Bucharest, Bad Gastein final: Who is Shelby Rogers?

Bucharest final:

Simona Halep vs. Roberta Vinci

Simona faced a much more difficult semi-final than expected against Niculescu, but nevertheless finished the job. The level that Simona is playing is so high that she can go on a walkabout for a set, and regain her composure almost immediately. There is no doubt Vinci is a better player that Niculescu, but Simona's form is unforgiving. Roberta has already exceeded expectations by reaching her first tour final this year, so she will be satisfied. She may get a set if she plays clean tennis, but Simona is not going to lose in front of her home crowd.

Pick: Halep in 2 sets

Andrea Petkovic vs. Shelby Rogers

Finally watched Shelby Rogers play and boy is she a hard hitter. I doubt point construction goes through her mind as she just blasts every single ball at full force.The few times that Errani hit the ball out of her strike zone, her movement was laboured. Nevertheless, the American can ate up Errani's useless serve and deservingly won her match. Petkovic's game won't have that glaring weakness, and I'm sure Andrea will be smart enough to make Shelby move. Besides, her final debut will definitely be a jittery affair. I hope don't jinx her, but Petkovic should be able to cruise through this.

Pick: Petkovic in 2 sets

Bucharest, Bad Gastein SF: All Romanian clash

Bucharest schedule:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/3823/title/bucharest-open--bucharest-romania

Bad Gastein schedule:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/1340/title/nurnberger-gastein-ladies

Match focus:

Kristina Kucova vs. Roberta Vinci

Roberta reaches her first semi-final on tour this season, and will be the favourite to advance to the final. Kristina has had a relatively easy draw to this stage, the only respectable opponent she defeated was Anna Schmiedlova. Not to say that the Slovak doesn't have a good game, but this is brand new territory for her. Vinci, with her vast experience, should be able to contain the raw game of Kucova.

Pick: Vinci in 2 sets

Simona Halep vs. Monica Niculescu

 

The stands should be packed with Romanian fans as these 2 vie for a place in the final. Halep is obviously the overwhelming favourite here, but Monica can irritate Simona if she's not too sharp. Halep winning the title will be the perfect ending that this tournament needs, so I believe the pressure will be on the world number 3. Nevertheless, Simona has barely been tested this week, so I believe she will cruise pass this as well.

Pick: Halep in 2 sets

Grace Min vs. Andrea Petkovic

Grace Min advances to her first career semi-final here, but will face the daunting task of toppling experienced Andrea Petkovic. The German has been enjoying a great clay season, and will most likely make the finals here. Grace was lucky that Flavia withdrew, paving the way for her easy passage here. Petkovic's game should be too much for the inexperienced Min to handle.

Pick: Petkovic in 2 sets

Shelby Rogers vs. Sara Errani

Well, Giorgi couldn't find the court yesterday, robbing us of a chance of an all-Italian clash. Shelby possesses a good serve, but her ground game is not as good, so I expect Errani to lap it up. The tireless Italian will take advantage of the compromised movement from the American, and show her how real clay court tennis is played. Also, it's also too much to ask of Shelby to reach her first final in her first semi-final appearance.

Pick: Errani in 2 sets

Bucharest, Bad Gastein QF: Another deep run for Giorgi

Bucharest schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/3823/title/bucharest-open--bucharest-romania

Bad Gastein schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/1340/title/nurnberger-gastein-ladies

Match focus:

Petra Cetkovska vs. Roberta Vinci

Vinci fought off an in form Silvia Soler Espinosa in 3 sets, announcing that she's almost back to her normal form. When Vinci is playing well, she is clearly the favourite with her all court game. Nevertheless, Cetkovska cannot be underestimated as she possess a nice all court game as well. It all boils down to whether her mind allows her to play the correct shots. I believe Roberta will be the favourite to win given she has 2 solid wins over clay courters. Petra's game is more suited for faster surfaces, so it'll be tough for her to win short points.

Pick: Vinci in 2 sets

Monica Niculescu vs. Polona Hercog

Playing in her home country clearly has inspired Monica Niculescu to play some of her best tennis. She has been slumping this year, and to reach the quarter-finals here is an achievement in itself. Polona thrives on the red clay though, so she will be eager to silence the Romanian fans. Given how much junk balls Niculescu is able to generate, Polona must not be frustrated by those weird balls. The Slovenian can instead create some wicked junk herself with her funky backhand slice. Polona has the more mature clay game, and I think she is the favourite here.

Pick: Hercog in 3 sets

Camila Giorgi vs. Shelby Rogers

Not too sure what happened to Carla, but we were robbed of an intriguing match up between Navarro and Giorgi. Instead, Shelby Rogers takes her place in her first main draw quarter-final appearance. To be honest, I have never seen Shelby play before, but judging by her appearance, I'm sure she's not a retriever. Giorgi must be happy that she's not facing Carla, and she will be anxious to take advantage of Shelby's movement limitations. Looks like we have another deep run for the cute Italian.

