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I have often criticized Simon as I know how talented he is. Maybe he has realized that he cannot keep relying on defense and he got back to his roots. When he attacks, he's impressive. He scored 50 winners in Rome against Nadal and the conditions were very cold and slow. Rafa couldn't come anywhere near him for two sets. He won two matches here, offering 1 break chance in the process. The Frenchman takes the risks, plays fast, chases the ball and hits the ball low and flat In addition, his serve is much better than it might seem at first, as Haase said himself. Novak hasn't been too good so far. He got drained out after Roland Garros. He got the deserved rest and was focused on some other things. Just to be clear, Đoković is still the main favorite to take the title, but this will be no walk in the park for him. The Frenchman is tricky, Novak is not in the right rhythm and that should be the most apparent at the start. Details

Lopez looked very drained out against Sugita, not just because of two finals in a row and 10 matches in 2 weeks but because of emotional emptiness. In the first round, he could barely catch his breath after the first set. Sugita should have won at least two out of three tie-breaks they played but the confidence allowed the Spaniard to pull through as he waited for the mistakes from his opponent. He only got 1 break in 39 games and Pavić is a definitely a better server than the Japanese. He beat Falla, who played the final in Halle, in three sets and he passed the qualifications. Lopez will struggle to get more than a break per set and new tie-breaks are a very possible thing. However, I've decided to go for the handicap as the Spaniard seems too tired and could lose today. Pavić is a tricky player on fast surfaces and he will be underestimated. This handicap can go through even in case of a defeat after three sets. Details

I've looked at both Fognini's matches and I think it's crazy to expect him to start playing better all of a sudden. He came here without any prep matches. He made a fool out of himself as usual, but he struggled when he played seriously. Against Kuznetsov, he was focused throughout the entire fifth set and it ended 9-7. He was concentrated against Puetz and the German had a set point at 2-1. These are all challenger level players. Anderson beat Roger-Vasselin and Stakhovski two weeks before that and both are good grass players. In addition, he won't give too many chances with his serve. There's always a chance that the Italian will lose his concentration in a set, which often happens, and that he will get a couple of games. It's time for Fognini to get back home. He should have gone out inf the first round but he was very very lucky with the draw. He couldn't get those two opponents in a row at a 250 Series tournament. Details

This is Muller's 12th match on grass in last 3 weeks and he has had 15 extended sets. Even though they were from qualifications and challengers, the fact stands that he's a very tricky player on fast surfaces. Strong serve, left-handed and with a good rhythm. Bennetau is a very instinctive player on the return and he got 2 points on the first serve return. Federer also plays a fast game, especially on grass. That's why he has a hard time getting into the rhythm at the start. In Halle, he played a tie-break against Sousa and Falla and they are not typical players for these conditions. In addition, Muller has some experience on the big stage. The two players played at the US open once and 2 out of 3 sets ended in a tie-break. I expect fast games and very few chances on the return but I will also take comfort in Federer's poor break chance conversion. Details

With all due respect to one of my favorite players, Saville beating Thiem means very little. The Austrian has been saying since day one that he's not doing too well on grass and he concluded that his defeat was very much deserved as he had a problem with the build-up on grass. Saville has had one challenger quarterfinal in his career and that's it. He hasn't mastered that level yet. Dimitrov beat Harrison in the first round without working out a sweat. That was the general impression. He seemed untouchable on his serve and he slowly got into his rhythm on the return. The American has a good serve and plays a fast game that can be tricky, which is something that Saville doesn't have. Of course, the Australian can handle grass but that shouldn't have to be enough against Dimiitrov. I expect the Bulgarian to get one break per set and it might be even more convincing. In any case, he should be able to win with this handicap. Saville lost almost 40% of his serve points against Thiem and the Austrian is only taking his first steps on grass. Details

I saw the match between Brown and Baghdatis. The German played his unpredictable tennis and made far too many mistakes but Baghdatis looked drained out after two sets. Brown controlled everything as the Cypriot had no energy left and he served with more ease than he normally does. The talk about all the rushes to the net draining him out are nonsense, in my opinion. The points against Brown didn't take long and now he's facing another aggressive player who can also hold on in rallies. Mayer beat Seppi and he likes playing against the favorites. He's more relaxed and he can get a lot of winners on grass even though it's not his main surface. I doubt the Cypriot has any energy left. He has struggled with his shoulder since Queens and that's why his serve is weaker. Mayer could win this one, but he should definitely be able to cover this spread. Brown allowed Baghdatis to get to the following round but he's in for another tough match here. He's far from his performance in Nottingham where he won in a surge. Winning a best out of five is a much bigger challenge. Details

