Stanford, Washington day 1: US Open series begins

Stanford schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/637/title/bank-of-the-west-classic

Washington schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/2182/title/citi-open

Match focus:

Kimiko Date-Krumm vs. Karolina Pliskova

The evergreen Kimiko Date-Krumm continues to give young girls fits with her unorthodox game. The only thing that's holding her back is her lac of finishing touch. The Japanese had lost too many matches due to her nerves and weak serve. She has a chance against the lanky Pliskova, as her low flat strokes will cause the Czech problems. However, as usual, I think Kimiko will buckle at the important moments and Karolina will advance to the next round.

Pick: Pliskova in 3 sets

Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Andrea Petkovic

Rising star Alja Tomljanovic has defected to Australia, but is still competing under the Croatian flag for regular events. Let's see if this defection will cause her some distractions. Petkovic has been playing well for the past months, winning a title in Bad Gastein despite not playing her best. The German will be the slight favourite here, as Alja is showing signs of slowing down. Still, Andrea must play her best to overcome the big serving Alja, as the Australian/Croatian can hit a mean ball. It should be a close match.

Pick: Petkovic in 3 sets

Julia Goerges vs. Taylor Townsend

Julia Goerges had a good season in 2011, and prompty faded into oblivion. There were signs of her coming back with sporadic good wins, but her losses to unknown entities kept coming. At this point of her career, it's almost certain to say that the German will not be back in the top 20. Her strokes are just too erratic and there's no game plan at all except wallop the ball at full speed. Taylor Townsend is America's new hope with her exciting all court game and deceptively good movement. With Julia's confidence at an all time low, Taylor should be able to capitalize on that and gain momentum from the home crowd support. Look out for Taylor.

Pick: Townsend in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Samantha Stosur, Madison Keys, Alison Riske
Upset alert: Sorana Cirstea, Caroline Garcia, Vania King

Roland Garros day 8: Another breakthrough for Bouchard

Upset of the previous day:

Lucie Safarova def. Ana Ivanovic 6-3 6-3

Another one bites the dust! Pre tournament favourite Ana Ivanovic throws in an erratic performance and is sent packing home by the unpredictable Lucie Safarova. Lucie does hold a commanding lead over Ana in previous meetings, but I figured that Ana is able to win with her confidence sky high. Perhaps with the top seeds falling out and the focus shifting to her, Ana couldn't handle the pressure as usual. Poor Ana. It always seem like one step forward, two steps back for her.

Schedule of play:

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/schedule/index.html

Match focus:

Eugenie Bouchard vs. Angelique Kerber

Anyone who watched Kerber's previous match would have seen the controversial point where Kerber claimed  point that wasn't hers. Well, it's not entirely her fault that the umpire, Louise Engzell, is totally incompetent at her job, but Angelique showed poor sportsmanship by telling Daniela to carry on with the game. Back to this match up, Eugenie's game should be able to trouble Kerber. The Canadian takes time away from Kerber, and is confident after winning her first title last week. Even if the umpire incident didn't happen, I would expect Bouchard to beat Kerber anyway.

Pick: Bouchard in 2 sets

Garbine Muguruza vs. Pauline Parmentier

Who would have expected one of these ladies will be in the quarter-finals of Serena Williams's section. Garbine is riding on her high right now and is the clear favourite. Nevertheless, Parmentier has been springing surprises throughout the tournament. Lifted by the French crowd, Pauline is making one last dash in her long career. It will be a fairytale for her to reach the last 8, but I believe Garbine is too solid to let that happen. Pauline had the luck of drawing easily affected opponents so far. Muguruza was so steady in her dismissal of Serena, that I believe she will easily trounce Parmentier to reach her maiden quarter-final.

Pick: Muguruza in 2 sets

Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Carla Suarez Navarro

Another youngster trying to make it to the last 8, Tomljanovic will be facing a big test in trying to topple Suarez Navarro. The Spaniard clearly excels on clay, and will be sure to make Ajla work for her points. The only way for another upset is to hope for another listless performance from her opponent. Carla has struggled in her first 2 matches, and seems to be back on form with her win over Taylor Townsend. It is all about peaking at the right moment and I believe Carla is doing just that. Unless she has another mental breakdown, which I believe she has overcome that with her win in Portugal.

