Betting.Betfair

I've been writing this preview of the side markets for the last six men's grand-slam finals, going back to the French Open in 2011, and, when Ferrer went up a set against Djokovic in their semi-final, instead of doing the sensible thing and taking some profits on my outright bet, I instead trawled back through those finals to see how successful these side-market bets have been. Well, 23 bets have been recommended, 11 have won, and they've returned a profit of 24.26 points to recommended stakes. Here's hoping the success continues. [u]Most Aces[/u] To date, head-to-head, Murray has served more on 12 occasions (86 per cent), to Djokovic's one (7 per cent), with one match ending in a tie. All this tells you that Murray should be 1.17 to serve most aces, with Djokovic at 14.0. It's fairly...

[b]Can Rory make ammends and win the Masters? Will this be the year when Woods dominates again? Or will Lefty eclipse them both? Paul Krishnamurty looks ahead to the four Majors of 2012.[/b] [b]US Masters[/b] [i]When: April 5-8 Venue: Augusta National Defending Champion: Charl Schwartzel[/i] The early US Masters narrative centres on two men, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy both trading in single figures already. Despite finishing just 128th on the PGA Tour Money List, Tiger served notice of a return to form with victory on his final 2011 start, and duly resumed his normal position as favourite for a major he's won four times. Whether he remains a shorter price than his successor as the game's principal box office attraction, however, will depend on how their respective form...

With Roger Federer providing more evidence of a career in decline, and Andy Murray highlighting the ever-widening gulf between his ability and likely grand slam success, we find ourselves with the same final line-up as at Wimbledon, but this time we know more. Djokovic closed the small gap in their head-to-head record at SW19 that day, and in stunning fashion. A fourth-set blip aside, the Serb was dominant. That silenced the doubters (myself among them) who felt that Djokovic had struggled to put away weaker players to reach that final; and who felt that his four consecutive wins over Nadal prior to Wimbledon meant little - after all, every time the two had met in a grand slam, Nadal had outplayed Djokovic. That hoodoo overcome, it's easy to build a strong case for Djokovic. He has...

The 2011 US Open draw has been made and the final Slam of the year looks to be potentially the most exciting, with question marks hanging over over the main contenders. Will Novak Djokovic's shoulder hold up for the entire fortnight? Will Rafa recover from his burnt fingers and rediscover his missing form? Has Roger Federer got another Slam in him? And can Andy Murray claim that elusive first major? Those are the questions to which you could probably add: 'Will Juan Martin Del Potro's form return?', as well in what will effectively be the Argentine defending the title he won here so spectacularly two years ago. The draw has paired Djokovic and Federer in the top half, with Murray and Nadal together in the bottom half and if you're looking for a big priced dark horse then you'd ...

Andy Murray claimed his second title of the season in Cincinnati on Sunday. Despite that success, he can still be backed at 6.8 to win his first Grand Slam at the US Open which begins next week. Here's why you should be desperate to get on board... [u]Cincinnati glory augurs well... [/u] Andy Murray's victory in the Cincinnati Open, the final ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series event before the US Open, is hugely encouraging for his chances in New York. Six of the last eight champions have gone on to reach the final at Flushing Meadow, with three heading home with the biggest cut of the prize money. His previous Cincinnati win came three years ago and prompted easily his best US Open showing, finishing as runner-up, having never even made it to the quarter-finals on his five other attempts. [u]...especially...

Lee Westwood will tee off later at 8.06am local time as the 13.0 US Open favourite, a tick ahead of compatriot Luke Donald in the market and well clear of home favourite Phil Mickelson at 17.0. With three top tens in 11 US Open appearances, including a third place finish in 2008, his liking for the event is plain to see. And with three tournament victories this year, his current form is clearly not a concern. Whether his price is 'true' or artificially short thanks to the weight of English money behind him is not a question I'm equipped to answer. But Westwood's popularity with his 'home' fans is not in doubt and at double figure odds they don't need much of an excuse to throw a few quid at him. It'll certainly make cheering him on that little bit more enjoyable. Something similar...

With Sunday's results fresh in mind, there is a temptation to conclude that backing the market leaders is a mug's game. In the States, Harrizon Frazar became the 15th triple-figure priced winner on this year's PGA Tour, ending a 354 tournament losing streak. Italian Open winner Robert Rock was a likelier pick at 70.0, but he too had never previously delivered in a decade of trying. Such results strengthen the new consensus that golf has never been more open, illustrated by the fact that there is nobody trading in single figures for the US Open. That certainly doesn't mean, however, that the favourites are poor value. Far from it. Run of the mill tournaments are one thing, the US Open quite another. Whereas at least 50, perhaps 100, different players could plausibly have won the St Jude...