Miami day 1: Comeback queens

Schedule:

Heather Watson vs. Ayumi Morita
Flavia Pennetta vs. Johanna Larsson
Kimiko Date-Krumm vs. Chanelle Scheepers
Bojana Jovanovski vs. Andrea Petkovic
Hsieh Su-Wei vs. Lesia Tsurenko
Kristina Mladenovic vs. Aleksandra Wozniak
Sofia Arvidsson vs. Peng Shuai
Ksenia Pervak vs. Alja Tomljanovic
Marina Erakovic vs. Irina Camelia Begu
Anna Tatishvili vs. Kiki Bertens

Match focus:

Flavia Pennetta vs. Johanna Larsson

The first of the comeback queens is Flavia Pennetta. This is her 3rd or 4th event of this year and this should be the pivotal match. It will show whether Flavia is back in the groove or she's lagging too far back to make an impact on tour again. Johanna has a nice handy game but there are flaws to be exploited like how Sara exposed her in Indian Wells. Hopefully Errani gives her Italian compatriot some advice because Flavia needs all the wins she can get now.

Pick: Pennetta in 3 sets

Bojana Jovanovski vs. Andrea Petkovic

Andrea Petkovic is another featured comeback queen whose injury came at the wrong time. She was peaking in her form and was looking to make the top 10 her mainstay. Attempted comebacks have resulted in more injuries and one has to wonder if she will ever make it back in the top echelons of the game. She faces a vulnerable Jovanovski, who she will easily take out back in 2011. Andrea's main aim I think is to make it through a match without getting injured. If she can do that, it's good enough for her. Her body is too fragile and the injuries cast a doubt over her once impressive movement.

Pick: Jovanovski in 3 sets

Kristina Mladenovic vs. Aleksandra Wozniak

Aleksandra Wozniak hasn't played this year and her last event was way back in Quebec City last year. Will she stand a chance against the wildly inconsistent Kristina Mladenovic? Well, it's her first event back and I'm sure Aleks is expecting nothing much. Against someone as aggressive as Kristina, Aleksandra will be expected to make a lot of running. With her injury fresh in her mind, I'm not convinced that Wozniak will be pushing herself too much.

Pick: Mladenovic in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Kiki Bertens, Ksenia Pervak, Kristina Mladenovic
Upset alert: Hsieh Su-Wei, Chanelle Scheepers, Heather Watson