Australian Open, Monday, January 16

The opening Grand Slam tournament of 2017 will once against take place in Melbourne with the Australian Open where those who really put the work in during the off-season get rewarded in scorching-hot conditions in the Australian city.

Andy Murray starts the New Year as the world number one for the first time in his career. The British player had a superb campaign in 2016 where he won Wimbledon and the gold medal in Rio at the Olympics. He also reached the final of the Australian Open and French Open where he was beaten on both occasions by Novak Djokovic.

"IMG_2863" (CC BY-ND 2.0) by Marianne Bevis

Murray sealed his number one spot in the world rankings at the end of this year with his first success in the ATP World Tour Finals in London. He defeated Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in an impressive performance in the final event of the calendar year.

At 13/8 in the outright market for the 2017 Australian Open, Murray looks to be the best bet in the men’s draw. He is also one of the tips from oddschecker in their 2017 New Year accumulator as they think the world number one will make a flying start to the campaign.

Murray has been to the final of the Australian Open more often than any other Grand Slam. Sadly for the Brit, he has been beaten in all five of those finals. The fact he has been runner-up on five occasions should give backers of the world number one confidence though as it clearly suggests he is always in great shape for the opening major of the year.

During the off-season, Murray has been training with his team in Miami. He missed the ceremony for the 2016 BBC Sports Personality of the Year in Birmingham in order not to break his training camp. The British player is expected to make his opening appearance of 2017 I the Mubadala World Tennis Championship which will work as ideal preparation for Melbourne.

The biggest threat to Murray will of course be Djokovic again. It is difficult to predict what kind of form the defending champion will return to next season but on the evidence we have seen in recent months, Murray definitely has his number going into the 2017 Australian Open.

Kerber Can Defend Her Women’s Crown

Angelique Kerber goes into the women’s Australian Open next month as the defending champion as she defeated Serena Williams in the final in 2016 to claim her maiden Grand Slam title.

That success in Melbourne last January really did kick-start a huge year for the German. She won her second Grand Slam title in New York when she beat Karolina Pliskova, while she was also runner-up at Wimbledon where Williams gained revenge for her defeat in the Australian Open.

"ANGELIQUE KERBER" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by NAPARAZZI

At the age of 28, Kerber is at the peak stage of her career so there is no reason as to why she can’t improve her Grand Slam tally in 2017. She is 4/1 to defend her title in Melbourne which is a generous price given how well she played last year.

Kerber is now the number one ranked player in the women’s game. She was the runner-up at the WTA Championship finals in Singapore as Dominika Cibulkova beat her to the title on that occasion. There was also a silver medal in 2016 in Rio at the Olympics where the German lost in three sets to Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig.

We could be set to see another big year from the world number one in 2017. Her confidence is sky high and she has been the most consistent player on the tour over the last 12 months.

Serena Williams tops the outright market for the women’s Australian Open at 7/4 which is a short price given she has only won this tournament once in the last six years. There is no question if Williams brings her top game, she will be difficult to beat, however, Kerber no longer needs to fear the American as she has proven she has what it takes to beat the 22-time Grand Slam winner.

Selections

Andy Murray to win men’s 2017 Australian Open (13/8 with Boylesports)

Angelique Kerber to win women’s 2017 Australian Open (4/1 with Skybet)

The X Factor 2016 Voting Results

As is now customary on TellyBetting,  I've once again listed the week by week breakdown of votes for The X factor. It's always interesting to see how far off the mark, or otherwise, we've been all series with our predictions. It doesn't look like the bookies got it far wrong for The X Factor 2016 to be honest.

Matt Terry won the vote more times than not, but was essentially fighting it out with Saara Aalto towards the end. 5 After Midnight put up a good performance all series too, to be honest. All three acts were realistically in with a shout of winning.

Vote 1
Matt Terry - 22.2%
5 After Midnight - 13.3%
Emily Middlemas - 11.9%
Honey G -10.9%
Sam Lavery -9.8%
Relley C -7.8%
Gifty Louise -6.6%
Ryan Lawrie -6.2%
Saara Aalto -5.3%
Freddy Parker- 3.4%
Bratavio -2.6%

Vote 1 Lifeline
Freddy Parker- 52.0%
Saara Aalto -38.5%
Bratavio -9.5%

Vote 2
Matt Terry -19.5%
5 After Midnight - 15.6%
Emily Middlemas - 11.0%
Honey G - 9.3%
Sam Lavery -8.8%
Four of Diamonds - 7.3%
Relley C - 6.6%
Gifty Louise -6.4%
Saara Aalto -6.4%
Ryan Lawrie -4.6%
Freddy Parker- 4.5%

Vote 2 Lifeline
Ryan Lawrie -37.9%
Saara Aalto -32.0%
Freddy Parker- 30.0%

Vote 3
Matt Terry -17.8%
Saara Aalto -13.7%
Emily Middlemas - 11.9%
5 After Midnight - 11.5%
Honey G - 9.4%
Sam Lavery -8.1%
Gifty Louise -7.9%
Ryan Lawrie -7.4%
Relley C -6.2%
Four of Diamonds - 6.1%

