ATP ROGERS CUP BETTING PICKS NADAL VS. WAWRINKA

Rafael Nadal is set to get his bid for the Rogers Cup title underway today at primetime on the East Coast against Stanislas Wawrinka. Everything about both players suggests this match will be a right corker and a whole slew of tennis fans and pundits are going to be watching it closely.
Nadal is gunning for a 19th Masters Title in Toronto, an unprecedented feat. Agassi held the record at 17 but the Spaniard smashed through that mark on the back of three Masters in a row this season alone – Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid.
The all-encompassing question is whether Nadal can win the upcoming US Open, an event that is fast hurtling towards us. Nadal floated his goal to win that elusive Grand Slam just after he got his paws around the Wimbledon trophy for a second time in his career, last month. What he does in Toronto many believe will have far-reaching consequences for his bid at Flushing Meadows, so they say.
Nadal enters his upcoming clash against the Swiss No.2, Stanislas Wawrinka as the solid favourite, trading at William Hill at 1/10 odds to win outright.
Nadal’s stock soared in markets worldwide following his sensational run through the spring clay-court swing that culminated with his fifth French Open title and after reclaiming a second Wimbledon in a row (Nadal won the 2008 Wimbledon title but skipped the event 2009 because of injuries. Even though he didn’t compete last year his victory is still considered back-to-back.)
Recommending Nadal for the outright win is a convincing 5-0 head-to-head edge over Wawrinka, which includes winning all 11 sets played. Those are some heady and convincing stats for tennis bettors looking to back Nadal.
On the flipside, Wawrinka shouldn’t be a cakewalk. The Swiss has some chops, and one of the most gorgeous single-hand backhand shots in the game today. Though he weighs in at world No. 24 right now, he once ranked within the top ten. His mental frailty, a penchant to unravel at times, can render him inconsistent and hence he pays the price in rankings.
That said Wawrinka isn’t without a chance here but all the same it will be the biggest win of his career if he does accomplish the feat.
Wawrinka really tested Nadal in Miami last year. Played the best two sets I have ever seen him play and still lost. This gives you a sense of what it will take to beat Nadal. I don’t know if he can play more out-of-his-mind tennis than he did that day.
Should he do so, his best price at 11/2 to win outright would be a nice chunk of change. More likely than not, Nadal will win this match, if for no other reason than the simple fact that he isn’t in the habit of losing his opening match.