Betting patterns make punters suspicious

Hyung–Taik Lee played Konstantin Kravchuck in Moscow on Wednesday and was defeated 6-4 6-4. Lee, ranked 48 in the ATP rankings has been having a great year and is in strong form, reaching the semi-finals in Japan a week earlier. Kravchuck, a virtual unknown is ranked 622 in the world.

The pre-match betting on Betfair shifted dramatically and this has prompted some suspicion within the betting community. Kravchuck was 5.00 (4/1) to win the match and shifted to 1.33 (1/3) favourite before the match started.

The total amount wagered on Betfair on this match was more than the total matched on the rest of the entire event.

One might argue that there are more underdog winners in China and Russia as the home advantage is strong, there is often a change in surface and the visiting players have a great deal of travelling to do, so can often be tired.

In this particular case, Lee had travelled a great deal and had reached the semi-finals in Japan the week before, so he may have been tired. Kravchuck had played three qualifying matches and so would have been used to the conditions and the court.

A spokesman for Betfair said the company was investigating the betting patterns and if they believed the action had been suspicious they would refer it to the ATP.