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The conditions are extremely fast here and Brands must be the best server in Bergamo. He fired 60 aces in qualifying matches but his performances are nowhere near those he had before his struggle with mono. He managed to win one break against Lopez-Perez, who is not really a great player for these conditions. Kravchuk definitely is, especially at this level. He beat first seed Beck, against whom he was 0-6 in sets. Brands also won his match in straight sets. Both are playing aggressive tennis and serve well. They could go over this margin even in straight sets because break points won't come by often. It's more likely, though, for this to end in three sets. Kravchuk is underrated and capable of giving the German a tough time, especially after the boost of confidence from yesterday. Details

A classic pick. Isner has not played since AO and no one can predict what will happen when he's out of rhythm. He's always the candidate for tie-breaks, of course, but he is completely focused on his serve in openeing matches and doesn't rely much on return. After a few wins, he gets more courageous and tries more in opponents service games. Dodig knows how to play good servers. He's one of the best doubles players and won't let Isner find rhythm. There will probably be a lot of fast points early on, which is good for this kind of a bet. We didn't see the first set tie-break in two of their head-to-head matches, but that is still the best bet. I'll with over 10.5 but first-set tie break is recommended as well. Details

Yesterday, Karlovic played Lacko, who opened the season badly, did horribly in Zagreb, and came here as the underdog. That is irrelevant against Karlovic, at least in the beginning. The Slovak had two set points followed by loss of confidence, as expected. More importantly for us, neither player stood a chance against opponent's serve in the first 9 games. Krajiced might even make for a better bet than Lacko. The American lost one service game in three sets yesterday - when serving for the match. If he had managed to stay calm, he would have been completely dominant in his service game. He has strong serve and is a leftie, which is always good indoors. I'm opting for the games over in the first set with the option of the set finishing in a tie-break. The American will maybe have some problems mentally after that, just like Lacko, but Karlovic will need time to find rhythm in return against a leftie. Details

Beck is No.1 seed here, on the verge of making it back into Top 100, and is 3-0 against Kravchuk (all in straight sets). Things seem pretty straightforward here and Beck clearly is the favorite deservedly? No, it's not that simple. All three of those h2h matches were indoors, with five out of six sets ending in tie-breaks. They played two tie-breaks here last year, beck had no break points in the whole match. Kravchuk misses all five of him and then lost both tie-breaks despite winning total of only three points more. He used only one out of his 10-break points in the first head-to-head, while the second one ended in two tie-breaks. That was the tournament in Sarajevo where the surface was just as fast and not too good in terms of quality. Kravchuk knows how to play indoors and represents the typical player who loses matches only on account of poor mental strength despite being very close in all of them. They went over this margin easily in all three matches. The margin is set according to odds and has nothing to do with reality or this surface that makes it very tough to win breaks. Details

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Delic admitted that he has no confidence and is not capable of playing on hard court following the defeat to Dodig in Zagreb last week. His style is not cut out for these conditions and he recorded a total of three wins indoors. Conditions in Bergamo are even faster than in Zagreb, but Delic said he will force hard court tournaments to make some improvement there. Petzschner has almost 150 wins indoors but physically isn't capable of tying more than three matches, which is why he retired in Hong Kong. I don't know if he's fit and ready now or struggling with some problems, but he had enough time to rest and probably wouldn't be here if there were any injury-struggles. Especially because he's using protected ranking, which does run out, here. He would not play this week if not read. And if he is ready, this is a good bet. Dodig drove Delic crazy by coming on the net and the German does it even better. We have a case of an opponent not comfortable in these conditions and the other one who will be able to take advantage of it. Delic will clearly use this just to gain some experience since he has not game or confidence or these conditions. Confidence might not be German's strong suit either, but he should take advantage of other things. I went with the option where forfeit is void since I think that will happen if he's in pain. Details

A lot points towards Sijsling winning here, but +2.5 is a fine safety indoors. Ever since the tournament started some players spoke of how tired since Australia they are. Troicki is a good example, struggling against tricky indoors players and barely winning in the end, despite great motivation. I don't know if the same applies to Mannarino, who also played a lot in Australia, ending up in the hospital as well. Now he faces his first indoors match of the season, against an opponent that's rearing to go. Sijsling has been in crisis for a long time but these are conditions he likes. Indoors is where he can do work. Next week he is in Rotterdam, defending a lot of points, and he might get some pressure off here. He served very well in the first round, and the head to head score is very important here. The Dutch player decisively won all three previous matches, never losing more than three games per set. Last year in Madrid they had 5/12 in break points on quick clay, then a year before 5/7 in break points. In both of those he allowed only one chance on returns. Since the Frenchman's strongest suit is the tricky game he plays with low balls, this obviously doesn't fly against Sijsling. I personally played on the Dutch to win, 2-0 in sets, but this is definitely a safer version. Details

