Sluggish Murray struggles past Falla to reach Farmers semis
Published:Andy Murray is still on course to win the Farmers Classic, despite making hard work of beating Alejandro Falla at the quarter-final stage in Los Angeles.
The top-seeded Scot struggled with his serve throughout, but his Colombian opponent failed to take advantage as Murray eventually won 7-6 (7-3) 6-1.
Next up for the world number four is a semi-final clash with Feliciano Lopez, a match which Murray is the 1/6 favourite to win.
With such convincing match odds, there is far more value to be had in set betting. With Murray taken to three sets by Tim Smyczek in his first match and LA, and pushed again by Falla, a three-set win for Murray against Lopez seems well worth backing at 3/1.
Murray has been practising with Lopez recently, and the 23-year-old is under no illusions about the challenge ahead.
Lopez, the world number 27, beat James Blake 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 to reach the last four, and he is 7/2 to clinch a spot in the final at Murray’s expense.
On the basis of Murray’s showing against Falla, Lopez will be far from daunted by the prospect of facing his sparring partner, and the Spaniard is 7/1 to win the tournament.
Sam Querrey vs Janko Tipsarevic
In the other Farmers Classic semi-final, Sam Querrey is the 1/2 favourite to beat his Serbian opponent Janko Tipsarevic.
Having beaten Marcos Baghdatis in his quarter-final, however, Tisparevic should not be written off, and the world number 46 is 6/4 to reach the final.
American Querrey is 3/1 to be crowned champion of the Farmers Classic, and the 22-year-old will be hoping that the home support of the LA crowd can give him the edge.
Who do you think will win the Farmers Classic? Andy Murray is the favourite at 1/2. See the full Farmers Classic Betting Odds market.
