A big upset last night with Venus losing. The Loit/Gagliardi game is suspended
at 1 set a piece so I'll update the record after all games are complete. Last
night will record a loss even if Loit wins.


Groenefeld v Schiavone
Round 3

Groenefeld has the game to win this but she'll have to be at her best. Schiavone is a very good clay player with a lot of experience and she's had a solid tournament thus far. So too Groenefeld whose 6:0 6:1 demolition of Smashnova was truly impressive. She has plenty of shots and usually attacks. Schiavone on the other hand is quite happy to grind away on court for as long as it takes - she's very patient - so expect a close game but some value with the German

Groenefeld $2.56 @ Pinnacle HALF UNIT


Golovin v Bovina
Round 3

Golovin is young Russian-born French woman with a high 'glamour' profile but clay is her least favourite surface. Her hardcourt results are impressive but she has a moderate 22/14 clay record. Golovin faced a couple of easy-beats in the first two rounds so this is her first real test and Bovina is a fairly handy player. She has a 41/20 clay record and has been in reasonable form over the past few weeks. Her one weakness is usually a drop in concentration but hopefully she'll follow on from her solid play in Rome.

Bovina $2.35 @ 5Dimes HALF UNIT


Llagostera-Vives v Dechy
Round 3

A tough match up for Dechy who's a little overvalued here. I have this game much closer as although she'll have home crowd support, Dechy's clay performances have been rather mixed of late. She had a very ordinary Fed Cup on clay, played quite well in Warsaw, while Berlin and Rome involved First Round exits to average players. She made the semi finals in Strasbourg - though she didn't meet any true clay-courters until Garrigues beat her. On the other hand Vives is in very good form at the moment having won Rabat (albeit a low-rated tournament) and having two competent wins thus far. She has a 99/74 clay record so has the experience to win. Should be closer than prices indicate.

Llagostera-Vives $2.65 @ 5Dimes HALF UNIT
(better prices at smaller bookies)

NOTES: Henin-Hardenne took medical attention on court during her last game and later announced she's been suffering from back pain over the past few weeks (muscle strain affecting nerve). She claims it won't be a problem over the duration of this tournament but it certainly puts a question mark next to her name. It will be interesting to see how she performs against the in-form Garrigues