Vote 3 Lifeline
Ryan Lawrie -37.9%
Relley C - 36.0%
Four of Diamonds - 26.1%

Vote 4
Emily Middlemas - 18.7%
Matt Terry -18.7%
Saara Aalto -11.3%
5 After Midnight - 10.6%
Sam Lavery -10.1%
Honey G - 9.2%
Ryan Lawrie -8.7%
Gifty Louise -6.6%
Four of Diamonds - 6.1%

Vote 4 Lifeline
Ryan Lawrie -41.2%
Gifty Louise -35.0%
Four of Diamonds - 23.8%

Vote 5
Matt Terry -16.7%
5 After Midnight - 15.5%
Emily Middlemas - 15.3%
Ryan Lawrie -14.1%
Honey G -11.6%
Saara Aalto -9.4%
Four of Diamonds - 8.9%
Sam Lavery -8.5%

Lifeline Vote 5
Sam Lavery -46.1%
Four of Diamonds - 27.3%
Saara Aalto -26.6%

Vote 6
5 After Midnight - 19.0%
Saara Aalto -18.4%
Matt Terry -16.7%
Emily Middlemas - 13.4%
Honey G -11.7%
Ryan Lawrie -11.1%
Sam Lavery -9.7%

Vote 7
Matt Terry -21.1%
Saara Alto -20.1%
5 After Midnight - 17.5%
Emily Middlemas - 16.8%
Ryan Lawrie -13.3%
Honey G -11.2%

Vote 8
Saara Alto -23.7%
Emily Middlemas - 22.6%
Matt Terry -21.2%
5 After Midnight - 20.3%
Honey G -12.2%

Vote 9
Saara Aalto -28.8%
5 After Midnight - 26.6%
Matt Terry -22.5%
Emily Middlemas - 22.1%

Vote 10 Freeze
Saara Aalto -35.3%
Matt Terry -33.4%
5 After Midnight - 31.3%

Vote 10 Final
Matt Terry –48.5%
Saara Aalto –40.4%
5 After Midnight – 11.1% (Left after vote freeze)

Barnsley versus Nottingham Forest, Friday, November 25

Barnsley have drawn their last three Championship matches, failing to score in the last two, but still look worthy of support against a Nottingham Forest side that has conceded 30 goals this season, 16 of them away from home. Indeed, the Reds’ 2-0 victory against Ipswich at Portman Road last Saturday evening was their first away win, and first clean sheet, of the season.

Although ultimately frustrated by a Wigan Athletic side playing without a recognised striker at Oakwell last Saturday, the Tykes dominated possession and may well do so again against Forest, whose away record is better than only Blackburn, Burton Albion and Rotherham. Forest boss Philippe Montanier says he is aiming for a top ten finish in the Championship, but acknowledges that his side needs to keep improving and, on this occasion, Barnsley, at 2.58 with Marathon Bet, get the nod.

Selection: Barnsley to win (2.58 with Marathon Bet)

Charles Schwab Cup Championship, Friday, November 11

On Friday, the PGA Champions Tour concludes with the third, and final, Charles Schwab Cup Playoff, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, at the Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. The leading 36 players from the three-tournament series tee it up, but none makes more appeal than the evergreen German Bernhard Langer, who seems better than ever at the age of 59. The two-time Masters champion has won four times on the PGA Champions Tour in 2016 and finished in the top ten in 17 of the 20 events in which he’s played. In a rare foray onto the PGA Tour, he not only made the cut at the Masters, but played in the penultimate group on Sunday before finishing a highly respectable tied 24th. He’s chasing his third successive Charles Schwab Cup, and fourth in total, so at 9/2 with bet365, looks well worth a punt.

Selection: Bernhard Langer (9/2 with bet365)

England versus Scotland, Friday, November 11

The World Cup qualifier between England and Scotland at Wembley on Friday may be overshadowed by events off the field and, in the eyes of Gareth Southgate and Gordon Strachan, anything that distracts attention from the football may not be an altogether bad thing. Despite the match being scheduled for Armistice Day, FIFA has banned players from wearing armbands featuring poppies. The Royal British Legion has written to the governing body, pointing out, quite rightly, that the poppy “has no political, religious or commercial meaning”. So, too, have Prime Minister Theresa May and Prince William, but FIFA is reportedly “sticking to the letter of the law”.

England interim manager Gareth Southgate enters the third game his four-game tenure on the back of a 2-0 home win over Malta, ranked 178 by FIFA, and a 0-0 draw in Slovenia, ranked 52. In the latter performance, the Three Lions managed just three shots on target had goalkeeper Joe Hart to thank for a succession of outstanding saves that prevented further embarrassment in a match short on positives. Southgate will also be without Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli, who suffered a knee injury in training, so it’s hard to enthuse about England.

Scotland have been equally hapless in recent starts and, not for the first time, looked defensively vulnerable during the 3-0 defeat by Slovakia in Trnava last month. Gordon Strachan’s side currently lie fourth in World Cup Qualifying Group F, four points behind leaders England and a point behind Lithuania and Slovenia. On the plus side, Strachan can welcome back Hull City midfielder Robert Snodgrass, who came on as first-half substitute and scored in the Premier League on Sunday.

Frankly, it’s difficult to get worked up about either side at present and a bore draw would be no surprise but, with home advantage, let’s try England to win 1-0 at 9/2 with bet365, who’ll give us our money back as a free bet if it does finish 0-0.

Selection: England to win 1-0 (9/2 with bet365)