Singapore player focus: Ana Ivanovic

Season highlights

Ivanovic has the most wins of all the players this year, winning 4 titles including 2 Premier ones. This is a remarkable improvement compared to her last 5 years, where she seemed to stall in the top 20. It seems that Ana is finally back to her 2008 form which brought her her first Grand Slam and number 1 ranking. As successful as she is this year, she came short in the slams, getting to the quarter-finals only once. If she had performed better in the big events, she could have easily entered the top 5. 

Playing style

Ana dominates play with her monstrous forehand. The Serbian's first serve is also big, which sets up easy put aways for her. Her weaker backhand has improved substantially this year, and Ana has showed great eagerness to end points at the net. All these improvements are not as important as her strides made in her mental game. Ivanovic does not lose her concentration as much as last time, and she has finally fixed that wayward toss of hers. 

Chances of winning Singapore: 65%

Ana has beaten Serena in Australia, snapping her winning streak, and upset Sharapova on clay, giving her the only loss on the red surface. It will be silly to write her off since she's not part of the top seeds. Her advancement will depend a lot on whether she's drawn in the same group as Kvitova really. Poor Ana hasnt found a solution to the Czech puzzle, so she will hope to avoid the hard hitting world number 3. Whether she makes it to the semi-finals or not, I believe Ana won't leave Singapore winless. 

Prediction: Semi-finals

Beijing SF: Clash of the big babes

Samantha Stosur vs. Petra Kvitova

If there is a bad match up for Stosur, it is Kvitova. Samantha's kick serve to Kvitova's lethal forehand will just be punished by the tall Czech. The only thing that should favour the Aussie is that Kvitova might be tired after playing so many matches in 2 weeks. I still think that Petra has enough reserve to win this, and reach her second consecutive final.

Pick: Kvitova in 2 sets

Maria Sharapova vs. Ana Ivanovic

Ana Ivanovic trails the head-to-head with Sharapova, but has won their last 2 encounters. The last being the controversial "check her blood pressure" match in Cincinnati. I'm sure Sharapova will be very eager to beat Ana given how vocal she has been about Ana's suspect medical timeouts. Ana does hold an advantage though, winning Tokyo 2 weeks ago and having an extra day's rest. This will be a close contest for sure, and with her place secured in Singapore, I think Ana will go out free swinging and snatch another win from the tall Russian.

Pick: Ivanovic in 3 sets

Beijing day 6: Kvitova Venus rematch

Match focus:

Petra Kvitova vs. Venus Williams

Venus gave Kvitova her toughest match in her road to her second Wimbledon championships. Can Venus finally top the in-form Czech to avenge for her heart-breaking loss? One thing's for sure, the longer the match goes, the more it favours Kvitova. Venus's stamina isn't as before, so she needs to win this in 2 sets. With Petra hitting the ball with authority, it's difficult to see Venus upsetting the Wimbledon champion. She might take a set, but not more.

Pick: Kvitova in 2 sets

Sabine Lisicki vs. Ana Ivanovic

The trouble with Lisicki is that she cannot string 2 good wins together. Against the tour leading woman with the most wins, I think Sabine's giant killing act will stop here. Unlike Agnieszka Radwanska, Ana Ivanovic thrives upon qualifying for Singapore. She is playing her best tennis so far, and looks super determined to finish as the top 8.

Pick: Ivanovic in 2 sets

Alize Cornet vs. Samantha Stosur

Denting Wozniacki's hopes of securing her place in the year-end championships, Stosur hits a rare patch of good form to advance to the third round. She will favour her chances against Cornet, whose last win against the Aussie came in 2009. If Samantha performs as well as she did against Caroline, there's no doubt that she will best the Frenchwoman. Cornet's second serve and loopy forehand will be punished by Stosur. Nevertheless, you never know which Stosur will show up.

