Tennis Betting Advice - April 2020
Madrid Virtual Pro - Murray v Nadal online at 2pm...
Tuesday 28th April 2020
In your Ones to Watch email today:
Madrid Virtual Pro underway...
The Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro got underway yesterday. This is the first ever running of this online version of the Madrid tournament. And the first time an Esports Tennis event has consisted entirely of ‘real life’ pro players.
As you might expect, day one wasn’t without a few technical hitches. Denis Shapovalov had problems with his internet connection to the Tennis World Tour game. He was at home in Canada. Rafael Nadal was waiting on his sofa in Spain, Playstation controller in hand...
After a false start and a delay, Nadal eventually took the match, 4-3 on a tiebreak.
They play first to three games, but you have to win by two. So winning scores can include 3-0, 3-1, 4-2. Or 4-3, if it goes to a tiebreak at 3-3.
Eugenie Bouchard also suffered from connection issues, with her match against Donna Vekic interrupted after just one game.
All the matches are being streamed live on the official Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro Facebook page. But that was also not without issues on day one…
The main problem seemed to be the rather excessive level of ‘commentary’ from the three pundits on screen. As one Facebook viewer put it in the comments section, ‘Less talking, more tennis!’
I found the best way to watch was on the Twitch.tv website, which specialises in online gaming.
Andy and Belinda enjoying the game...
Some players are more comfortable using a PS4 games console than others. Sorana Cirstea says she only got her first taste of it when her PS4 arrived last week…
The Romanian must be a natural, then, as she won her two opening group-stage matches on Monday. From 11/1 (12.00) pre-tournament, the bookies now make Cirstea the slight overall favourite, at 9/2 (5.50).
Belinda Bencic was another mover in the Outright betting. The Swiss star won her match v Carla Suarez Navarro, 3-1, and looked like she knew what she was doing right from the off…
Check out this video of Bencic doing a home ‘walk on’ for her match.
Bencic was 9/1 (10.00) when we discussed her chances yesterday. Ladbrokes & Coral and Sportingbet & Bwin now make the 23-year-old a 5/1 (6.00) shot to take the inaugural women’s Madrid Virtual Pro title. Belinda plays her next two group matches today.
Andy Murray was also a relaxed and smiling winner on day one. The Scot was a crowd-pleaser online, with his in-play grunting and commentary on his 3-1 win over Benoit Paire suggesting, like Bencic, that Andy is pretty handy with a Playstation controller.
My take was that the younger generation of players would be the ones to watch at this online event. Stefanos Tsitsipas was the man I flagged up for the men’s tournament. The Greek 21-year-old started like a train, winning both his matches, 3-0.
From odds of 10/1 (11.00) on Monday morning, the oddsmakers now have Tsitsipas as the 7/2 (4.50) market leader for the men’s Madrid Virtual Pro title.
Murray v Nadal online at 2pm…
There are a total of 24 matches scheduled across the men’s & women’s online events today. After watching a lot of the action yesterday and reading up, my ‘one to watch’ would be Andy Murray in his two matches this afternoon…
Murray v Nadal is first up, at 2pm or just after. Nadal has spoken in the past about Andy beating him at football on FIFA on the Playstation. With Murray looking pretty decent, he’d be the one I’d pick in this headline match-up.
Later in the day, around 4.30pm, Andy takes on Denis Shapovalov, who was edged out by Rafa on Monday. I’d fancy Andy to win that one, too.
Murray is priced up at 1/2 (1.50) to beat Nadal, and 3/5 (1.60) to beat Shapovalov. Pre-match markets are available with Ladbrokes & Coral and Sportingbet & Bwin. Going on yesterday’s offerings, Skybet and Interwetten would be the places to go for in-play markets.
I’ll be back later in the week, when all being well, we’ll be turning our attention back to ‘real life’ tennis in the form of a couple of upcoming exhibition events.
In the meantime, enjoy the (Esports) tennis...
Best wishes,
Tom Wilson