Ana Ivanovic (11) vs Andrea Hlavackova (LL)
Kurumi Nara (Q)vs Urszula Radwanska
Marion Bartoli (9) vs Kimiko Date-Krumm (WC)
Caroline Wozniacki (10) vs Bojana Jovanovski (Q)
Ekaterina Makarova vs Daniela Hantuchova
Nadia Petrova (17) vs Shuai Peng
Yaroslava Shvedova vs Francesca Schiavone
Julia Goerges vs Monica Niculescu
Lucie Safarova (16) vs Tsvetana Pironkova
Romina Oprandi vs Johanna Larsson (Q)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Chanelle Scheepers
Sabine Lisicki vs Heather Watson (Q)
Su-Wei Hsieh vs Klara Zakopalova
Alize Cornet vs Pauline Parmentier (Q)
Tamira Paszek vs Camila Giorgi (Q)
Jie Zheng vs Vania King
Caroline Garcia (WC) vs Jamie Hampton (Q)
Simona Halep vs Carla Suarez Navarro
Silvia Soler-Espinosa (Q) vs Kaia Kanepi (15)
Marion Bartoli (9) vs Kimiko Date-Krumm (WC)
Kimiko Date-Krumm will be the sentimental favourite here but it will be tough to bet against Marion Bartoli. The only way of Kimiko winning is that Marion is still bothered by her illness from last week. Kimiko's year has been frankly abysmal and I really do not think she will be happy dwelling in challengers. If she struggles for wins, I believe it is time to call it a day.
Pick: Bartoli in 2 sets
Yaroslava Shvedova vs Francesca Schiavone
Yaroslava is on the rise and she meets someone who's on the decline. Francesca has been struggling with form throughout the year and I really don't see how she is able to stop Shvedova. Francesca hasn't won a match since Olympics, so her confidence wouldn't be too high now. It is almost safe to say that if Francesca continues her slump, she will be hanging up her racket at the end of the year as she is already 32 years old. Her game is very scrappy and if you lose your speed, you cannot compete at the highest level.
Pick: Shvedova in 2 sets
Julia Goerges vs Monica Niculescu
Wow... Julia Goerges actually has a chance to win this match. Niculescu has been 3-13 since Doha and doesn't look ready to stop that streak. Her wins were against lowly ranked Sania Mirza and Valerie Savinkyh. If Julia doesn't hit everything out, she might have a chance. However, it is almost certain that Goerges will make life difficult for herself. So I do expect a struggle here.
Pick: Goerges in 3 sets
Sabine Lisicki vs Heather Watson (Q)
Sabine Lisicki had a mixed bag of results this year. Her grass season went from losing to Urzsula Radwanska to beating Maria Sharapova. Looks like consistency is not this girl's strong point. She faces Heather Watson, who isn't that overpowering, but will bring back enough balls to trouble her. Sabine needs to keep calm and not rush for winners all the time. When she rushes, she will commit the ugliest errors ever seen in professional tennis. Her confidence is quite low now so I expect Watson to have a chance here.
Pick: Watson in 3 sets
Sure win bets: Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep
Upset alert: Sabine Lisicki, Tamira Paszek
I agree with all your picks! Lisicki hasn't won a match on hard courts since Miami in March so a great opportunity for Watson to win there. Goerges/Niculescu will be interesting since both are struggling, but surely Goerges can win that one?!
ReplyDeleteIt is rumoured that Niculescu is still affected by a wrist injury but continues to play anyway. However, I think Goerges will be even more affected because the pressure is all on her.
ReplyDelete