This is a transition tournament for many players and the good run in Australia doesn't necessarily help at the first indoors tournament in Europe. Muller did great in Australia and served brilliantly. That helped him win a lot of matches and I have to point out that he said going home means a lot to him. I'm not saying he'd lose easily, but I can't claim he's very motivated. besides, he's Top 40 now, with the best ranking ever. On the other hand, Berankis loves these kind of matches. I immediately think about his win over Raonic last season in Moscow. Return is his strong suit and serving worked well. He can be described in a sentence - great game, poor mental strength. That is why being an underdog suits him better. This handicap can be covered in two sets, given Muller's tendency to play tie-breaks. I think he will lose and trying with Berankis' win isn't a bad choice either. Handicap is a must. Details

Berrer advanced to the main draw through qualifying matches, as was expected, and we used that in the Parlays section. He managed to get through to main draw without dropping a single set for the third consecutive year. It's nothing to be surprised with, given his record in Zagreb (two finals and a semifinal) and the fact Zagreb is his most successful ATP tournament ever. This is his final season, he opened it well and the conditions suit him. Dzumhur is in the main draw only because so many players pulled out. It's only a matter of time before he gets into Top 100, but through clay-surface matches. His game is not good enough for these conditions, while his opponent has a total of 21 win in Zagreb. Damir has four games from his only match. These two players met last year in Geneva, the German won the first set but got injured and had to retire at 55 30-30 in the third set. He seems to be ready now and has already sailed through the three qualifying matches. Zagreb is one of his favorite tournaments and he should prove it once again. Details

The Italian is a much heavier favorite than the odds suggest. First and foremost, Arnaboldi likes these conditions and has a very good first serve. He had 19 wins indoors last season, futures not included. He opened the season with the AO third round qualifying match and if it hadn't been for the injury last season, would have been in the race for Top 100. Smethurst is a futures-level player. He did win a futures title, but he is very limited at ATP level. He managed to win only three challenger matches, out of the 55 he had in total. And two of those were against very bad opponents. most importantly, his record with lefties like Arnboldi is simply horrible. He's 1-4 at challenger level, and when it comes to futures, at which he played 25 finals, only 4-14. It seems like the Italian is headed for an easy win and I don't think the odds at him should be over 1.3. Details

Edmund won all six o his sets here and each of the three tie-breaks. He has the upper hand in serving and very tough return. Nishioka played third-set tie breaks in two of his matches and then almost 2,5 hours yesterday. It's interesting that Edmund won all 4 head-to-head matches even though he's not older than the Japanese, all 4 in straight sets, never losing more than 3 games per set. Two of those matches are from their junior days, two after they turned pro. Nishioka is not your typical Japanese. He prefers clay-surfaced tournaments and that is his most successful surface. These defeats on clay are no coincidence. They met in futures final last season and the Japanese won three games despite having an easy semifinal match the day before. Two years ago on clay, Nishioka got a total of 4 games. Best of all, Edmund is doing best on hard court and Nishikoa's games clearly suits him. The Japanese has no new tricks up his sleeve and I therefore think that option for Edmund's win has a lot of sense. Details

Monfils played only one match this season. Not enough to be consistent. Besides, he had lots of problems with his return in the first three sets against Pouille. Janowciz, on the other hand, keeps going to overs. He played two matches in Sydney with a tie-break in the third set, and here, a lucky loser took a set in a match with two long sets. The French is a genius, but he can't consistently play well. He oscillates a lot, and Janowicz should use that. Besides, he's having a similar problem. Both serve well, will play an evening match and show their emotion. It's a perfect setting for a thriller match where only the brave ones will go after the outcome. Whoever wins, I doubt it will be one-sided. It's very likely to be dramatic, and therefore to end with an over. Details

Muller has played 9 tie-breaks in 8 matches of this season. His game is predictable. He's a great server, often untouchable in that respect, but not capable of doing much against opponents' serves. Carreno-Busta might have the reputation of a clay-specialist and poor attacking, he managed to get two sets here in tie-break. Bautista is in not in good shape. He's had the poor start tot he season, minor problems, and an average performance in the first round. He had over 50 unforced errors, which is not his style. This match will probably not end with either player winning in straight sets, and Muller always plays at least one tie-break. Best of all, Muller can win every service game even if his game is bad. The Spaniard can beat most of players outside of Top 20 on account of aggressiveness even what having a bad day. We seem to be in for a match with a lot of games. Details

The book makers got a bit ahead of themselves when setting the odds at Pospisil's win as a consequence of Lorenzi's convincing win over Dolgopolov. The market reacted and brought the odds down to where they should be. The Italian beat Dolgopolov in straight sets, which doesn't happen often, not even at challenger level. We talked about him wanting to pull out due to a new knee injury, but went ahead and played anyway. If that even qualifies as playing. Pospisil beat Querrey to record an important win in terms of confidence since he won a five-set match. He was never successful in those. He claims to love Australia, while the Italian has 2-14 record at Grand Slams. One win was a result of forfeit and the other one was against the injured Dolgopolov. He won't be able to stand up to Pospisil. The surface is fast, allowing Pospisil to use his service, while the Italian offers opponents a lot of chances in his service games. One of the sets might be close, but that's it. Lorenzi can beat better players, but he's a heavy underdog here. De Schepper covered this at Wimbledon and I would be surprised if the Italian gets a set here. Handicap should be successful either way. Lorenzi has nothing to do here, even Ramos beat his last week and we all know that the Spaniard prefers clay surface. Details