Pick: Stosur in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Ekaterina Makarova

Beijing day 3: Overshadowed Jankovic

Schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/1140/title/china-open

Match focus:

Jelena Jankovic vs. Alize Cornet

With the resurgence of Ivanovic, Jankovic has been overlooked in many of the tournaments. And rightly so, Jelena wasn't able to replicate her success from the first half of the year. The Serbian is trying to defend her finalist points here from last year, and will need to be on song against the fiesty Cornet. Alize will like her chances as Jankovic retired from her match last week against Vandeweghe, coupled with Jankovic's dip in form. Can Jelena snap out of her losing ways? Somehow, I think she enjoys playing in Beijing, and will reverse her slump and squeeze out a win here.

Pick: Jankovic in 3 sets

Belinda Bencic vs. Ana Ivanovic

The other Serbian, Ivanovic has been enjoying a great run in Tokyo. Her title run was without a fuss, but had to retire from her match in Wuhan. I'm sure that was due to exhuastion, and Ana will be well rested here in Beijing. Ana's position in the race to Singapore is at a precarious number 8, so she will be eager to win here. Bencic's game can be overpowered, so Ivanovic should be able to pressure the youngster with her powerful game.

Pick: Ivanovic in 2 sets

Flavia Pennetta vs. Christina McHale

Flavia seems to be focusing more on her doubles in a bid to qualify for the year-end championships in Singapore with Martina Hingis. It's a pity for Pennetta as she had a pretty decent chance of qualifying for the singles campaign as well after her Indian Wells triumph. Inconsistencies did her in, but she should be able to win against McHale. If Pennetta isn't too tired from her doubles outings, the Italian's game on hard courts is pretty neat and graceful to watch.

Pick: Pennetta in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Caroline Garcia, Serena Williams, Peng Shuai
Upset alert: Tsvetana Pironkova, Mona Barthel

US Open day 5: Venus's golden opportunity

Upset of the day:

Karolina Pliskova def. Ana Ivanovic 7-5 6-4

Ana's grand slam woes continues as she crashes out to her earliest defeat in majors this year to Karolina Pliskova. While the Czech is no pushover, as the tour leading player with the most wins, I expected Ivanovic to win this. As usual, the jittery and inconsistent Ana showed up, and Karolina was steady enough to cause the upset. This will cause a huge dent to Ana's chances of qualifying for Singapore. She will have to make it up with a congested fall schedule, which may result in another burnout.

Schedule of play:

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/schedule/index.html?promo=subnav

Match focus:

Sara Errani vs. Venus Williams

Playing arguably her best tennis since her auto-immune diagnosis, this is Venus' golden chance to stay in the draw for the second week. Errani has had a horrific US Open swing, and barely made it against journeywoman Rodionova. Venus' power should be able to derail the pesky Italian, as long as she doesn't make silly mistakes. With the US crowd firmly behind her, an upset is likely here.

Pick: Williams in 2 sets

Maria Sharapova vs. Sabine Lisicki

Sharapova played an ultimate atrocious match in her 2nd round, and was only able to squeak through a lowly ranked Dulgheru. If she continues playing that badly, Lisicki will make her pay. The German's serve is already a weapon, but coupled with Maria's unstable serve, the match might be over soon if Sabine finds her range. However, being the tour's biggest fighter, Sabine might falter when nearing the finish line. So be prepared for a topsy turvy match.

Pick: Sharapova in 3 sets

Roberta Vinci vs. Peng Shuai

Confidence is a funny thing. When you just caused the biggest upset of tournament, can you carry the momentum forward to your next match? Peng will have to answer this question as she attempts to replicate the form that destroyed Radwanska. Vinci reached the quarter-finals here last year, but is plagued by bad form throughout the year. If Peng imposes her powerful game, it will be a straightforward victory for the Chinese. The trick for Peng is to concentrate on this match and not look ahead. She tends to overthink, causing her to lose matches and countless title matches.

Pick: Peng in 3 sets

Andrea Petkovic vs. Caroline Wozniacki

Wozniacki had a minor incident with her hair in her 2nd round match, but was straightforward in her dismissal of Sasnovich. She didn't need to get into second gear in fact. But against the dangerous Petkovic, she will have to play her best. While the German hasn't enjoyed the easiest wins so far, she tends to raise her level against quality opponents. It will be a close fight, but I believe Caroline's recent fine form will gain her the victory.

