Benneteau, Becker and Bolelli kick of Basel bid

Basel, Switzerland – Julien Benneteau, Benjamin Becker and Simone Bolelli are amongst several players kicking off their Davidoff Swiss Indoor Basel tournament on Tuesday. BetUS Sportsbook has already rolled out odds on all the action so here is a look at this trio as they prepare to take on Jarkko Nieminen, Victor Troicki and Evgeny Korolev respectively.

Tennis Betting Line: Jarkko Nieminen +160 Julien Benneteau -210

Match Time: 05:00 a.m. Eastern Time Tuesday November 3, 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen takes a 2-0 all-time edge over Frenchman Julien Benneteau into their first round encounter. However, Nieminen’s record is over two-years old and he has slipped to No.122 in the world. Meanwhile, Benneteau weighs in at No.48 in the world and is flush off a quarterfinal appearance at Lyon. On form, Benneteau has the slight edge over Nieminen, making him the value play at -210.

Tennis Free Picks: Benneteau in straight sets

Tennis Betting Line: Viktor Troicki -200 Benjamin Becker +150

Match Time: 05:00 a.m. Eastern Time Tuesday November 3, 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: Serbian world No.29 Viktor Troicki takes a modest ranking edge and overall good form into his matchup against No. 43 Benjamin Becker. Troicki is 30-27 on the term that includes a recent runner-up finish in Bangkok (l. to Djokovic). Becker is an underwhelming 13-17 on the season; most recently, he snapped a seven-match losing streak when he finished in the second round at Lyon. On paper, Troicki is the better play.

Tennis Free Picks: Troicki in straight sets

Tennis Betting Line: Simone Bolelli +110 Evgeny Korolev -150

Match Time: 03:00 a.m. Eastern Time Tuesday November 3, 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: No. 58 Evgeny Korolev and No. 94 Simone Bolelli collide for the first time at an ATP level event. Neither player has the “on paper” edge as both stack up pretty poorly on the season proper. Korolev is 16-18 on the year while Bolelli is 15-22. If there were an edge to be had it would be surface and form edge. Both of which go to Korolev who has been enjoying a positive trend during the fall hard court swing. He has encouraging runs to the quarters at Metz, Bangkok and Moscow. Bolelli is boasting a four-match losing streak ahead of this match.

Tennis Free Picks: Korolev in three sets.