Isner is one of the few top players that prefers playing matches one week before the Grand Slam. He's always pointing out that the rhythm the matches give him is very important. He skipped Auckland this time because he's made some changes to his plans and stepped in as an understudy at Hopman Cup. He's struggled a lot in the heat and ended up cancelling due to fatigue. Maybe that was the best choice, given his performances in Perth. Wang got a day off, which is important since he's not young anymore. He used to be the greatest Asian player and a great talent, but the injuries stopped him. He's got no reason to fear Isner. American's service is tough, but he will have a lot of problems with Wang's low shots. Wang managed to beat Karlovic at US Open a few years back. Wang to get a set is a good choice too, but I've decided on games over because it's Isner we're talking about here. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out successful in three sets. Details

It's hard to predict what Konjuh will do this season because nobody really knows where her limit is. She's only 17, and she's already a proven name. I believe her progress will go even faster because she lost lots of months last year because of the operation, rehabilitation and adjustment. She had bad luck with fever right at the beginning of the season, and even then won one match convincingly. Rybarikova is dangerous when she's in good form, but there are no signs of her being dangerous here. She complained about not being 100% ready even before the season began. She won two games against Svitolina, and then lost 10 out of the last 11 games to Watson. She had hip problems by the end of last year, and she probably didn't work the real preparation. Either way, she's going to have a tough time against Konjuh. Ana is rising, and Rybarikova can't play her tennis against her. Besides, Ana defeated her last year after losing the first set. I see this match as a one way street, and I'd add that Magdalena got eliminated five times in the first round out of six attempts at the Australian Open. Details

If Muller keeps on serving like this, and I see no reason for him to stop, it's questionable who will be able to stop him in tie-break. His first serve percentages are high and he mostly fires aces or winners. Troicki is not as convincing in his service-games, but his first serve is great as well. He won 85% of first serve points against the aggressive Bolelli. Of course, this bet is based on Muller's consistency mostly. His return is as bad as his service is brilliant. Even though I expect this to be successful in straight sets, I would not be surprised if they play the third one as well. Muller has 6 matches this season. He was the underdog in one (Wawrinka), heavy favorite in the other one (Ymer) and the four remaining matches ended in three sets. Troicki played three sets here in two consecutive matches. The stakes are high here (the final), their chances of getting to final approximately equal and both serve great. It seems they're headed for a match with a lot of games, with a good chance of this ending in three sets. Details

Groth played three matches last week, managing to win all of his service games, even in the match he lost. His clash with Kubot was particularly interesting. We saw a single break in three sets back then, with Groth struggling with Kubot's serve and volley style. Muller won't lay tha a lot, but his service is great and he has been going on the net more. Serving is the main weapon for both players and return their weakest one. Groth is in good shape and has what it takes to tie a few good shots, but it's easier to win a break against Hewitt and Kubot than against Muller. The alternative to this tip is 24.5 games over. I find it hard to imagine this match without at least one tie-break, and I opted for this bet because both opponents will be focused on serving in the opening stages, knowing full well that who ever loses their service game will lose the set. Those of you who have an account with Willhill should definitely check out what they offer. The odds at 3-3 after six games is great, and there's also the risk with 10.5 games over. Details

Almagro ended up on a surgery after Roland Garros. He was gone for the rest of the season. He was pretty negative with his statements, and mentioned a few times how hard this forced break was for him. He played two exhibition matches, and decided to cancel Doha. He wasn't content, and even mentioned cancelling Australian Open. He's feeling pretty doubtful, no surprise after such a long break. Cuevas, however, managed to get a seed status for the Australian Open after a fantastic season. True, he did it on clay. He didn't play on concrete much because he was focused on his favorite court. We can't say he doesn't know how to play on concrete just because he rarely plays on it. Besides, he's successful in doubles, and plays an offensive tennis more and more. The fact is that in the last two years, he's only got one win on the open concrete. However, last year, he took Anderson to the fifth set in New York. So, he can play. Most importantly, he's rising, he's feeling very self-confident, with a great season behind him, and he's very optimistic. Almagro didn't play a real match since Roland Garros. He's really doubtful, says he's not at 100%, he cancelled last week, and even planned to cancel the whole tour. This is a form check for him, and I expect Cuevas to bite as usual. We should use this situation, and I have to say I expected the Uruguay as a favorite considering all things mentioned here. Details

Ever since she came to Brisbane, Sharapova seems to be on a mission. She wants the No.1 ranking and a win here would be the best possible start to the season. The conditions suit her and make her killer shots even deadlier. Moving is the real key to her good games here. When she moves well, there is no way to stop her. She destroyed Suarez, doing what ever she wanted, even though the Spaniard proved a tricky opponent last season. I don't think Svitolina will do any better than Suarez today. She doesn't stand a chance against Sharapova, as we saw last season. Svitolina is a much better player now, but that doesn't change a thing. When motivated and moving well, Sharapova doesn't care who's on the other side of the net. There may be some exceptions, but Svitolina is not one of them. She won't have it easy today. Details