Betdistrict.com
Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray will face each other in the Roland Garros semifinals just 3 weeks after Rafa won a thrilling 3 set match between the two in Rome.
Nadal had all sorts of problems on clay this year, looking more beatable than ever. Rafa lost to Ferrer, Almagro and Djokovic, while being extremely lucky to win the Madrid title against Nishikori, who was in control of the match until he got injured. Nevertheless, the Spaniard always produced the goods at Roland Garros and is doing it again this year. Nadal cruised trough 4 easy opponents to reach the quarterfinals where he found himself a set down against a ruthless David Ferrer, but responded in brilliant fashion to win the next three 6-4 6-0 6-1, playing his best tennis of the season on clay.
 |
Bet with the best odds and highest limits at Pinnacle. |
Andy Murray equaled his best performance at Roland Garros with a 5 set win over Gael Monfils. It was a mixed performance from the Brit, who led 2-0 but lost that advantage, only to come out strong in the 5th set and dismantle Monfils 6-0. It was the second five setter for Andy after his 12-10 win in the deciding set against Kohlschreiber in the 3rd round. Murray played solid tennis in this tournament, looked masterclass at times (like in the 4th round Verdasco win), but I`m not sure if his current level is enough to trouble the king of clay.
Nadal leads the H2H 14-5 (5-0 on clay) and won 6 out of 8 Grand slam meetings (one of his 2 losses was by retirement). The two met recently in Rome where Murray pushed Rafa to the limit but ended up losing 6-1 3-6 5-7.
I was a little disappointed in how Murray handled himself to lose a 2-0 set advantage against Monfils in the quarterfinals, despite his recovery in the decider. He`s playing decent tennis but had too many ups and downs during the tournament and I don`t think he`s ready to challenge Nadal on clay. Rafa had his problems but his last 3 sets of tennis were brilliant and we should expect nothing less than a repeat or even improvement of that performance in the semifinals and final. The spaniard has always been at his best in the latter stages of the Roland Garros and there`s no way he won`t be up for the task today, so the only question is if Murray can produce his best possible tennis in order not to win, but to give himself a chance. He did not prove he can do it at this years` Roland Garros. I will predict Rafa to win in 3 sets but my tip will be under 36 games, as it can realistically be covered even in 4 sets and I`m not surprised that the odds and the line are dropping. Prediction: Rafael Nadal – Andy Murray 6-4 7-6 6-3.
Pick: under 36 games
Odds: 1.95 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 7.6
Event date: 6 June
