ATP FRENCH OPEN FOURTH ROUND BETTING ALL SPANISH AFFAIR AS VERDASCO AND ALMAGRO COLLIDE

The all-Spanish billing between Fernando Verdasco and Nicolas Almagro in the men’s singles fourth round at the French Open is a much-anticipated affair, promising to deliver some exciting Live Betting markets once underway and a veritable feast of pre-match betting markets beforehand, namely at William Hill where punters are embarrassed for choice.
Verdasco enters the outright match betting market as the 4/6 favourite to win outright but Almagro looms vexingly as the nominal puppy, just shy of Evens at 11/10.
Verdasco owns Almagro lifetime, having beaten his compatriot, friend and Davis Cup pal in all three prior meetings, all of which just conveniently happen to be on clay.
While Verdasco’s mark against Almagro is a solid recommendation for his odds and for punters to back him to victory there is nothing straighforward about the markets on this clash.
This has to do with the form both players have shown in the lead-up to the French Open. Verdasco, a champion in Barcelona and a finalist in Monte Carlo and semi-finalist in Rome is playing some of his best clay-court tennis to date.
Almagro has been stepping it up lately as well. At the Madrid Masters he reached the semis where he came up against Nadal and for a set and a half looked like he might want to win before succumbing to the Spanish standard in three sets.
Because of that account (and several others) bookies are giving Almagro a real shot in this match. Certainly, punters could do no worse than back Almagro to victory.
Bookies “tell” is in the tight prices offered in performance markets for this match. A three or four set affair, irrespective of the winner is listed at 11/8 odds while a five-set affair is offered at 5/2.
Verdasco to win in three sets is at 7/2, while four and five sets are listed at 14/5 and 9/2, respectively. Almagro at the same time is an 11/2 bet to win in three sets while an attractive 4/1 and 5/1 bet to win in four or five sets.