Pick: Giorgi in 2 sets

Bucharest, Bad Gastein day 4: Vinci's return of form?

Bucharest schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/3823/title/bucharest-open--bucharest-romania

Bad Gastein schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/1340/title/nurnberger-gastein-ladies

Match focus:

Silvia Soler Espinosa vs. Roberta Vinci

Just when you think that Vinci will never recover her form, she plays an excellent match against Dulgheru to win without much fuss. Is this a sign that the Vinci we know is back? This match will be a good indicator of her level now, as Silvia is a decent clay-courter who thrives on this surface. If Roberta is able to win this easily, I believe she's back to her good form. I wouldn't bet on an easy win though, as Roberta is still a bit low in confidence.

Pick: Vinci in 3 sets

Petra Cetkovska vs. Kiki Bertens

Both players experienced the highs and lows of dropping down the rankings and picking up the pieces. Right now, I would think Bertens is the one with more confidence with her 4th round showing in Paris. Cetkovska has a tendency to give up and play casual loose shots if she's not confident, so I don't expect a pretty match. However, Kiki might be tired from playing so many matches all the way from qualifying. Pretty even match, but the younger Dutch should have the edge.

Pick: Bertens in 3 sets

Yvonne Meusburger vs. Chanelle Scheepers

Defending champion Meusburger will be eager to defend her title right in her own country Austria. Can Chanelle stop the steady Austrian from repeating? On clay, I will give the advantage to Yvonne. Chanelle's flat strokes loses its sting on the slow surface, and Yvonne will run them down and make Chanelle hit that extra ball. I don't think Chanelle is patient enough to construct points, so Yvonne should be able to advance.

Pick: Meusburger in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Karin Knapp, Camila Giorgi, Carla Suarez Navarro
Upset alert: Petra Cetkovska,

Budapest, Bad Gastein day 3: Roberta to sink further

Budapest schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/3823/title/bucharest-open--bucharest-romania

Bad Gastein schedule of play:


Match focus:

Alexandra Dulgheru vs. Roberta Vinci

I really have no idea how to make sense of Vinci's massive slump. If she's just playing badly, her doubles results would have suffered as well. However, she just completed her doubles Grand Slam last week. Maybe age is catching up with the Italian, making her unable to cover the entire court. Dulgheru will enjoy homecrowd support, and coupled with the Italian's absolute-no-form-to-speak-of, she will be the favourite here.

Pick: Dulgheru in 2 sets

Kiki Bertens vs. Irina Camelia-Begu

Kiki Bertens enjoyed a good run in Paris, winning her matches from qualifying all the way to the 4th round. Will she have what it takes to take down Irina, who's playing in front of her home crowd? These 2 have met 2 times previously, and Irina has won both times, including one this year in Oeiras. Can Kiki reverse the trend and clinch her first win? I believe Irina's form has dropped off again after picking up during the clay season. Kiki will be confident after her 4th round run, and can score her first win over the Romanian. Sometimes, support can also mean pressure.

Pick: Bertens in 3 sets

Stefanie Voegele vs. Elina Svitolina

Stefanie Voegele should be sending Julia Goerges a thank you card for her gifts during their first rounf match. Julia was just hitting everything way out and not bothering to craft out any sort of rally. Basically all Stefanie did was keep the ball in. I hope whoever paid to watch that match gets a refund. Elina will not be as nonsensical as Goerges, and will probably teach Voegele a lesson. Stefanie has been slumping this season, and I don't see her breaking out of her slump with such a horrific performance in her first round.

Pick: Svitolina in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Simona Halep, Monica Niculescu, Karolina Pliskova
Upset alert: Roberta Vinci, Irina Camelia Begu, Grace Min

Bucharest, Bad Gastein day 2: One hit wonders

Bucharest schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/3823/title/bucharest-open--bucharest-romania

Bad Gastein schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/1340/title/nurnberger-gastein-ladies

Match focus:

Petra Cetkovska vs. Alexandra Cadantu

Surprisingly, Cadantu has only won a grand total of one match on clay this season. For someone who thrives on this surface, it's baffling to see that statistic. Her sole win was against a lowly ranked wildcard, which makes it even shocking. Looks like Petra can avenge her Czech Republic's (Koukalova) loss to Romania (Niculescu) here.

Pick: Cetkovska in 2 sets

Andrea Petkovic vs. Jana Cepelova

Talk about losing steam. Cepelova went into a downward spiral after Charleston, winning only 1 match since. Looks like the youngster couldn't handle the pressure of defeating the world number 1, and just lost her belief. She will face another uphill task as Petkovic is fresh of her semi-final appearance in Paris and won their last encounter right there in Charleston. The German was a former champion here, and I believe she will be the firm favourite while Cepelova continues to sink further.

Pick: Petkovic in 2 sets

Jovana Jaksic vs. Paula Ormaechea

Another one hit wonder, Jovana Jaksic found it hard to back up her run in Monterrey. Although she had a great eun, I thought that Jaksic was just lucky to reach the finals. Her game is just not good enough to be in the top 100. Paula is an experience dirt-baller, so she should capitalise on this kind draw easily. Unless Paula is bothered by Jovana's banshee shrieks.

