Betting in tennis often involves being rather creative, and one of the most simple ways of doing that is to bet on sets. Having a sharp set betting strategy in tennis can be one of the most lucrative ways to approach wagering on the sport
A set is an integral part of a tennis match. There are two types of matches: best-of-three sets and best-of-five sets. The latter is mostly reserved for men's tennis matches at Grand Slams, where you need to win three sets to win the match.
The other type is the format of all women's matches in all competitions and all men's matches outside of the Grand Slams, so betting on them is a vital part of betting on tennis matches.
Read on for our breakdown of how to create a tennis set betting strategy, covering everything you need to know to succeed.
Types of set betting in tennis
Before we get into how to be successful in tennis set betting, we have to go over some of the common bets you can make on a set.
First, you can bet who wins the first set. This is usually a bet that follows the match winner odds closely. However, these are generally slightly higher than those of winners, which makes them a popular bet.
You can also bet on who will win the second set, which is very popular in men's tennis at Grand Slams. Lots of matches feature momentum shifts, which cause the player who lost the opening set to bounce back and win the second set, making this a potent bet.
The totals of sets can also be bet on. Quite often, matches will go the distance, meaning three sets in the best-of-three format. This is a very useful bet, especially in clay-court tennis, where it's very hard to keep the level high enough to win in straight sets.
You can also bet handicap sets, which basically means that a player will cover the spread in a match. It's very popular at the Grand Slam level because plenty of matches end 3-1, which is good enough to cover a 1.5 spread.
Overall, it's just a very nice way of trying to squeeze out any value from tennis betting, which unfortunately has a problem with odds. Plenty of odds are simply too low to warrant any kind of bet, so you have to try and get creative.
How to be successful betting on tennis sets
Generally, success in set betting comes down to following the same principles as in any betting. You really have to understand the sport and all of its nuances, which will allow you to spot a valuable bet.
Another thing is to understand the way the surface impacts play. Clay courts are generally very slow courts, which feature a lot of long rallies. Keeping the level high and focus sharp on that type of court is very hard, which is why many of those matches tend to go the distance.
The French Open – a clay-court Grand Slam – is a really great place to hunt those handicap sets bets. Clay courts, in general, are also a great place to play the over on the sets because it's very likely that we're going to see more sets.
Another thing is to understand how matchups between the players work. Some matchups work better for some players and vice versa, which can have an impact on how you can structure these set bets.
Overall, it just comes down to really understanding the sport and the nuances of a tennis match. Obviously, you have to understand the type of bet you're making as well because not all bets are equal.
Live betting on tennis sets
Live betting is probably the smartest way to bet on sets. This is because seeing how a match unfolds allows you to get a better idea overall of which player might win a certain set, whether first or second or any other that will follow.
It also allows you to spot a looming comeback, which would yield greater odds, which is always good value. In general, live betting in sets is the preferred way to bet.
There are simply very few downsides to watching a match and seeing how it goes. Then, depending on what you see from each player, you can make a better educated guess on who will win a set. If player A struggles in his service games while player B doesn't, then the latter is likely to win the set.
Negatives of tennis set betting
While set betting is a creative option for tennis bettors to pursue, betting on sets also has its negatives. Most of that comes down to the competitive tennis landscape today.
Gone are the days when the biggest favourites regularly trounce their opponents. This is still present in women's tennis to an extent, but even there, it's not as common as it used to be. There is no longer any Serena Williams winning 6-1, 6-1 all the time.
On the men's side, it's even worse because favourites regularly butcher their own matches, being forced to play four or five sets when they don't need to. Often, they will drop the first set but then win the match.
That makes betting the first set winner on the favourite a terrible bet. On the other hand, so much parity in tennis allows you to spot some matches that could actually be rather close, where handicap sets come in handy.
As always, you have to know what you're getting into, which determines how good a bet is. Without knowing that, you're bound to repeat some common mistakes, thinking something is a value bet when it's actually not.
Overall, having the option to bet on sets is positive.
Much like betting on goals in football, it's a good option because, at times, there is some great value to be had. It's not something that's often the right option, but it's a popular way to bet on tennis precisely because it allows you to find margins that aren't there in other bets.
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