I like what Murray showed in the first round, especially in terms of this bet. He made very few mistakes and kept Goffin under constant pressure, and he's a much more experienced player than Rola, but suffers from a similar problem. He cannot generate serve winner nor too many winners from the baseline. It didn't show against Andujar but the Spaniard is one of the most desirable opponents on grass. The Slovenian admitted this is a dream come true for him and that he's hoping he won't be too scared. Perhaps he may not, but he will struggle to get any points against the Scotsman who's able to return almost every shot. He got only 10 unforced errors against Goffin and this should allow him to cover this spread. Rola is inexperienced, he played his first grass match just a few weeks ago and he's still struggling with his knee. Everything here points to another convincing win. Details

Ferrer pulled out of Hertogenbosch but not because of a standard injury. He had a flu, some stomach problems and him pulling out was the logical thing to do. He trained with decreased intensity but he's still Ferrer, the man who always gives more than 100%. On the other hand, we have Busta. His compatriot won the second clay challenger in a row just a few days ago. So he didn't have time to prepare or adapt and this will be the first grass match of his career. In addition, he hasn't had a single win outside of clay this whole season and I don't expect him to start doing better all of a sudden. He will have to adapt to the new surface that will force him to change his movements. Ferrer could win this in three sets, at least with an average performance. Details

Grass season is short and it's easy to figure out who's got the game for this type of the court. De Brito tied WTA wins on the grass four years ago the first time, and last year, she surprised everyone by defeating Sharapova on this tournament. Then, she got to the third round, through the qualifications where she didn't lose the set. Suffice it to say that she has 20 wins on the grass in the last five years. She's also successful in the Grand Slam qualifications. This year, she charged through the Roland Garros qualifications, and she got through them last year in the US Open, as well. Kozlova only has two WTA tournament performances, in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, where the competition is significantly weaker. The Ukrainian is a lower level player, and until a month ago, she only had one match on the grass in her career. The Portuguese has experience, grass game, and results, and it's a big stake. It's all on her side, and I expect a convincing win. Details

Konjuh is a very young player but she's always seemed more mature than her generation, especially when it comes to big tournaments. She allowed experienced Cabeza-Candela to get only a single game in the first round. The Spaniard is a pure clay player, just like Konjuh's opponent for today but Siegemund is a less renowned player. She beat Majerič, who is completely out of form. It was her first win outside clay courts this season and her first win on grass. Suffice to say she has only 2 wins outside of clay courts in last 3 years and if Konjuh crushed an experienced clay player like that, she should be able to do so against the German who is playing her third match on grass at the age of 26. Details

Bedene has been living in London for years and is about to be granted British citizenship. He was the underdog against McGee, and in the end won the match without losing any of his service games. The court is about 45 minutes away from is house. He's well prepared, and his service exceeded the reputation of a clay-surface player he often has. Alund has been doing horrible the last few months, he's surviving only on account of his matches on clay. The Slovenian should be able to win this in two sets without any greater trouble with his service games. Details

Arnaboldi passed the test yesterday. I've read a lot of his interviews and interviews with his coach lately and both think he has a chance on this surface. He has improved his serve, he's forcing the aggressive game and he likes to rush the net. He appeared as an outsider in indoor tournaments at the start of the season and he got a quarterfinal and a semifinal. Grass has been the main focus for the past few months, his expectations from this tournament are high even though he has no experience. Berankis is prone to errors, especially on major tournaments. He does great when he's the outsider, but now when he's the favorite. He played against Alex Ward and was far from a good performance. Now he's facing a much more difficult match and Arnaboldi is underrated on account of his lack of experience on grass. He's not a classic Italian player, he likes fast conditions and he enjoys them. He knows how to rush the net and I expect a surprise today. Details

