WTA Indian Wells Betting: First Round Tips

 

The start of the '5th Major' and Abelson Info serve up the choice cuts from the Women's first round...

 

It's a star-studded field that welcomes tennis fans to Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open. The first round action is full of easy pickings for some of the big names but there's plenty of opportunity for a big run from others looking to improve their ranking.

 

British hope Heather Watson has a pretty tough opening encounter against Romanian Irina Camelia Begu. There are only fourteen spots between them in the rankings but you have to give a big edge to Watson - 1.53 isn't the biggest price but it is a winning one. Begu has some weapons but they just aren't firing at the moment.

 

The same can't be said of Bethanie Mattek Sands. She was in super form last week as she got beaten in a tight final in Malaysia. That run will work against her and you are strongly advised to side with her fellow American Jamie Hampton in an easy 2-0 sets romp.

 

If you are looking for a classic match-up then go no further than the all Italian clash between Pennetta and Schiavone. It is fair to say neither of these two are anywhere near the heights of the last few years. It is a question as to who has fallen further from grace. Pennetta is a better player on hard courts so you should see a slight upturn from her recent form but it won't be enough to get past a still incredibly resilient Schiavone. This could be a long one and the value has to be on Over 22.5 Games at 2.2 in the Total Games market.

 

We can't let these first round encounters go without a mention for the young star Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino. She's showed big promise but will be the outsider to beat Sesil Karatantcheva. With a good steady game the young Spaniard can take this in straight sets at attractive odds of 3.35.

 

Don't forget that in first round matches in big events like this there are a lot of mid to low ranked players facing each other. One thing these players lack is confidence as they do not win a lot of matches. You can take advantage of this with some smart in-play betting. If the outsider at the start of the match takes the first set then you won't go far wrong with backing the loser of that first set at that stage.

 

Recommended Bets:

Back Over 22.5 Games in the Pennetta v Schiavone match at 2.2

Back Hampton to beat Mattek Sands 2-0 Sets at 1.92

 

Bet HERE

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