Tennis Odds & Picks: Mardy Fish vs. Ryan Harrison

Written by Jake Thompson
Saturday, 23 July 2011 19:44

There is only one way to bet the odds in today’s tennis match between Mardy Fish and Ryan Harrison.

Mardy Fish and Ryan Harrison are set to take to the tennis courts in their semi-final match at the Atlanta Championships tonight, and our betting picks should help everyone win money on the clash.  Tennis odds currently show Fish as the large -475 favorite with Harrison returning +380, and I have to believe this number is a bit off when you consider a few important factors.

First, Harrison is only 19 years old and, although talented, he only has a 5-12 career record on the hard court surface he’ll be playing on in Atlanta.  Although he has the energetic style to make a match of it against just about everyone, I’m worried that he won’t get the chance to volley much because of Fish’s big serve.  That energy is one of the best things going in Harrison’s game and Fish possesses the tools to neutralize it.

Fish has a higher winning percentage on grass historically, but there is no doubt that he is extremely tough to beat on the hard court as well (179-122 career record).  Harrison is one of the best prospects to come from the United States in quite some time, but Fish has a huge edge in experience and he is agile enough to handle the impressive forehand that Harrison will undoubtedly try to unleash in this 7:00 PM ET match.

I’ve never been a big fan of putting money on tennis odds this high, but I just don’t think that Harrison is going to be able to hang here.  He might be able to make a game of it but his serve is far from polished and there are also questions about the youngster’s mental ability to handle adversity.  I’m betting on Fish here and recommend that everyone else does the same because he is simply a tough matchup for Harrison at this stage in both players’ careers.

Prediction: Straight set victory for Mardy Fish