Day 4: Shock retirement by Bartoli

Marion Bartoli announced her immediate retirement after her loss to Simona Halep. Well, I do think that her body has received a lot of blows, but shouldn't she take time off to recover before coming to such a decision? She just won a Grand Slam for christ's sake! Anyway, her injury woes were probably brought on by her unorthodox training methods. Yes, they can strengthen your game, but it won't last. Well, she fulfilled her dream of being a Wimbledon champion and no one can take it away from her. Marion Bartoli has always done things her way, even in retirement. Have a happy life, Bartoli. You will be missed!

Schedule:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/1118/title/western-southern-open

Match focus:

Sloane Stephens vs. Jelena Jankovic

Sloane Stephens really needs to watch what she says. Her loose mouth has already offended Serena Williams, and now you can add Maria Sharapova to the list. She claimed that nobody beats her 4 times in a row in the on-court interview, which Maria cannot miss. It will only give Sharapova incentive to destroy her the next time they meet. Jankovic struggled a while with Lisicki, but should be the favourite here. Why? Sloane only won her match by sucking lesser than Sharapova. The Russian was utterly disgusting, committing numerous unforced errors, while Sloane just had to put the ball in play. Jelena won't be as generous with the errors that's for sure. A close match is possible, but the Serb should emerge the winner.

Pick: Jankovic in 3 sets

Petra Kvitova vs. Caroline Wozniacki

This will be a test for Kvitova to see if she's back to her slam winning form. When she was at her peak, she will destroy players like Caroline, who is more than happy to just make Petra hit that extra ball. When Petra is confident, she will hit them for winners. However, with her current form now, you have to worry that she will blast herself out of the court. Still, Caroline is in dire form recently, so Kvitova should have the edge.

Pick: Kvitova in 3 sets

Samantha Stosur vs. Simona Halep

Simona Halep ended the career of Marion Bartoli, but will definitely not end the career of Samantha Stosur. The Aussie's huge kick serve should give her the advantage over the vertically challenged Romanian. Simona will need to serve well herself to stand a chance, tough task for someone without a big serve. As always, to play Stosur, she would have to mix things up and make Stosur shank balls. If her confidence is shot, Simona will have a chance.

Pick: Stosur in 2 tight sets

Sure win bets: Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska, Victoria Azarenka
Upset alert: Sara Errani, Li Na