Federer to silence crowd in headline clash of Australian Open day seven
Published:There are two particularly noteworthy games in the men’s draw on day seven of the Australian Open, with leading seeds Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in action.
Nadal is in an all-Spanish clash with Fernando Verdasco, while Federer will be out to end the hopes of a home success by beating Bernard Tomic.
Rafael Nadal to beat Feliciano Lopez 3-0 @ 4/9
Nadal has faced his Spanish compatriot ten times, with all of his eight victories coming in straight sets.
Lopez also comes into the clash off the back of a tough third-round meeting with John Isner which had to be settled by a deciding set and therefore may leave him feeling a little jaded.
Tomas Berdych to beat Nicolas Almagro @ 1/4
Almagro is the ultimate enigma and is a nightmare for punters to get to grips with given his inconsistent nature.
The Spaniard was horrid against Gregor Dimitrov in round two but somehow struggled through, but then dominant to be beat a much tougher opponent in Stanislas Wawrinka in the last round.
Berdych will be tougher still and has progressed through the draw without incident thus far, alongside having triumphed in his only previous hard-court meeting with Almagro in straight sets in the latter half of last year.
Juan Martin del Potro to beat Philipp Kohlscreiber 3-1 @ 12/5
Del Potro has won four of his five previous meetings with Kohlscreiber, but both last year were tight, with the Argentine winning one thanks to two tie-breaks and the other when dropping a set.
Kohlscreiber will have gained a confidence boost by beating Alejandro Falla in straight sets in the last round and is more than capable of taking another off Del Potro, who is continuing to build back up to full fitness and optimum performance.
Roger Federer to win first set against Bernard Tomic 6-4 @ 10/3
Federer to win in straight sets offered some appeal looking at how much time Tomic has spent on court at the Australian Open, but betting on the first set offers better value.
Tomic has lost the first set in all of his three matches in Melbourne so far, while Federer has hardly been a quick starter in either of his games.
Therefore, the number three seed can win the opening set with a single break.
