very decent serve.

Murray will need to do some serious defending against the Frenchman who will attack from start to finish using his majestic backhand to dictate points.

If I get this wrong, Murray will have certainly proved to me and everyone he has what it takes to go all the way to the final but at the moment I think beating an on form Gasquet is a step too far for him.

Predicted Winner :: Gasquet

 

Match Prediction – Wimbledon – Second Round

These predictions are for matches to played on Thursday 26th July. The player in bold is my selected winner. I will update the post to include if I got each prediction correct or wrong.

Andy Roddick vs Janko Tipsarevic – Although I think Roddick will win, this will not be an easy ride for the American number one. He did not look all that comfortable on the grass during the warm up tournament for Wimbledon, Queens, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in the semi-final. Roddick also hasn’t played a lot of tennis recently since withdrawing from two clay court tournaments in May with a back injury. Tipsarevic has an all court game and is a brilliant shot maker. He is better than Roddick from the back of the court but I feel that the American’s serve will guide him through the match. – Wrong

Chris Eaton vs Dmitry Tursunov – Eaton beat Boris Pashanski, 500 places above him in the rankings in the first round. Eaton used his impressive serve to get him through the match which frustrated the Serbian journeyman. I would be very surprised if he beat Tursunov here as he looked limited from the back of the court. The Russian is sure to put more balls back in court than Pashanski and should go through in straight sets. – Correct

Nicolas Almagro vs Guillermo Garcia Lopez – Wrong

Rainer Schuettler vs James Blake – Wrong

Paul Henri Mathieu vs Jeremy Chardy – Correct

Marin Cilic vs Jarko Nieminen – Grass is Cilic’ best surface and I really fancy him here against Nieminen. Since his exceptional performance at the Australian Open at the start of the year the Finn has lost in ten first round matches and is very much off form. Cilic on the other hand has had an encouraging year and got to the semi final of Queens. – Correct

Jurgen Melzer vs Jesse Levine – Correct

Arnaud Clement vs Benjamin Becker – Clement beat Bjorkman in the first round as I predicted. Becker beat Davydenko in a minor surprise as we know the Russian is not comfortable on grass, especially against such a big hitter. Becker also has a big serve which i think Clement will have trouble returning and I make him the favourite here. Clement actually beat Becker last week in a tight three setter but a five set match in a Grand Slam is a very different prospect and the German will be full of confidence after a straight sets victory over the world number four. - Wrong

Richard Gasquet vs Sebastian Grosjean – Gasquet was sublime in his first round match and I expect him to cruise through against Grosjean who is not the player he once was. Grosjean hasn’t had a brilliant year and has withdrawn due to injury from three of his last four tournaments previous to Wimbledon, a sign perhaps that age is catching up with him. Theres no doubt though that the pint sized frenchman will still pull off a few amazing shots and keep Gasquet on his toes. – Correct

Augustin Calleri vs Giles Simon – Correct

Tommy Robredo vs Tommy Haas - Providing Haas is 100 percent fit he will win here. He has struggled with injuries this year however a four set win over Canas in the first round should give him a fair amount of confidence. Robredo is solid from the back of the court but I feel a lot more is needed to beat the talented Haas who can hit flashy winners off both wings. – Correct

Xavier Malisse vs Andrew Murray – Correct

Ernests Gulbis vs Rafael Nadal – Gulbis is a very talented player clearly with a bright future. He took down the one dimensional John Isner in the first round and dealt with his serve well. However I can’t see him troubling Nadal who is without a doubt on the form of his life. – Correct

Total Correct :: 9/13

Wimbledon First Round Predictions

There are 64 first round matches so there’s no way I could get through every one in detail but here are my quick selections. The man in bold is my predicted winner. I will edit this post when matches are completed so you can see how many I got right…

Albert Montanes vs Carlos Berlocq – Correct

Alex Bogdanovic vs Simone Bolelli – Bolelli has been on brilliant form this year and his playing style suits grass well. Bogdanovic will try and use his serve to good effect but I think the Italian will prevail here. – Correct

Robby Ginepri vs Fernando Gonzalez – They played in this tournament last year and Gonzalez won in four sets. Gonzalez in three this year. – Correct and in three sets.

Tomas Berdych vs Evgeny Korolev – Correct

Alexander Peya vs Mishca Zverev – Correct

Thomasz Bellucci vs Igot Kunitsyn – Wrong

Florent Sella  vs Yen -Hsun Lu - Correct

Lleyton Hewitt vs Robin Haase – Correct

Dudi Sela vs Olivier Rochus – Wrong

Filipo Volandri  vs Bobby Reynolds – Correct

Marc Gicquel vs Kei Nishikori - Nishikori retired injured

Chris Guccione vs Gael Monfils - Monfils withdrew due to injury

Victor Hanescu vs Alejandro Falla - Correct

Philipp Kohlschreiber vs Fernando Verdasco – A very even match up as both players are known for their flashy shot making. It’s difficult to pick a winner and I wouldn’t be surprised if this went to five sets however the German has been coming into the form as of late and I expect him to use this momentum to drive into the second round. – Wrong

Igor Andreev vs Jiri Vanek – Correct

Sergiy Stakhovsky vs David Ferrer – Correct

Marat Safin vs Fabio Fognini – Correct

Richard Gasquet vs Mardy Fish – Gasquet has not been playing well lately and here he has a massive test against big hitting Fish. The American’s gung ho approach will cause the French number one problems and this match is another I think could go to five sets. – Wrong

Benjamin Becker vs Nikolay Davydenko – Wrong

Viktor Troicki vs Nicolas Lapentti – Lapentti retired injured

Kevin Anderson vs Augustin Calleri – Wrong

Jonas Bjorkman vs Arnaud Clement -A very interesting match. Clement plays a lot more doubles these days and has struggled this year in singles competition. However Bjorkman has also been very much out of form and I favour Clement here on his favourite surface. – Correct

For a full set of results and live scores go to the official Wimbledon website.

 

Murray Match Prediction – Wimbledon – First Round

Andy Murray GBR (11) vs Fabrice Santoro FRA (53) 

Best Of 5 sets - Grass

Nick Bollettieri wrote on his blog that he could not decide who will win this match. I feel there will be only one winner, this being Andy Murray.

He will drop a set at most to the unorthodox Frenchman who will be attempting to grind out points by chipping all day long. There’s just no way that Murray won’t adapt to and then counter this style of play throughout the course of the match.

Santoro warmed up for Wimbledon with a hapless 6-3 6-1 defeat to Del Potro last week which can only add to the appeal of Murray here.

I also can’t see the 35-year-old getting much of a look in on the Scotman’s serve which is one of his most improved shots.

Murray on the other hand will be looking to attack at every possible opportunity when recieving as Santoro’s serve isn’t the strongest anymore.

I am sure there will be a few long drawn out nervous rallies because as Nick said Santoro will look to keep the ball low and tempt Murray into mistakes and this will without a doubt happen at various points in the match, but I think the British number one has too much class not to advance into the second round.

Predicted Winner :: Murray