Pick: Wozniacki in 2 tight sets

Sure win bets: Simona Halep, Jelena Jankovic, Angelique Kerber
Upset alert: Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci, Lucie Safarova

Cincinnati final: Serena completes her collection

Cincinnati final:

Serena Williams def. Ana Ivanovic 6-4 6-1

Serena can finally claim that she has won Cincinnati before as she cruised to a straightforward victory against the dangerous Ivanovic. This is the American's 62nd career title, and will no doubt make her the resounding favourite in New York. After a fast start by Ivanovic, Serena stepped up her play and bamboozled her way, losing only 2 more games after trailing 1-3. Ana will not be too disappointed judging by her runner-up speech. A year ago, she was languishing between 15-20 with no real breakthrough in sight. Now, she is one of the legitimate threats for Flushing Meadows. Well done Serena and let's hope she can finally advance beyond the 4th round in a Grand Slam this year.

Cincinnati final: Can Serena complete her collection?

Serena Williams vs. Ana Ivanovic

Both players struggled in their semi-final matches, but Serena surely wants this title more as it's the only Premier title that's missing from her collection. The American has already won the US Open series though, so it remains to be seen if she will put her best effort here. Ana Ivanovic had some issues with her health against Sharapova, which erupted into some controversy with some snide comments made by Maria. Even though the match was messy, the drama made up for it. These 2 have already met 3 times this year, with Ana winning the most important one in Melbourne. Serena seems to be troubled by her back again like in Australia, so this result is very much up in the air. Let's hope both players are healthy and give a good match.

Pick: Serena in 2 tight sets

Cincinnati SF: Maria survives another day

Serena Williams vs. Caroline Wozniacki

A rematch of last week's Montreal quarter-final, resurgent Wozniacki will have another chance to topple the top seed. Serena hasn't been playing top notch tennis all year round, but still has enough game to win 4 titles so far. It will take Caroline her best effort to beat Serena, even though the American is struggling somewhat with her game and confidence. However, Serena had a good warm up against Jankovic, who plays quite a similar game to Wozniacki. If Serena took out Jelena without any fuss, I believe she is ready to defeat Caroline again. With less drama this time.

Pick: Williams in 2 tight sets

Ana Ivanovic vs. Maria Sharapova

With yet another substandard performance, Sharapova fights to see another day. Simona Halep was playing well up a set and a break when she started playing too defensively to allow Sharapova back into the match. Maria is one of the best fighters on tour, so can Ana subdue the fierce competitor? Well, Ivanovic dealt Maria with her only defeat on clay this year, so she definitely knows how to play Sharapova. The only thing that might hold Ana back is her mental fragility. You can almost predict Ivanovic to get tight when the finishing line is near. Can Maria survive another day? Maybe. However, we can be assured of a tight match here with the 2 poster girls of WTA.

Pick: Ivanovic in 3 sets

Cincinnati QF: Can Caroline continue her run?

Schedule of play:

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

Match focus:

Serena Williams vs. Jelena Jankovic

Almost every time these 2 players play, there is bound to be some drama involved. Jelena's game troubles Serena, but not enough for the win. Therefore, I don't see anything that can prevent Serena from winning this. Besides, Jelena's form of late is not stellar, so Serena should be able to claim this victory.

Pick: Williams in 2 sets

Ana Ivanovic vs. Elina Svitolina

Elina Svitolina continues her march by upsetting Carla Suarez Navarro in 3 tight sets. However, she will face an uphill task against the in-form Ana Ivanovic in the quarter-finals. There is no doubt that the Ukrainian can play a good game. However, Ana is very high on confidence at the moment, and will not lose to someone who's as raw as Elina. Unless the injury that bothered Ana creeps up again, I don't see how Ana is losing this.

Pick: Ivanovic in 2 sets

Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Caroline Wozniacki

With her relatively easy disposal of Angelique Kerber, it is almost safe to say that peak Wozniacki is back. She took a while to get back on her feet after her brutal public break-up, but it has done her good as she's able to concentrate wholly on her tennis. Radwanska is a tough nut to crack, but if there is a time for an upset, it is now. The Pole must be exhuasted from her title run last week in Montreal, so Caroline needs to seize the opportunity and tire her out. If Caroline can make Agnieszka hit that extra ball, she can very well cause another upset here.

