Charleston, Monterrey Day 4: Petkovic withdraws; Venus in doubt

Charleston:

Caroline Wozniacki def. Andrea Petkovic w/o
Serena Williams vs. Mallory Burdette
Varvara Lepchenko vs. Venus Williams
Sorana Cirstea vs. Lucie Safarova
Eugenie Bouchard vs. Samantha Stosur
Bethanie Mattek-Sands vs. Madison Keys
Stefanie Voegele vs. Julia Goerges
Jessica Pegula vs. Jelena Jankovic

Monterrey:

Lauren Davis vs. Coco Vandeweghe
Maria Kirilenko vs. Jovana Jaksic
Angelique Kerber vs. Alla Kudryavtseva

Match focus:

Varvara Lepchenko vs. Venus Williams

Any match involving Venus seems to be a struggle. You just never know which Venus will turn up. The elder Williams toughed out a win over Monica Puig but not without a scare. Will she survive the tricky Lepchenko? Venus needs to be 100% healthy to take on Varvara or else she might as well be resting at home. I do feel she's ruining her legacy by settling for mediocrity but you can see she really enjoys competing. I love Venus but a steady Lepchenko will be able to take her out.

Pick: Lepchenko in 3 sets

Sorana Cirstea vs. Lucie Safarova

2 of WTA's most volatile players meet as Lucie somehow wins a match here. Cirstea has been pretty steady for this year so I'll give the edge to her. Lucie's confidence is just low and she's barely winning matches against anyone. Don't expect variety here as these 2 will bash the living hell out of the furball.

Pick: Cirstea in 2 tight sets

Lauren Davis vs. Coco Vandeweghe

Coco unexpectedly upsets Marion Bartoli to set up an all-American clash here. Marion's loss is really puzzling as the Frenchwoman is having an up and down year. Maybe her split with her dad was too traumatic. Anyway, Davis will be the one grinding Vandeweghe with her patient game. Coco will be too impatient and inconsistent to counter Davis' game. I'll pick the younger American for the win.

Pick: Davis in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Kirilenko
Upset alert: Lucie Safarova, Venus Williams