Rafael Nadal vs. Richard Gasquet

The world no. 2 takes on Frenchman Richard Gasquet in what could be one of the matches of the tournament at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

Rafael Nadal will no doubt be high in confidence after an incredible season, but we fancy Gasquet to go the distance in this one. Nadal has a 4:0 H2H in his favour, but this arguably does not tell the whole story. Three of the matches have been on clay, where Nadal is the undisputed king, although Nadal won their only hard court meeting 2:1 in last year's Shanghai Masters.

The best of three sets format seems to suit players like Gasquet perfectly, where being able to produce half an hour of brilliance is a lot easier than sustaining consistent tennis over five sets, where Nadal clearly thrives. In my opinion, Gasquet's shot-making style is a perfect match-up to Nadal's relatively defensive tactics, preying on opponent's mistakes.

Overall, on the faster surfaces I feel that Nadal is still vulnerable to the likes of Gasquet, and we'll have a lay of 2:0 to Nadal in this match, on the off chance that Gasquet goes into meltdown if he gets tense.

East West Bank Classic

To the WTA in California, and we have the makings of a decent double with Dinara Safina and Bethanie Mattek.

Safina is a perennial favourite of this column, for her sheer tendency to never give up, exemplified during her third round win against compatriot Alla Kudryavtseva, where she saved a match point before winning the final set in a tie-break. She takes on Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals, and there is definite value to be had in backing the Russian here. Having overcome Azarenka comfortably in Hamburg earlier this year, Safina has the form and confidence to progress further in this competition.

Secondly, Mattek will look to continue her excellent form against China's Meng Yuan. The H2H stands at 1:1 but Mattek is clearly the player in better form, with an excellent run during Wimbledon, where she was knocked out by eventual finalist Serena Williams in the fourth round. Her consistency and mental fortitude during the competition has given her a new lease of life, and with this being a home tournament for the American, we fancy her to win comfortably enough. Having failed to drop a set during the tournament so far, the braver punters may look to back Mattek 2-0, but we'll look to a Safina / Mattek straight win double.

NJ's Bets:

Lay Rafael Nadal 2-0 vs. Richard Gasquet - lay for 4pts liability @ 1.58 (Betfair)

WTA Double: Dinara Safina / Bethanie Mattek - back 3pts @ 2.27 (Coral)