The Overrule: US Open Women 2010 "The Serve is Back"

By Sports Magician



Maria Sharapova has been back on tour for the best part of a year and now we are finally beginning to see the player that won three Grand Slams before the age of twenty-one. Sharapova’s mental strength has always been one of the traits that separated her from the rest of the tour - along with Serena Williams - but her greatest technical weapon, the serve, had deserted her since she returned to action following a very serious shoulder injury. Over the past few weeks ‘Masha’ has begun to find her rhythm on serve, increasing the ace count and significantly reducing the double faults that plagued her during last year’s US Open and this year’s Australian Open.

Sharapova has won two titles this season, minor events in Memphis (hard) and Strasbourg (clay), and will play the final of Birmingham (grass) later today against Na Li. In four matches in Birmingham she has served 32 aces and only committed 7 double faults. That kind of disparity between free points in her favour and gifts to her opponent make her a massive threat for any tournament she enters. The Overrule has already pulled the each-way trigger on Maria for Wimbledon at 9.00 and we have to snap up the early value on her to win the US Open, also. Boylesports are offering a mightily generous 13.00 on the ‘Siberian Siren’ succeeding at Flushing Meadows this year, where she was successful back in 2006, beating Justine Henin in the final.



That price will surely not last too long after Wimbledon is over, for this reason in particular. Sharapova could only reach the second round of Wimbledon last year, losing to Gisela Dulko, and therefore has very few points to defend. A deep run at SW19 will boost her ranking, which currently stands at 17. By the time the US Open comes around, Sharapova could well be back in the world’s top 10, which means a higher seeding and the possibility of a slightly easier early round draw. In turn, her price will naturally come down as her passage through the tournament becomes that much more negotiable. And of course should Maria win Wimbledon, her US Open price will be slashed, maybe even in half. We got the value on Sharapova for Wimbledon and we’ll do so to an even greater extent for the US Open.

PICK: 3*(EACH-WAY) MARIA SHARAPOVA WIN US OPEN @ 13.00 (1/2 ODDS 1-2 PLACES) (BOYLESPORTS)

Sports Magician