I've been following Harrison's performances and for a long time couldn't believe just how bad he got. Clearly, that won't change any time soon. Moriya and him played a three set match two weeks ago, Koaskowski and him three sets as well, and Salisbury too. The odds were 1,01 at his win in that match. One round later, he lost to Boutillier, in three sets, of course. The Frenchman is not in Top 400. Taro Daniel opened a match with a 4-0, the Japanese lost in the end but he managed to win one break in each of the last two sets. I don't see why anything would be different today.. Uchiyama is better than half the players I mentioned before. He was supposed to beat Guez easily yesterday, but then gambled away 4-0 in the third set. They met three years ago, and the match was settled in three sets. The American is doing well for half and hour, the next half horribly. He's had 8 consecutive overs at this margin, and he'll struggle today for sure as well. That's what he does now. Details

De Schepper didn't lose his serve last week and he was eliminated in the third round. He took Gulbis and Lopez in the tie-break in the first set and he played two tie-breaks against the Spaniard and lost. Even though the grass is slower here than in London, nothing changes. Johnson is a classic American player, focused on his serve, and their two previous head-to-heads provide the basis for this bet. Out of 5 sets, 4 have gone into the tie-break. No one got a break chance in Australia last year. An alternative for this are all possible overs in the first set. Details

Chardy played 39 games against Querrey last week without a single break. He gave the American only one break chance and scored 15 aces and got 88% points on his first serve. The Frenchman is often forcing things on his return, he's not a player to block and he likes fast points on his serve. This means he will not be in good rhythm today and I expect fast service games without too many chances on the return. An alternative is an over in the first set. Details

If the grass-surface season would last for two months, Lopez would get in the Top 10, I'm sure he would. He hasn't been doing his best this season,but he's a constant danger on grass. His serving is unstoppable, he beat Hewitt, De Schepper, Berdych, and Stepanek. Dimitrov is good on grass as well, but he doesn't do well against the service. He's been lucky here, with Wawrinka being the only worthy opponent. I don't see how the Bulgarian could manage to win a break against Lopez. Besides, Lopez was in a few tricky situations this week, and did great in them. He's better experienced on grass, he's done much more here, and in my book, he's the favorite here. Luckily, there's this handicap that can cover the tie-break thriller. Details

Elias has been in very good form in the past couple of months. He ended his South American Tour with a a title and he reached the ATP quarterfinals at home, he passed the Roland Garros qualifiers and reached the semifinals here. Rodrigues is certainly the biggest surprise of this tournament. Until this week, he has had only two challenger wins in his career and now he's reached the semifinals. The way he's come this far has been astonishing. He beat Alund with a break in the last game of the third set and then got two more wins in tie-breaks of the decisive sets. He made the best use of the draw as he played against two players that are around the 300th spot on the ATP ranking. Today this run ends. The Portuguese ha 21 wins on clay this season and he's beaten much more dangerous opponents than Rodrigues in last few days. A difference of 350 spots in ranking is no coincidence and a convincing win is a very realistic prospect. Details

Out of Gonzales' 19 wins this season, 17 were in two sets. He won all the 5 tie-breaks in the last 11 wins, two of which were here. He's proving to be a good betting option lately since he's trying to get back to Top 100 on his favorite surface, and he's underestimated - he was once almost in Top 50. This is the first challenger semi final for him, and the Argentinian has the upper hand today. If he wins, he wins in two sets. That is why i opted for this bet. I expected the same kind of handicap as yesterday, but it's one game higher today. The Frenchman will have a very hard task winning a set. There's a huge difference in quality and ranking again (almost 400 positions). The first seed should be able to continue his streak and reach the final without losing a set. Details

Vesely made a smart move staying on the clay after Paris. This is the surface he does best on, and in challengers such as this one, he's a few levels above everyone else. He won Prostejov without losing a single set last week, and he's got a good chance of doing the same here. Truth be told, Zhang is irrelevant here. The Czech player left the well-experienced Ramirez with only 4 games won yesterday. That could happen to the Chinese today. He will struggle against Vesely for sure. Zhang has turned out to be a pleasant surprise here, but Vesely will be a Top 50 player soon. The clash of different worlds that should end with a convincing win for Vesely. Details

Stakhovsky has been pushing his performance for grass conditions throughout the entire season. Persistent backhand slice and often rushes to the net and when he has the momentum, he's very dangerous, especially in conditions like these. After all, he managed to beat Federer at Wimbledon last year and that was no coincidence. Anderson is a great server but he loves rallies as well. Evans gave him that but the Ukrainian certainly won't. Two years ago, Stakhovsky forfeited the match here when he had a one-break advantage in the third set. Until that point, he had made four breaks and had lost his serve only once. He can win today, but I will go for this safer version that will cover the tie-break drama and a possible third set. Details