Pick: Suarez Navarro in 2 sets

Samantha Stosur vs. Maria Sharapova

Just like Cibulkova who doesn't match up well to Stosur, Samantha's game just doesn't trouble Sharapova. The Australian's spinny game goes right into the strike zone of the statuesque Russian. and she will not hesitate to pound them for winners. Maria is also on a roll, winning her last match with a double bagel. Signs are not good for Samantha, but if she can upset the Russian (!), she has a chance to reach the finals.

Pick: Sharapova in 2 sets

Roland Garros day 4: Lower seeds in trouble

Upset of the previous day:

Kristina Mladenovic def. Li Na 7-5 3-6 6-1

Li Na said in her post match interview that she would have lost playing anybody. I have to agree. It's been a while since she couldn't control anything on her groundstrokes. Yesterday was an example of what Li Na can do on her worst day. Sadly, she only has one gameplan and cannot adapt when things are not working. Looks like the current Australian Open champion has a lot to reflect on. Coming into this tournament as the 2nd seed must have added pressure to her. Well, there's always grass season coming for Li, which suits her better.

Schedule of play:

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/schedule/index.html

Match focus:

Mona Barthel vs. Sabine Lisicki

Sabine Lisicki is only in the second round because she struck lottery playing against an underpowered French wildcard. Even then, she didn't win convincingly as expected. Mona will definitely revel at this chance against her fellow struggling German. Mona seemed to be back on track after demolishing Knapp in her first round. If Mona goes on a roll, it will be hard to stop her.

Pick: Barthel in 2 sets

Alize Cornet vs. Taylor Townsend

Playing her first Grand Slam maindraw, Taylor Townsend will make her debut on a show court against homecrowd favourite Alize Cornet. Taylor is an exceptional shot maker with talented hands, but is hampered by her lack of conditioning. It will be a tough task for the American to upset Alize on the show court, but it will give the world a chance to see what she's capable of. If only she can put some effort into staying fit, I believe she has what it takes to be a top player. Just not now at this state.

Pick: Cornet in 2 sets

Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Elena Vesnina

 

Ajla has already accounted for the upset of Francesca Schiavone. Can she go one better by beating Vesnina? The Russian's form is quite fragile at the moment, and Ajla can take advantage of that. Riding on her confidence, I believe the Croatian can cause another upset here if she goes for her shots. Elena is feeling the pressure after her breakthrough year last year, and seems overly cautious so far. She should replicate the fearless tennis she displayed last year that won her 2 titles.

 

Pick: Tomljanovic in 3 sets

 

Julia Goerges vs. Eugenie Bouchard

 

For someone who excels on clay, Goerges has surprisingly weak results here in Paris. Her best showing was a third round, where she lost to clay-hating Bartoli. Still, Eugenie cannot let her guard down, as Julia always lifts her form to match her opponent. Bouchard is coming of her first title in Nurnberg, and will like her chances of going far this year. Her game takes time away from Julia's loopy groundstrokes, which will cause trouble for the German. Despite Julia showing some signs of a revival, I believe Bouchard will still win this.

Pick: Bouchard in 2 tight sets

Sure win bets: Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Yaroslava Shvedova, Flavia Pennetta, Samantha Stosur
Upset alert: Daniela Hantuchova, Elena Vesnina, Angelique Kerber, Sabine Lisicki



Roland Garros day 1: Veterans still have the edge

Roland Garros schedule of play:

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/schedule/index.html

Match focus:

Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Zhang Shuai

Radwanska faces the highest ranked player who's not seeded, but she shouldn't worry. Zhang's game doesn't suit clay and Radwanska should be able to get the job done in second gear. The Chinese had a good run in Rome, but it was due to the incompetence of Kvitova that led her there. Looks like the Chinese's losing streak in Grand Slams is set to continue here.