Pick: Wozniacki in 3 sets

Maria Sharapova vs. Simona Halep

As Maria struggles through another match, Simona Halep will be quietly confident of her chances against the Russian. The tall blonde has been leaking errors and just lacking confidence on her serve. Simona will want to seek revenge for her heartbreaking loss in the finals of Roland Garros, and this is the perfect opportunity for this. Simona's calm demeanour will not be rattled by Sharapova's incessant fist-pumping, so this should be a great battle.

Pick: Halep in 3 sets

Cincinnati day 4: Rejuvenated Caroline up for an upset

Schedule of play:

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

Match focus:

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Angelique Kerber

Caroline Wozniacki is close to rediscovering her top form since 2011, and this match will be a test whether she's truly back at her peak. Kerber will definitely make her work for the points, and Caroline will need to step it up and be aggressive at the right time. These 2 players play a similar game, except that Wozniacki has a much more lethal serve. If Caroline serves well and keeps her errors low, she will be able to cause the upset here.

Pick: Wozniacki in 3 sets

Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Ana Ivanovic

Kuznetsova conquered the rising Eugenie Bouchard in a surprising 3 set win in her previous round, and will try to continue her resurgence against Ivanovic. Who would have thought that the Russian will hold her nerve and scrap out a 3 set win. Maybe Kuznetsova is really back. Nevertheless, Ana Ivanovic is playing inspired tennis at the moment, and may be too much for Kuznetsova to handle. Unless Ana is still bothered by her injury in Montreal, I don't see how Kuznetsova can pull off another upset.

Pick: Ivanovic in 2 tight sets

Maria Sharapova vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Maria Sharapova is not playing good tennis at all. She was horrific in her loss to Suarez Navarro in Montreal, and was gifted a place here by a brainless Madison Keys who didn't know how to make Maria work for her points. Pavlyuchenkova has beaten Sharapova before, so she knows what it takes to best her fellow Russian. Hopefully she will exploit the serving woes of Sharapova and stage the upset. However, knowing Sharapova, she's not going to go down without a fight. Anastasia will have to be mentally prepared to go the distance.

Pick: Pavlyuchenkova in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Serena Williams, Carla Suarez Navarro, Simona Halep
Upset alert: Jelena Jankovic, Angelique Kerber

Stanford, Washington QF: Serena faces stern test again

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:

Serena Williams vs. Ana Ivanovic

The only quarter-final where the players played to their seedings, Serena will face another tough test against Ivanovic. The Serbian famously started her year with an upset over the formidable American, sending Serena doubts for the rest of the season. While Serena seems to be back in the groove, she cannot afford to lose focus as Ana is a quality opponent. I would still give Serena the edge though as she's playing in front of her home crowd, and also Ivanovic's recent coaching change.

Pick: Serena in 3 sets

Venus Williams vs. Andrea Petkovic

Venus continues her winning streak against Azarenka with a convincing straight sets win over the former world number. Victoria wasn't at her best yet, but a win is a win. Venus might find Petkovic a tougher test as Andrea is a better defender than Azarenka. Venus must be patient and finish the point at the net for an easier time. If they go on a baseline slug fest, Andrea might tire the elder Williams out. If Venus wins this, we might have a tantalizing all Williams match-up yet again.

Pick: Venus in 3 sets

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Ekaterina Makarova

 

These 2 Russians are pretty evenly matched on all aspects of their game, but Makarova is arguably the more consistent player. Anastasia tends to have periods where she loses focus and starts losing points rapidly. Makarova won their last encounter, but it was on Ekaterina's preferred surface, grass. I believe hard courts will suit Anastasia more, but given her up and down form, I would still go with the safer bet. Whoever wins this has a pretty good chance of hoisting the trophy on Sunday.

Pick: Makarova in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Varvara Lepchenko, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Bojana Jovanovski

Upset alert: Angelique Kerber, Kurumi Nara, Andrea Petkovic