Murray – Lopez

Andy Murray and Feliciano Lopez will square off in the Indian Wells quarterfinals, with Andy a massive odds favorite – and for good reason.

Murray struggles to recover from injury last season are long forgotten and the Scot is looking like a Grand Slam contender yet again. Andy is playing some excellent tennis this year and this surface here at Indian Wells suits his style to perfection – no wonder Murray defeated Pospisil, Kohlschreiber and Mannarino in dominant fashion, even if he did lose a set to Kohli (6-1 3-6 6-1). Obviously Lopez will be his toughest test yet, but at the same time Murray is expected to increase his level as the tournament progresses.

Lopez wasn`t quite at his best in the early rounds against Vasselin and Cuevas, losing a set each time. Actually so far in 2015 he did not manage to show the same level as last year. However, he played much better tennis in the Round 16, getting past Nishikori in 2 sets. While it`s true that Kei wasn`t at his best, Lopez still completed the job like a seasoned veteran, not letting the Japanese get into rhythm.

Bet on Murray vs. Lopez and claim your 100% welcome bonus at Bet365.com now!

The Head 2 Head is a key factor in this analysis, as Murray leads it 9-0 and won 22 out of 24 sets played. Last year, when Andy was far from his best and Lopez was playing some of his best tennis, Murray won the two Head 2 Head meetings 7-6 6-4 6-2 at the Australian Open and 6-4 6-1 in Miami. The Brit is able to read the Lopez serve and neutralize his serve & volley game, leaving him with few options, as Feliciano will never have a chance from the baseline against Andy.

The fact is that Lopez needs to show a little more long term consistency before challenging a player like Murray – Feliciano is not quite in his best form and Murray will a whole different opponent than a shaky Nishikori. The Head 2 Head is a hugely powerful factor in the analysis and can’t be ignored – as a result, my tip is Murray to win and cover a 4 game handicap. At least one break per set should be within his reach.

Even if Lopez manages to play a brilliant set and somehow snatch a tiebreak (unlikely), the bet will still be very much alive. Prediction: Feliciano Lopez – Andy Murray 5-7 2-6.

Live streaming for A. Murray vs. F. Lopez available at Bet365 for all funded accounts.

Pick: Murray -4
Odds: 1.74 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 5.92
Event date: 19 March