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Mayer met Lopez yesterday to play two tie-breaks in a match without a single converted break point yesterday. His serving and somewhat bad return were were obvious, just like with Lopez. Raonic lost one point per service game on average in the first match. He beat Monaco with one break per set but Mayer has a much better service and aggressive game after it. Monaco is not aggressive and has noting to put pressure on Raonic. I've opted for this bet and not total games over because of Mayer and Almagro's match from a few weeks ago. Mayer had it easy until first set tie-break but lost it and then fell apart. I think the first set will be much closer here, serving will be dominant and there won't be too much chance against service because both opponents are good servers. The only way for either player to create opportunities in opponent's service games is though errors, not good return. Details

Metz have a 2-goal lead from the first game but things are far from being over. Metz had the biggest lead in the first match with some 10 minutes left on the clock (+4, 15-19) but Nice weren't giving up and managed to get only one goal short at the beginning of the final minute. It was generally a game more dominated by defense and offensive tactics. The score was 10-11 at half time, both goal keepers were doing great (Darleux at Nice recorded 15 saves, Pierson at Metz 14). Darleux was the top player at nice, next to Lacrabere. She had the same number of saves in the first head-to-head in regular season and now in the first playoff game. She was the best player in regular season game and we have to point out that before joining Nice, she used to be at Metz, meaning she knows their players well. We are to expect Nice to play another game with focus on defense. Three of their players are both in defense and offense throughout the game and right back Lacrabere (9 goals in game one) also spends a lot of time on the floor, while other back players cannot be to happy with their speed. That means there will be no running and fast pace against Metz. All three results of these two teams in this season (25-27, 23-23, 19-21) are another reason for this bet. The first one at season start finished at 52 goals after everything fell apart in the second half, even though the first half finished with only 19 goals. Details

Less than 24 hours since Game 2, Zvezda and Astrahanochka will play the third and crucial match for the bronze medal in the Russian championship. The game yesterday was settled in the opening 10 minutes when Zvezda took a 7-1 lead as a result of a total lack of focus on Astrahanovhka's offense and superior Sidroova on Zvezda's goal. She had 50% of saves in the first half and 14 in total. Astrahanochka managed to make a comeback later on and tied the score with one minute left on the clock. But they failed to stop Zvezda's last attack in which right back Khavrinina fired a shot because she didn't know what else to do and scored.

There was not enough time for any serious tactical preparation ahead of game three, which I think Astrahanochka will win for a few reasons. Zvezda used 9 players yesterday, as in most of the season, 4 of which spent 55 minutes on the floor on average. Goal keeper Sidorova was on the goal the whole game. Astrahanochka have, next to Rostov, the greatest number of players. They used 12 players plus two goals keepers yesterday. The bad start was partly due to a bad choice of the middle back player. Smirnova was given the start at that position not having played 4-5 previous playoff games. While she was on the floor was when their offense fell apart. As soon as Vyakhireva and Nikitina took over, things got back to normal but the 6-goal deficit was still there. Goal keeper Trusova didn't live up to expectations yesterday either. She recorded 14 saves in game 1 and only 4 in game two. Asrahanochka's top players, Vyakhierva and Kuznetsova first and foremost, didn't live up to their potential last night. That and a much better choice at back positions is a great upper hand for them today. Details

Serena's dominance in the initial two Madrid rounds was amazing and she could have won both matches even more convincingly. But then, her match against Azarenka was one of the biggest dramas, which in the end ended successfully for the American. I'm sure she will be more focused and convincing now in order to avoid nerve-wrecking moments. Carla is playing her standard boring tennis, which goes well against most players. But Serena will decide this match and given what she's been doing lately, she should crush Carla. As I said already, following the last round, Serena will not allow anything but a convincing win. Serena is much better in head to head matches, having always covered the 6.5 handicap each time. Since Serena is the superior player here and that Carla has nothing to threaten her with, I'm going with higher stake. Details