Davis Cup SF preview: Free tennis betting tips and odds

Tennis

Fri September 15, 2017 · 8y ago

The Davis Cup semi-finals get under way on Friday and our Andy Schooler has been hunting down the best value.

Belgium v Australia (Brussels, indoor clay, 1300 BST start)

Most eyes will surely be on this semi-final for unlike the other (see below) it seems highly likely to be a competitive affair which will be decided on Sunday.

And I can’t help but be attracted to the prices on offer about the hosts.

There are several reasons for that with one of the strongest being their impressive track record in the competition in recent years.

They've now won seven of their last nine Davis Cup ties and another victory here would see them reach the final for the second time in three years. Yes, little old Belgium, hardly the behemoth of tennis.

In David Goffin (pictured) they have a truly world-class player but he’s been ably supported in recent times by the likes of Steve Darcis, the hero of Belgium’s 2015 semi-final win over Argentina.

Neither Goffin (following injury) nor Darcis has been at his best level of late but a return to a competition with many happy memories, not to mention their favourite clay surface, should see them raise their level.

Certainly they will relish the clay of the Palais 12 more than their Aussie counterparts.

Admittedly Nick Kyrgios can play on red dirt and his presence is surely the main reason the visitors are regarded as solid favourites here by the bookies but he’s anything but reliable either from a mental perspective or a fitness one.

This is best-of-five tennis and he could well find the going tougher than expected.

Kyrgios did step up to the plate in the last round by beating Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey but it should also be remembered he’s lost to Aleksandr Nedovyesov in Davis Cup before.

With two relative novices alongside him, a lot of weight seems to be on Kyrgios’ shoulders in this tie and for someone who has shown a lack of mental fortitude on regular occasions in the past, I’d be concerned were I an Australian fan.

Both Goffin (17-3) and Darcis (21-8) have impressive singles records in this competition. The former should get his side off to a flier against debutant John Millman in the first rubber but for me it is the Sunday’s singles which could well be crucial.

Goffin’s claycourt nous could well unpick Kyrgios’ game, while if things go to the decider, I’d favour Darcis’ experience against Millman (or Jordan Thompson) given neither has played such a rubber before.

France v Serbia (Lille, outdoor clay, 1200 BST start)

With Novak Djokovic, Viktor Troicki and Janko Tipsaervic all out with injury issues, Serbia look like lambs to the slaughter in Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy football venue.

France played the 2014 final here against Switzerland and lost but it’s hard to see any other result than a home win on this occasion.

Lucas Pouille and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga should both have too much quality for the Serb stand-ins such as Dusan Lajovic and debutant Laslo Djere. Even were one to get injured, the doubles pairing of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert are both capable singles players.

This will likely to be over in two days and I wouldn’t put anyone off adding the French to an acca even at their short price.

Best of the play-offs

There’s another temping price I like the look of in the World Group play-offs, the winners of which will play in the top tier of the 2018 competition.

Kazakhstan have been continually underrated in this competition by the bookies and look capable of another upset when they host Argentina in Astana.

A lightning-fast indoor hardcourt awaits the Argentines, who have not fared well in such conditions in the past.

In contrast, the Kazakhs have regularly found the right surface to both suit them and thwart opponents.

Another nation hardly renowned for its tennis strength, Kazakhstan spent six years in a row in the World Group until relegation last season.

Mikhail Kukushkin has regularly stepped up to deliver for his nation and has comprised a 19-12 singles record in Davis Cup.

A win over Guido Pella first up on Friday will be essential but also expected from a man who has beaten the likes of Simone Bolelli, Andreas Seppi and Denis Istomin in home Davis Cup ties in the past. He also claimed an impressive win over David Ferrer at the US Open only a couple of weeks ago where he made the third round.

Argentina will hope Diego Schwartzman’s fine form which saw him make the quarter-finals in New York can carry them through an undoubtedly tricky tie but the fast conditions will be notably different to those he found in the Big Apple, while the visitors will also have to deal with a highly partisan crowd.

With doubles strength at their disposal, Argentina do deserve favouritism but with the Kazakhs having proved time and again they can beat supposedly stronger opponents in the Davis Cup, I don’t think they should be on offer at close to 2/1.