Pick: Radwanska in 2 sets

Belinda Bencic vs. Venus Williams

Belinda Bencic sets up an intriguing match against Venus Williams, as she tries to prove to the world that she can beat quality players consistently. Venus didn't play much in preparation for Paris, and lost to Suarez Navarro in Rome. She will be eager to peak here against Bencic, who is still rather young to be winning these type of big matches. Venus just needs to keep herself healthy for the whole match. Bencic can claim a set, but Venus will emerge to winner (if she stays healthy).

Pick: Venus Williams in 2 sets

Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Francesca Schiavone

Former champion Schiavone is at risk of going out in her opening round against the upcoming Tomljanovic. The Croatian has been enjoying her best year on tour, and is playing with no points to defend. Francesca loves this event though, having won here in 2010 and reaching the finals in 2011, so she will fight to the bitter end. Ajla's game is not really clay court tennis, so the advantage goes to Schiavone. The deciding factor will be the Italian's stamina. Let's hope Francesca doesn't run out of gas.

Pick: Schiavone in 2 tight sets

Daniela Hantuchova vs. Jovana Jaksic

Daniela is not enjoying her best tennis, bounced out of warm up clay events by lesser known opponents. It remains to be seen if the younger Jaksic can defeat the experience Slovak, but I doubt so. Daniela is picking her tournaments wisely and looks to peak in the bigger events. Jovana's game is pretty raw, so Daniela is at an advantage here. She just needs to play aggressive and smart tennis and not go for the kill too early. Jovana still has a lot of maturing to do in my opinion.

Pick: Hantuchova in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Serena Williams, Yvonne Meusburger, Angelique Kerber, Carla Suarez Navarro, Garbine Muguruza
Upset alert: Varvara Lepchenko, Tsvetana Pironkova, Maria Kirilenko, Olga Govortsova, Kaia Kanepi

Melbourne day 4: Doubtful Sloane

Upset of the previous day:

Casey Dellacqua def. Kirsten Flipkens 6-3 6-0

After her dominant win over Laura Robson, one would have thought that Flipkens had settled into nice groove. However, the Belgian literally melted in the Australian heat to hand the match over to Casey. Credit to the Aussie though for playing well above her ranking suggests. With this win, Dellacqua makes her return to the top 100. As for Flipkens, she'd better start playing better because she has some huge points to defend in the coming months.

Schedule of play:

http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/scores/schedule/index.html

Match focus:

Karin Knapp vs. Maria Sharapova

Sharapova wasn't her best form against Bethanie Mattek-Sands, but it was enough to get her through to the second round. She faces an easier opponent now in Karin Knapp. The Italian does hit a heavy ball, but Sharapova likes to smack the spinny balls for winners. I believe the Russian is slowing playing herself to form, and it will show with this demolition job.

Pick: Sharapova in 2 easy sets

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova vs. Victoria Azarenka

Barbora was once named as "one to watch" as the top junior had promising results. However, somewhere along the way, she became the player that everyone hated with her brattish and spoilt attitude. Azarenka isn't a saint as well, but she will appear to be the polite one in front of the Czech terror. Victoria didn't play well in her first match, so she has something to prove that she's the real deal. I expect an improved performance from her as well, with a straightforward win.

Pick: Azarenka in 2 easy sets

Alize Cornet vs. Camila Giorgi

The problem with players like Giorgi is that you'll never know which player will appear. One day she can be a world beater, but the next she can be as bad as a club player. Cornet's steady game is likely to come out the victor, but an inspired run of games might make this match closer than expected. I still expect Alize to win though, as her confidence is boosted by her Hopman Cup win.

Pick: Cornet in 3 sets

Sloane Stephens vs. Ajla Tomljanovic

Sloane Stephens struggled mightily against Yaroslava Shvedova, where both players seemed to have lost their serves. If Stephens continues her errant ways, she will fall victim to the young Ajla Tomljanovic. The Croatian had her breakthrough last year in Miami, and had already beaten Hantuchova this year. It seems like she's making her way up the rankings. If the American underestimates her opponent, she might be the first top 20 player Ajla beats. Let's see if the Croatian has the mental game to finish the job, but I believe Sloane will still scrape through.

Pick: Stephens in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Agnieszka Radwanska, Garbine Muguruza, Carla Suarez Navarro, Elina Svitolina, Jelena Jankovic
Upset alert: None