Queen’s finalist James Blake out on day one at Wimbledon

Runner-up’s early exit puts Andy Murray’s triumph into context

It was with a degree of eggshell treading that we suggested last week that Andy Murray’s victory at Queen’s didn’t significantly boost his chances of winning Wimbledon.

Our feeling was that with Novak Djokovic opting to play in Halle and Andy Roddick and Gael Monfils pulling out with injuries, Murray didn’t beat anybody too noteworthy en route to the trophy.

Posted: June 23rd, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Andy Murray odds-on to win at Queen’s after reaching last eight

Click here for all the latest odds on the AEGON Championships

World number three Andy Murray has been slashed to just 10/11 to become the first ever Brit to win the singles’ tournament at Queen’s.

The 22-year-old secured a spot in the quarter-finals with victory over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez earlier today and his position as favourite has been strengthened by the withdrawals of Gael Monfils and Marat Safin with injuries and the surprise early exit of Marin Cilic.

Murray’s chances are soon to be further boosted when one of the two most successful Queen’s players on the tour eliminates the other, with Andy Roddick currently a set up against Lleyton Hewitt. Click here for more stats.

Posted: June 11th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 1 Comment

Andy Murray is 6/4 to make history by winning at Queen’s

Click here for all the latest odds on the AEGON Championships

Photo Credit: Sean Dempsey, PA Wire

Reigning champion Rafael Nadal is injured and runner-up Novak Djokovic has opted to join Roger Federer in Halle so Paddy Power have made Andy Murray the 6/4 favourite to win the AEGON Championships. Before last year, it was Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt who ruled the roost at Queen’s, sharing the title between them for eight consecutive years and both will be eager to regain it. Here are some stats about the leading contenders:

Click here to claim a £25 free bet with Paddy Power

Andy Murray (6/4): There’s no such thing as home advantage at Queen’s, with no Brit triumphing in the men’s tournament’s 37-year history. During that time, local heroes have had their dreams crushed in the final six times.

Andy Roddick (4/1): A-Rod is the King of Queen’s, having won four of the last six AEGON Championships, reaching the semis of the other two. The American has won just two tournaments in the last 15 months however.

Posted: June 8th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Local hero Gael Monfils tries to take down Roger Federer

Previews of today’s four French Open quarter-final matches

Usually it’s the women’s tournament that produces the biggest upsets but yesterday two more male favourites were sent packing as Robin Soderling and Fernando Gonzalez took care of Nikolay Davydenko and Andy Murray. The man hoping to make the year of the underdog continue today is Gael Monfils, the last remaining Frenchman in the tournament, who meets favourite Roger Federer, who knocked him out 12 months ago:

Click here to check out the Ladbrokes’ French Open Wizard

Sorana Cirstea v Samantha Stosur
The Grand Slam quarter-final stage is unfamiliar territory for both of these women, neither of whom are in the top 30 of the world rankings. There’s not much to go on as the pair have never clashed before but Cirstea has only dropped one set so far compared to Stosur’s two. Both have taken high-profile scalps, with the 19-year-old Romanian stopping Jelena Jankovic, who reached the semi-finals in 2007 and 2008, and Australian Stosur getting rid of former finalist Elena Dementieva. Stosur is the favourite here.

Svetlana Kuznetsova v Serena Williams
Serena/Safina is the final that most expect but Kuznetsova won’t roll over for the self-proclaimed world number one. In the last three years, the Russian has reached the final, quarter-finals and semi-finals at Roland Garros, whereas Williams last got past this point in 2003. In fact, four of Serena’s last

Posted: June 3rd, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment