U.S. Open Tourney: Day 4 Odds and Picks
By Charles Bricker
(20) Tommy Haas (-410) vs. Robert Kendrick (+364)
Two veteran players, but Haas, 31, is by far the better known commodity. He's had so many surgeries it's hard to keep track, but he's been relatively healthy this year and stunned a lot of people by reaching the semis at Wimbledon. But after following that with a semifinal finish in Los Angeles and a quarter in Washington, he's only 1-2 in the back-to-back Masters 1000s at Montreal and Cincinnati.
He looks as if he's in something of a late-season fade, which is why I'm going with Kendrick, who is 29 and, while only 8-13 for the year, looked very good in his opening-round match, broken only once in a straight-set quickie vs. Martin Vassallo Arguello.
Meanwhile, Haas had to fight off much lower-ranked Alejandro Falla in four sets and was broken six times. Haas leads the head-to-head 1-0 with an indoor split-set win in San Jose in 2008.
Pick: Kendrick
Mikhail Youzhny (-425) vs. Marco Chiudinelli (+376)
I should have gone with the Russian in the first round. Just when you think he's lost interest in the game, someone lights his fire. He was very sharp in whipping Paul-Henri Mathieu in the first round. That ran his record for the year to 26-23 and should help him get his fading No. 60 ranking into better shape.
He'll handle his Swiss opponent, who also played well in the opening round with a mild upset of Potito Starace, taking him down 6-0 in the third. Chiudinelli is only No. 161 but he's played very well in Challengers this year and appears ready for more consistent big-time tournaments.
It's a first time meeting between these two.
Pick: Youzhny
Shenay Perry (+175) vs. Kataryna Bondarenko (-200)
A couple of players with gimpy legs. Perry was at No. 40 in the world when her osteoporosis problems set in. She's fought back to No. 131 and beat Monica Niculescu in the first round after qualifying. The leg appears to be fine, for now, but needs a constant watch.
Meanwhile, Bondarenko had a stunner of a win over Ana Ivanovic in the opening round, but she was in some muscle strain pain at the end. She's the lesser known of the Ukrainian Bondarenko sisters (Alona is the other) and has her ranking up to No. 52 and she's now 18-17 for the year. Good counter-puncher, but the courts are fast and I like the more aggressive players to win. Go with the Floridian.
Pick: Perry
Yesterday's record: 6-0
Tourney record: 9-3