Tennis Picks August 5th Kitzbuhel Semi Finals

I said yesterday that I was unlikely to make any further picks from this tournament because of the weather forecast, but the organisers did manage to get all the matches completed yesterday and they are now back up to date with their tournament.

That is good news as I think the 4 remaining players are all keen for the ranking points and I expect motivation to be high. After having a look at the odds on offer, I have decided to make 1 pick from the Semi Finals:

Juan Ignacio Chela vs Albert Montanes: I was a little surprised to see the Argentine at the odds he is as I think he has a clear advantage over Montanes in the match, although the layers make it a closer contest.

Chela has not been in good form at all since his run to the Quarter Finals of the French Open at the end of May, but he has come through 2 tough matches this week and could be in line to win another clay court title.

Montanes did well to win 2 matches in the same day to reach this Semi Final, but the Spaniard was another player that had struggled since having a decent go at the French Open.

With neither man in particularly strong form, the Chela 4-1 head to head record has to be considered, especially as all the matches have taken place on clay. Chela has won their last 2 meetings, both within the last 12 months, although it did take him 3 sets to see off Montanes earlier this season.

Their last match was close in terms of points won per player, and I think this one will be too- I just feel Chela has the mental edge in the contest and I think he will get through.


MY PICKS: Juan Ignacio Chela @ 1.80 Pinnacle (2 Units)


WEEKLY UPDATE KITZBUHEL: + 3.79 Units

Tennis Picks July 11th

The first day of a new week are generally much quieter as the Qualifying matches are completed and there usually are only a couple of matches to pick from.

With Bastad being a 28 player main draw this season, it means there are even fewer matches scheduled on the opening day from the main draw- today we will only have Tommy Robredo vs Filippo Volandri.

Stuttgart is a bigger draw so we have a couple more matches taking place from that draw and it is from Germany that I will make my first pick of the week:


Gilles Simon vs Albert Montanes: This is a pick I will make even though I have taken Simon to win the tournament in the outright market as I feel the Frenchman is being slightly underrated to come through.

Simon has been in much stronger form than Montanes this season, with the latter looking like he might be slowing down against the better players on the tour.

That is not to say that Montanes should be underestimated, especially considering he is the defending Champion at the tournament this season. However, Montanes has not had the best clay court season so far this year and has already been beaten by Simon in straight sets on the surface.

Simon is a very consistent player and I think that will be the difference between the two players again. He has a 3-1 head to head record against Montanes and I think he will at least move on to the next Round with a win on Monday.


MY PICKS: Gilles Simon to win @ 1.60 Pinnacle (2 Units)