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SCHUETTLER GETS THE VOTE

By Derek Bilton

It’s semi-finals day at the Ordina Open and you can follow all the main games live on the Sky Bet Player, including the intriguing all-German showdown between Benjamin Becker and Rainer Schuettler.

Both men have performed admirably this week with Schuettler in particular posting some fine results. As a 2/1 dog on Thursday he saved match points to oust Jeremy Chardy and so he’ll be full of confidence going into this one.

Schuettler is the higher ranked player by some 50 places on the main Tour but the layers have chalked up Becker as a slight favourite here.

One can only presume this is because of his recent win over Rainer on grass in Halle just last week.

Becker came through 6-4 2-6 6-4 in that one but there was precious little between them on the day (indeed Schuettler actually won more points than his compatriot).

Another close game looks on the cards at s-Hertogenbosch but Schuettler gets the nod from me at 11/10 with Sky Bet.

The layers cannot split Raemon Sluiter and Ivan Navarro in the other men’s semi, with both protagonists chalked up at 5/6.

Sluiter definitely has the better grass court pedigree but he has been beset by injury and ill-health in recent times and his ranking has plummeted to 866 before the start of this week.

Navarro, a clay specialist, is ranked at 81 in the world but doesn’t have much previous on this type of surface.

He has looked in fine fettle all week though and after ousting top seed David Ferrer on Thursday should be full of confidence here and for this reason he looks the man to get with.

In the women’s event Dinara Safina is a rightful jolly to beat veteran Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn but she looks way too short at 1/6.

Safina admits grass is her least favourite surface and her form has been somewhat erratic so far this week.

Tanasugarn is very solid and knows how to play on this type of surface having made the last eight at Wimbledon last year so I reckon she should be worth a speculative punt at current 7/2 quotes with Sky Bet.

In the other women’s semi Yanina Wickmayer is a 4/7 shot to beat Francesca Schiavone.

Wickmayer has looked impressive in spells so far this week but Schiavone is no mug and this one looks a coin toss to me. With this in mind Schiavone is probably worth siding with a 5/4.