There are two WTA Tour events happening this week, with one offering some straight forward tennis betting options and the other, a closely matched field. Firstly we have the Generali Ladies Linz tennis betting to cast our eye over. This is Austria, for those not in the know, held at an indoor arena in Linz (which was once named the European Capital of Culture), and has a pretty decent line up. This is not one of the top ranking mandatory events on the WTA Tour, but still a good, competitive field to look at. Serbian Ana Ivanovic came here last year as a late entrant and strolled off with the win, but she isn’t back to defend her title. This year’s late entrant was Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who is ranked 5th in the world. We haven’t seen much of Kvitova since Wimbledon to be honest. Her best showing since then was a semi final appearance in Tokyo at the Pan Pacific a couple of weeks ago. She got a break when her quarter final opponent Maria Sharapova retired from the match, and Kvitova completely fell apart in her semi final match against Vera Zvonareva. Anyway, the powerful Czech goes as number one seed for Generali Ladies Linz tennis betting and is probably worth taking a look at. Kvitova breezed through her first round match, and shouldn’t run into difficulties until the quarter finals where 8th seed Daniela Hantuchova (a winner here in 2007) should be waiting if things go to plan. On the day, as crafty and as experienced as Hantuchova is, Kvitova, with her serves and awesome ground strokes, should power through to the semi’s from this draw. Scanning the top half of the draw, Kvitova realistically has to go deep here. Is equally at home indoors as she is on grass.
As for a semi final opponent for Kvitova in the top half of the draw, it would most likely be Jelena Jankovic, who is looking quite relaxed at the moment. The third seed has had a really hard time this year, and an early exit in Beijing last week was not the boost of confidence that she needed. Not any real form, but neither has 6th seed Julia Goerges who has found the second half of the year much tougher than the first. There is a good chance at a semi final run for both of these, but we’re having a really hard time splitting them. Jankovic is a class act, experienced, fantastic all round game but just not on top of her game this year after last year’s injury. Goerges is powerful on her day and a star in the making, but hasn’t lived up to her early billing she built for herself this year. Making a call, would go with Jankovic after Goerges had a big struggle in her first round victory, whereas Jankovic didn’t even complete the first set because her opponent retired through injury. Don’t think we’re going to be jumping out of our seats to back either of them as outright winners though, but either could be in the final four. But Kvitova really should dominate the top half of the draw for Generali Ladies Linz tennis betting.
So to the bottom half of the draw. It is a much more competitive draw down in the bottom half, where you have four stand out names gunning for glory. Topping our Generali Ladies Linz tennis betting list for the bottom half is going to be Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Hasn’t played a lot since the US Open, but has steadily looked stronger after about a month’s rest. Went to the quarter finals of Beijing last week, where she ran into strong German Andrea Petkovic (who should have been at this event but pulled out through injury). We like the power and grit of Pavlyuchenkova and she would be on course for a big quarter final against Sabine Lisicki. Like Pavlyuchenkova, hasn’t played much since the US Open. Her first tournament since Flushing Meadows was in Beijing last week where she crashed in the second round. A little bit court rusty maybe, and tired at the end of a fantastic season. One of these should be a semi finalist, again not much to call between them, but if Lisicki’s serve gets going, it could be the difference. So down in the fourth quarter where our top tip for the Generali Ladies Linz tennis betting is going to come from. We are looking long and hard at Flavia Pennetta. The experienced Italian is a class act all of the way. She is a fantastic doubles player in the game, and riding high there again this season, but her form at the Beijing Open last week was superb. She toughest it out against Dominika Cibulkova there last week, and would meet the Slovakian again in the quarters final here. But the great comeback job which Pennetta pulled off against Caroline Wozniacki last week was stunning, in particular the 6-0 second set which got her back into the game. She lost in the semi’s against eventual winner Agnieszka Radwanska there. If that Pennetta turns up this week, she could be a finalist. Put her up against Lisicki or Pavlyuchenkova, we would take Pennetta for form.
Kvitova looks as if she has the tools to rule the roost in Generali Ladies Linz tennis betting this week. Well worth looking at her, at Jelena Jankovic to spring a surprise, or Pennetta because she is about the only one going in with genuine form.
Generali Ladies Linz tennis betting odds
Petra Kvitova: 7/2 at BetFred
Sabine Lisicki: 9/2 at Stan James
Daniela Hantuchova: 7/1 at Stan James
Jelena Jankovic: 8/1 at BetFred
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova: 10/1 at BetFair
Julia Goerges: 12/1 at BetFred
Flavia Pennetta: 12/1 at BetFred
The other WTA Tennis betting action this week comes from the HP Open in Japan. The field is a little less competitive in HP Japan Women Open tennis betting than the aforementioned Generali Ladies Linz tennis betting. Here we have US Open winner Samantha Stosur going as favourite with Marion Bartoli the other main contender. Those two are top ten players in the world, and the next clutch of seeds comes down in the thirties. So you would expect one of those two to go on and win it, and out of the two, would back French woman Bartoli to do it. Stosur has history at the event, as this is the place at which she won her first ever WTA title, but she often makes life harder than it should be, and Bartoli looks in much sharper shape at the moment. Bartoli is a bundle of energy all over the court, but she has been playing so well this year. Would take Bartoli for 7/2 value at Bet365 over Stosur who is 11/8 at Paddy Power for HP Japan Women Open tennis betting.
Online bookmaker Victor Chandler run a great tennis money back special for their customers. Back a player in match betting to win, and if your selection loses the match on a tie break in the final set, then the bookie will refund your lost stake as a free bet. This provides a nice bit of coverage in your tennis betting, and the loss has to be in a tie break in the final possible set to be played. Victor Chandler offer a free £25 bet for new customers registering an account with them.
