US OPEN BETTING RAFAEL NADAL AND FELICIANO LOPEZ

The entire Spanish Davis Cup team – well, its core group anyway –advanced into the US Open last 16, like the Spanish Armada advancing on the New World. The top half-of the US Open draw reads like a who’s who of Spanish tennis with world No. 1 Rafael Nadal at the head of the charge, followed by Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer and Felicano Lopez.
Fernando Verdasco and David Ferrer are embroiled in a battle royale on Louis Armstrong Stadium, as I write. Their match started over three hours ago and still a spot in the US Open quarterfinals is to be determined.
Verdasco is on the verge of levelling the match at two sets all after going down  two-sets to love to Ferrer in the early goings and looking down and out.
Live-In- Play action has been busting at the seams all day as each, and every, match – at least from the men’s singles perspective – has delivered a heated contest that has gone down to the wire.
The intensity and the drama of the day seems a rather fitting precursor to what is surely going to be the main course of the night, the billing between Rafael Nadal and Felicano Lopez. The Spanish south paws clubbing it out on Arthur Ashe stadium, a spot in the US Open quarterfinals on the line and a matchup against the winner of the Verdasco vs. Ferrer clash.
The markets rolled out on this matchup across the board suggest a very one-sided affair. Rafael Nadal is the hot favourite at 1/20 to win outright with William Hill while Feliciano Lopez is the 8/1 puppy. Paddy Power bookies show even more confidence where Nadal is concerned, listing him as the 1/25 favourite while tipping Lopez even larger at 17/2.
The discrepancies notwithstanding, the markets are unanimous in their viewpoint: Nadal is the sure thing.
In some ways there are more layers to this match, more levels than meets the eye. Nadal has the convincing edge over Lopez lifetime, having beaten his compatriot and friend in five of their seven meetings; however, Lopez has the more recent win. He beat Nadal at Queen’s Club, and in straight sets no less. It was the poster boy’s first win in seven years over Nadal. That has to send him with some measured optimism into this clash.
Of course, this is a Grand Slam and Nadal is nothing but his best at this level. Beating him when the stakes are this high is nigh impossible. It will be an uphill battle for Lopez and justifiably the odds are stacked against him.
If this match lives up to the trend set today, we could be in store for another five-setter. Wawrinka needed five sets to dispatch Querrey; Youzhny took four sets to send Robredo packing; and Verdasco and Ferrer are in a fight for the fifth and final set right now.
So far, this has been the best day of tennis action from both a viewers and betting perspective at the US Open. Vamos! May the better player win.