Nadal stutters into a third round match with compatriot Lopez
Published:Punters who flock to the clay courts of Rome today are in for a treat with the world’s top four all in action on day four of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
Rafael Nadal vs Feliciano Lopez
Following his defeat to Djokovic in the final of the Madrid Open on Sunday, Nadal looked shaky in his opening Internazionali BNL d’Italia match with Paolo Lorenzi, losing the first set before winning the match 2-1.
Nadal should be back in his comfort zone today against friend Lopez and not only will he win at 1/33, he can do so easily in straight sets at 1/8.
Andy Murray vs Paolo Starace
Starace’s comprehensive defeat of Viktor Troicki in the second round means this is a tougher match for Murray than his 1/4 odds suggest.
Like Nadal, Murray struggled through his opening Rome match with Xavier Malisse and the Scot is struggling to find his best form.
That said, Starace’s clay form hasn’t been brilliant this season and we fancy Murray to hit his best form and win 2-0 at 4/6.
Roger Federer vs Richard Gasquet
In the battle of the backhands Federer is expected to come out on top at 1/6 to beat Gasquet.
Gasquet won the first ever meeting between the two back in 2005, but Federer has since won the next eight and has dropped just two sets against the Frenchman in that time.
This is their third meeting on clay with one win apiece but Federer is the value at 8/15 to win 2-0.
Novak Djokovic vs Stanislas Wawrinka
Any other time this would be a tough tie for Djokovic but the Serb’s form is incredible at the moment and it’s difficult to see the Swiss upsetting Djokovic’s odds of 1/20.
The two did meet in this tournament in 2008 when Djokovic won 2-1 and a repeat of that scoreline is priced at a tempting 9/2.
A £10 stake on Djokovic beating Wawrinka 2-1 would return £55. New customers can sign up here to take advantage of a free bet worth up to £30.
