Help
4/19/11 4:43 AM | Ricky Dimon
Milos Raonic will continue his attempt for clay-court improvement when he makes his Barcelona debut on Tuesday. Up first for the youngster is veteran Radek Stepanek.
Milos Raonic and Radek Stepanek will be squaring off for the second time in their careers and second time this season when they clash in the first round of the Barcelona Open BancSabadell on Tuesday. Two months ago in Memphis, Raonic pulled out a 6-4, 6-7(10), 7-6(1) thriller en route to a runner-up finish at the 500-point tournament.
Raonic entered 2011 with just four career victories at the ATP level, but he is already an incredible 18-6 this season. The 20-year-old Canadian reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and won the San Jose title in addition to his Memphis showing. Raonic played the first ATP clay-court event of his career last week in Monte-Carlo, and he took out Michael Llodra and Ernests Gulbis before getting a 6-1, 6-3 lesson from eventual finalist David Ferrer.
Twelve years older than his opponent, Stepanek is on the downside of his career but he clearly has at least something left in the tank. The Czech is a decent 8-8 on the year and registers at No. 68 in the world, 40 spots behind Raonic. Stepanek outlasted Marcos Baghdatis 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(7) in the Monte-Carlo first round then succumbed 6-1, 6-4 to Andy Murray.
Although he is a clear underdog on paper, Stepanek's battle against Raonic on the fast indoor hard courts of Memphis has to bode well for his confidence. The slow stuff should give Stepanek a much better opportunity to handle Raonic's booming first serves and play his way into baseline rallies. Mainly due to the surface, look for Barcelona's No. 15 seed to go down in three sets.
Find the latest tennis odds at Unibet.com
Tell a friend »
i did not predict Gulbis to beat Raonic. I did not even write about that match.
And i picked Raonic to destroy Gulbis in straight sets. Which is exactly what happened.
RickyDimon , 4/19/11 9:08 PM
I don't get it when posters attack Ricky, Cheryl or Kelli for their incorrect picks. It's not like the people that post here pay them to make picks. If anybody bets and loses money on their picks, it's their own fault. Besides nobody knows the future and it's not a big deal.
Even though I'm glad Milos won I can see the reasoning Ricky used in picking against him. I was thinking he might lose too so was pleasantly surprised. He seems to be doing better on clay than Dolgo and some of the other youngsters.
numero , 4/19/11 11:17 PM
Agree with número about not calling out on Ricky and Co, as prediction game here is just for the fun of it. Nobody can get their predictions 100% right all the time.
While I like Dolgo's game, I'm glad Davy beats him his time. Davy needs all these wins to get his game back on track. BTW Davy is very good on clay, reaching semis at RG, Rome and MC in the past. Raonic still has much to learn on clay, beating Gulbis, Stepanek is different from beating say Almagro for example, on clay.
luckystar , 4/20/11 5:12 AM
Scan QR code to access Unibet mobile.
Bet on Sports wherever you are and whenever you like, with Unibet's quick and simple mobile client you can place bets, check results and see live odds.
For more info about QR codes & scanners click here.
Contact us
/ About us
/ Cookies
/ Recommended links
/ Advertise
/ Sitemap
Tennistalk v1.5.0
Disclaimer © 2001-2012, Moneytainment Media Ltd - All rights reserved
You were wrong Ricky, Raonic beat Stepanek in straight sets !
Last week in Monte Carlo it was predicted that Raonic would lose to Gulbis in three sets. He won in straights set too. Be positive about Canada 's man on clay please !
ob
ossieb , 4/19/11 7:35 PM