The ATP and WTA converge this week in the Great White North for the Rogers Cup, the third-oldest tennis tournament in the world and an event that marks the beginning of “hard-court season.”
The men will play in Montreal this year while the women will be in Toronto– they alternate every year– and all the big names will be in attendance with the exception of Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, with Federer opting for rest and Sharapova nursing a right leg injury. Jo-Wilfred Tsonga took home the men’s title in 2014 after an incredible display of tennis which featured wins over Federer, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokivic, while Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Venus Williams in the women’s final to claim one of the biggest victories of her career.
The action begins on Monday and BETDAQ has markets for every match, of course, so we have ample opportunity to pick and choose our spots. We’ve done just that with tomorrow’s matches, and here’s what we’ve come up with:
Feliciano Lopez (2.08) vs. Tommy Robredo (1.81)
Spaniards Lopez and Robredo face off in one of Monday’s more intriguing matches, as there are a lot of similarities between these two aside from their country of origin: they’re both 33 years old, they’re both 5-5 in their last 10 matches, and neither man is considered a hard-court specialist. Robredo has taken all four of their head-to-head meetings, though the last time they played was in 2009 and Lopez was able to steal a set. My lean here is towards Lopez for one simple reason: I’ve seen Robredo play quite a bit of tennis over the past few months, and he’s clearly a guy who’s reached the end of his career. His shots don’t have the same “pop” that they used to, he’s a half-step slower than he once was, and even against unheralded players every match now seems like a life-or-death struggle. Plus, this will be his first hard-court appearance in awhile, which is not the case for Lopez, who played in the Citi Open last week and notched a victory over Lleyton Hewitt. Recommendation: Lopez at 2.08
Pablo Cuevas (2.44) vs. Thomaz Bellucci (1.6)
The casual observer may be a little surprised at the odds here, after all, Cuevas is ranked higher than Bellucci and leads the head-to-head series 4-1. It’s all about the surface, though. Cuevas is a clay-court specialist who really struggles on the faster surfaces, while Bellucci also favors the clay, but has a game that’s much more adaptable and has therefore had more success than his opponent on hard courts. A couple of years ago, for instance, Bellucci advanced all the way to the final of a hard-court tournament in Moscow, and he gave Stan Wawrinka all he could handle at last year’s U.S. Open. And the most telling predictor is the five matches that these men have played against each other: Bellucci has beaten Cuevas just one time, and that happened to be the only time they’ve ever met on hard courts. Recommendation: Bellucci at 1.6
Kristina Mladenovic (2.08) vs. Sara Errani (1.8)
Mladenovic has been known primarily as a doubles specialist throughout her career, but she’s played some really nice tennis this year and now she returns to her favorite surface, as her lone WTA singles title and lone WTA runner-up finish have both come on hard courts. She doesn’t move particularly well, but she’s a powerful player with a nice two-handed backhand and she’s scored some impressive victories over the past couple of months, including wins over both Eugenie Bouchard and Simona Halep in June’s Aegon Classic. Her opponent on Monday, Errani, has also played well recently, but her best surface is clay and she could have trouble with Mladenovic’s power on a fast surface. Plus, Mladenovic beat her in February’s Fed Cup, which was the first and only time these ladies have ever met. Recommendation: Mladenovic at 2.08
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