By the time I wake up on Friday, the draw for the Australian Open will have been made and the layers should have a few markets up for the first Grand Slam of the season. That draw is being made on Friday morning in Australia which means it should be available in the early hours of Friday morning in the United Kingdom.
Hopefully the rain that has affected the tournaments in Sydney and Hobart doesn't pitch up in Melbourne in the coming days. The event in Hobart is barely on schedule having played the Quarter Finals deep into Thursday night, but the players in Sydney will have to pull some double duty to make sure that tournament ends as scheduled.
David Ferrer - 2.5 games v Jack Sock: The first Semi Final to be played in Auckland is not going to be a straight-forward one for the Number 1 Seed here. David Ferrer has been in good form as he looks to build some momentum after losing his first match in Doha, but Jack Sock is more than capable of springing the surprise if he brings his best to the court.
I certainly expect Sock to end this season as a top 20 player in the World Rankings and he does have three impressive wins this week in his first tournament of the season. My one concern for Sock has always been his mental focus which can let him down in matches and could be his downfall in a match against a player that will play every points like it is the last.
The American definitely has the bigger serve and his top spin shots can be a problem for players, but I think Ferrer is capable of just hanging in this match which can be a difference maker. While Sock will be able to have his success, I think Ferrer's battling quality can see him recover any breaks of serve and the higher Ranked player also has the momentum behind him with the wins this week.
Sock is yet to meet someone like Ferrer this week and might be surprised by being forced to dig deeper than he has in the last two matches. He won't be used to the extended rallies he is likely to see and I think Ferrer will come through with a 76, 64 win.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 2.5 games v Roberto Bautista Agut: I have picked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga twice this week and I am disappointed that he has only gone 1-1 in those matches. He should have covered against Fabio Fognini in the Quarter Final on Thursday and I think he can continue the fine form shown in his first two wins.
That isn't to say Roberto Bautista Agut is going to roll over for Tsonga, but I think he will need to be at his very best to stick with the Frenchman in his current form.
We know what we are getting with Bautista Agut- he will work hard on the court with an underrated first serve setting up his points and an ability to frustrate opponents and trying to extract errors from them. However, Bautista Agut has to be able to give Tsonga something to think about on the return of serve, otherwise we could see Tsonga able to use the scoreboard to build up the pressure on Bautista Agut.
The last two times they have played one another has seen Bautista Agut struggle to get involved in the Tsonga service games. If that is the case again, I would expect Tsonga to come through this one and move into the Final behind a 63, 46, 64 win.
MY PICKS: David Ferrer - 2.5 Games @ 1.75 Betfair Sportsbook (2 Units)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Grigor Dimitrov - 2.5 Games @ 1.73 Bet Fred (2 Units) To Be Completed
Weekly Update: 7-2, + 8.46 Units (18 Units Staked, + 47% Yield)
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