ATP Valencia Open: First Round Picks: Tipsarevic and Tsonga in action

Valencia, Spain – Serbian Janko Tipsarevic and Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the No.3 seed, will be looking to take their form in hand at the Valencia Open this week. Tipsarevic is after a runner-up finish in Moscow a fortnight ago and a semi-final finish in Vienna last week; meanwhile, Tsonga is after winning the title in Bangkok and advancing his bid for a spot in London. But a recent slip up in Lyon when he suffered a shocking loss to wild card Arnaud Clement in the quarters dealt Tsonga a bit of a setback. One that he hopes to recover from in Spain with a successful turnout.

Both Tipsarevic and Tsonga feature in late first round action on Wednesday, when they take on Victor Hanescu and Mikhail Youzhny respectively.

Tennis Betting Line: Janko Tipsarevic -180 Victor Hanescu +140

Match Time:11:00 A.M. Eastern Time Wednesday November 4, 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: Serbian Janko Tipsarevic has been enjoying a good stretch of results, which started when he finished in the quarters in Metz in September and followed up with a victory at the Challenger level winning the title in Mons, finishing runner-up in Moscow and the semis in Vienna. Including Metz, Tipsarevic is 9-3 on the ATP and 5-0 at the Challenger level.
Tipsarevic’s impressive form naturally sees him as the favourite against Victor Hanescu of Romania in their opening match in Valencia. Tipsarevic is 29-24 overall on the season with a decided recent uptick while Hanescu is 27-31 with a conspicuous negative trend in recent months.

Hanescu has the 2-0 lifetime edge over Tipsarevic, including a victory at New Haven this summer in the R32 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3. Nevertheless, current form trumps head-to-head edge. Tipsarevic has good form on his side, making him the better play to win outright. At -180, Tipsarevic is a value bet.

Tennis Free Picks: Tipsarevic in straight sets

Tennis Betting Line: Mikhail Youzhny +190 Jo Wilfried Tsonga -275

Match Time:11:00 A.M. Eastern Time Wednesday November 4, 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: The No.3 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is after a disappointing loss to wildcard Arnaud Clement in the quarters at Lyon. Tsonga really let the match slip through his fingers and with it an opportunity to advance his bid for a spot in London.

The Tour Finals fast approaching and the Paris Masters looming next week, Tsonga is getting a bit short on time. Nothing doing. He has to open a good account in Valencia before heading to Paris to defend his title.

Tough break he has to begin his campaign against Moscow champion Mikhail Youzhny, who he incidentally beat the week prior in the Bangkok final 6-3, 6-3. At the time, Tsonga was the better player. Right now, the distinction is not as clear as you might think. Keep in mind Tsonga bucked under pressure last week in Lyon and lost a match he should have won easily over Clement, a compatriot that ranks beyond the top 100 and has seen better days go by. Meanwhile, Youzhny followed up his runner-up finish in Bangkok with a title victory in Moscow. Youzhny did suffer a setback in St. Petersburg when he was forced to retire from his second round match against Istomin. But he has had ample time to rest and prepare for Valencia.