Pick: Ormaechea in 2 sets



Sure win bets: Karin Knapp, Carla Suarez Navarro, Sara Errani
Upset alert: Katarzyna Piter, Chanelle Scheepers

Bucharest, Bad Gastein day 1: Clay anyone?

Bucharest schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/3823/title/bucharest-open--bucharest-romania

Bad Gastein schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/1340/title/nurnberger-gastein-ladies

Match focus:

Klara Koukalova vs. Monica Niculescu

Doubles partners face off in this intriguing encounter. Monica's suffering from a dip in form in recent months, but will be eager to play well in her home country Romania. It will be tough facing Klara, as she's higher ranked and her doubles partner. However, there's a chance that the home crowd will get to Klara and make her bothered. If Klara gives up, Niculescu can win this. I think this will be a close match, with Klara emerging the winner though.

Pick: Koukalova in 3 sets

Flavia Pennetta vs. Grace Min

It seems that winning Indian Wells did more harm than good to Pennetta. She has been struggling mightily since then, and suffered humiliating exits in both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. On clay, Flavia should be the favourite, but with her current form, I cannot be sure. Grace Min hits well and can challenge players, but her mental strength is still an unknown. Flavia should be able to win this despite her recent dip in form. If she loses this, I will be very worried.

Pick: Pennetta in 2 sets

Stefanie Voegele vs. Julia Goerges

The good news for Julia is that she's playing close matches with top players, but she just couldn't get the win. For Voegele, the Swiss is barely winning matches against anyone of note, so Goerges can relax a bit. Besides, this is on her preferred red clay surface, which suits her long swinging strokes. However, you just never know which Julia will turn up, so I think this will go to 3 sets.

Pick: Goerges in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Flavia Pennetta, Annika Beck
Upset alert: Nadiia Kichenok, Anna Schmiedlova

Bastaad, Bad Gastein F: Serena undefeated on clay this year

Bastaad final:

Serena Williams def. Johanna Larsson 6-4 6-1

Never in doubt, Serena clinches her first international title of her career, and enjoyed a perfect clay season this year. With this win, she is riding on a winning streak of 28 and ties with Anabel Medina Garrigues with the most number of clay titles among active players. She was a mess in the first set though, but once she got that out of the way, she cruised through the match. Larsson needs to be given credit for playing well in her home country. Hopefully she will improve on this showing and break into the top 32.

Bad Gastein final:

Yvonne Meusburger def. Andrea Hlavackova 7-5 6-2

One player did win her homecountry this week and she was Yvonne Meusburger. Riding on her new wave of confidence in recent weeks, she didn't drop a set this week and finally clinched her first tour title after so many years on tour. With this win, Yvonne is in the top 60 and enjoying her career high ranking. I have to admit that her game is not aesthetically pleasing, but it works. So kudos to Yvonne for putting in the hard work.

Bastaad, Bad Gastein QF: Larsson to bolster local hopes

Bastaad schedule:

Klara Zakopalova vs. Richel Hogenkamp
Johanna Larsson vs. Mathilde Johansson
Serena Williams vs. Lourdes Dominguez Lino
Flavia Pennetta vs. Virginie Razzano

Bad Gastein:

Karin Knapp vs. Annika Beck
Arantxa Rus vs. Yvonne Meusburger
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner vs. Elina Svitolina
Lisa-Maria Moser vs. Andrea Hlavackova

Match focus:

Johanna Larsson vs. Mathilde Johansson

Local girl Johanna Larsson will be looking to reach her first semi-final in a while in her own country in Sweden. Even though clay is not her best surface, she manages to win her matches to reach the last 8. Johansson is the better clay court player, but Johanna can make use of the crowd's support to get into Mathilde's head. The Frenchwoman is well known for her mental fragility anyway. If Larsson hangs on, she has a good chance of reaching the last 4.

Pick: Larsson in 3 sets

Flavia Pennetta vs. Virginie Razzano

Seems like Flavia Pennetta can only win via her opponent's retirement. She is lucky that Simona injured her back and had to retire as she was already down a set. She will face the equally experienced Razzano for a place in the last 4. Pennetta needs to grab this rare chance to reach her first final since Hobart in 2012 with the open draw. She will be the favourite against Razzano, whose game is prone to errors. Flavia just needs to be consistent and wait for the errors to leak.

Pick: Pennetta in 2 sets

Karin Knapp vs. Annika Beck

Annika Beck looked shaky in her last match and will be thoroughly tested against Karin Knapp. The Italian is playing herself to form, and will be looking to advance to her first semi-final since... 2008? Knapp has the tools to beat the youngster, but she cannot rush things as Beck will absorb everything and make her hit the extra ball. That said, Beck must be feeling tired after her tussle the day before, so I think an upset is possible here.

Pick: Knapp in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Serena Williams, Klara Zakopalova, Yvonne Meusburger
Upset alert: Annika Beck