FRENCH OPEN BETTING: GONZALEZ AND BELLUCCI IN ROUND ONE

The French Open underway serves up some enticing matchups right off the bat. Fernando Gonzalez, a semi-finalist last year, opens his bid against Brazilian Thiago Alves. Meanwhile, up-and-coming young Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci takes on Frenchman Michael Llodra. William Hill has pulled all the stops, releasing over 30 markets on their matches, and each and every other match in the market.
Fernando Gonzalez is trading at a solid 1/10 to win outright while Alves is listed a large underdog, trading at 11/2. Gonzalez takes a 1-0 edge over Alves into their encounter. Most expect he should win handily.
Going against Gonzalez is the fact that he hasn’t seen match play since April when he crashed out of his opening round match in Barcelona. Might the draw be shaken up today with an unlikely upset because Gonzo is rusty?  
Michael Llodra a 6/4 puppy will hope to mastermind the upset when he takes on Bellucci 1/2. Llodra seems to play his best when in front of a partisan crowd. Could he orchestrate the unthinkable.
It won’t be easy at all. Bellucci is a rising star with serious clay court skills. He won his maiden title in Santiago, beating defending champion Gonzalez in the semis no less. If anything, Bellucci is the better bet to win outright. The value bets in this match have to be in the performance markets. I feel a five setter coming on here.
Other matches on the books today include Mardy Fish vs. Michael Berrer, and Victor Hanescu vs. Oscar Hernandez.
Fish is to clay as his aquatic namesake is to sand, a poor combination. Fish is slightly favoured at 8/11 over Berrer at Evens. Berrer is the better pick in this match methinks.
Hanescu and Hernandez are well-matched and should deliver a right slugfest today. Hanescu is the 2/9 favourite while Hernandez is the 3/1 puppy. This match is a tossup though and will depend on which player is the better today. Hernandez has just as good a chance as Hanescu if you ask me.