Tennis
2010-01-22 - Jelena Jankovic vs Alona Bondarenko
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Tennis: Australia, Australian Open Women 2010
Thursday, 22nd January 2010 - Kickoff 00:00
Preview
Jelena Jankovic is the World Number 8, but she has not developed as much as she perhaps should have ever since she reached the pinnacle of the game 18 months ago. The Serbian reached the 3rd round here in this tournament with little fuss, only dropping 8 games and winning all 4 sets in the first 2 rounds.
Jankovic had a relatively good season on the hard courts last year, finishing with a 20-11 record, but this was a sharp drop off from her own performances over the previous 3 seasons before last. She was beaten in the 4th round here last season while having an even more disappointing tournament at the US Open where she suffered a 2nd round loss.
There was not much of a preparation tournament this season for Jelena, and she was a 1st round loser at the tournament in Sydney.
Alona Bondarenko has started this season off with a tournament win and she has won through the first 2 round here without losing a set. She is the 31st seed here in Australia.
Bondarenko has never really had lots of success on the hard courts and finished last season with a 13-13 record. She had had winning seasons on the hard courts for the 2 seasons prior to last year but her record over the last 3 seasons is 32-30.
The Ukranian has a 7-0 record this season after winning the tournament in Hobart last week. She reached the 3rd round here last season before losing to Kuznetsova in straight sets.
Head to Head
Jelena Jankovic has a 9-0 record against Alona Bondarenko and she has won the last 8 meetings in straight sets.
They have met 3 times on hard courts and all of those matches were won in straight sets by the Serb.
The last meeting between the 2 was over 12 months ago.
Prediction
Jelena Jankovic is a tough competitor, and relies on a strong defence to grind down her opponents. She has a consistent rhythm to her game and her only real weakness is the serve which can be prone to break down.
Alona Bondarenko is a solid competitor that seems to fall down when she plays those Women at the top of the sport. She plays a similar game to Jankovic, hoping her consistency will help break down an opponents game and that is why she seems to match up badly with Jankovic.
I will play Jankovic to win this match 6-4, 6-2
The Pick :
Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 6-2
BEST BETTING TIP :
Jelena Jankovic WIN
Gooner’s Statistical Value Bet
Jelena Jankovic -4.5 games @ 2.0 (Bet365)
