Prague Open Quarters – Benesova and Bammer eye Semis

July 16, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Tennis Betting 

Prague, Czech Republic—As Thursday tennis-betting action came to a close the quarterfinal line-up at the ECM Prague Open took shape. Through to the final eight is second seed Sybille Bammer as well as third seed and local favourite Iveta Benesova. The top two seeds in the bottom half of the draw are headed for a collision in the semis. Benesova faces wild card Zarina Diyas next who topped eighth seed Petra Kvitova in the second round; meanwhile, Sybille Bammer will battle local favourite Lucie Hradecka for a spot in the final four. Here is a look at the quarterfinal matchups in the bottom half of the draw.

Tennis Betting Line: Iveta Benesova vs. Zarina Diyas

Match Time: 06:00 A.M. Eastern Time Friday July 17 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: Zarina Diyas from Kazakhstan accounted for the biggest upset on Thursday when she upset eighth seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2. Diyas is only 15-years-old and she entered the ECM Prague Open on a wild card. She has put that free pass to great use, punching above her weight class and surprising just about everyone. Very little was known about this youngster but after this week surely that will change. Diyas next takes on another local favourite in Iveta Benesova. Can she go one better in Prague? One thing is for certain, Benesova will not underestimate Diyas after the heroics against Kvitova that booked her the spot in the quarters.

Iveta Benesova is the third seed and local favourite for the title. Benesova is 20-17 on the season, which includes a runner-up finish in Hobart (l. to Kvitova), back-to-back semis in Acapulco (l. to Pennetta) and Monterrey (l. to Li) and quarters in Miami (l to Venus Williams). Benesova’s favourite surface is clay. She also has home edge. She should be the value play in this match.

Tennis Betting Free Picks: Benesova in straight sets

Tennis Betting Line: Lucie Hradecka +150 Sybille Bammer -200

Match Time: 06:00 A.M. Eastern Time Friday July 17 2009

Tennis Betting Verdict: Austrian Sybille Bammer is the second seed in Prague. She reaches the quarters with victories over Pironkova and Kudryavtseva. Bammer is a seasoned player at 29-years-old. She weighs in as the No.31 player in the world and arrived with a 9-12 mark. She reaches her second quarterfinals since Indian Wells when she withdrew Ana Ivanovic. In reaching the quarters, she improves to 11-12 on the season. She enters this match as the favourite.

No.56 Lucie Hradecka is not the bookies favourite but she will be the crowd’s favourite. The Czech player is 22-14 on the season. She is level 1-1 in head-to-heads with Bammer; however, the last time they met was in 2005. With home edge and the crowd fully behind Hradecka and Bammer’s well-known mental frailty and inability to close matches under pressure, Hradecka might come through with the upset.

Tennis Betting Free Picks: Hradecka in three sets

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