Moscow, Luxembourg QF: Unseeded players galore

Moscow schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/664/title/kremlin-cup-by-bank-of-moscow

Match focus:

Alison Riske vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Alison Riske comes off her Tianjin title with renewed confidence, having won the title there all by herself. She will be looking forward to extending her winning streak against Pavlyuchenkova. The Russian can play a good game, followed by 4 heinous errors. You'll never know what Pavlyuchenkova's level is. Riske's level of play is surprisingly high, evidenced by her easy first round match. An upset here is possible.

Pick: Riske in 3 sets

Dominika Cibulkova vs. Vitalia Diatchenko

Cibulkova needs to win this match to ensure her alternate status in Singapore. Why is this important to her? Well, just by being an alternate, she will get a good pay cheque without having to hit a single ball. However, with her recent dire form, nothing is concrete. I mean, who loses a match to a 15 year old girl? Dominika looks lost on the courts, but is lucky enough to draw a lowly ranked Diatchenko. Vitalia had a few main draw appearances in the past, but was sidelined by injury. I don't think she's capable of upsetting the top seed, but she can make it close.

Pick: Cibulkova in 3 sets

Johanna Larsson vs. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova

With the top seeds out, the pressure is on Barbora Zahlavova Strycova to live up to her seeding and win the title. Against Larsson, I'm sure Barbora is confident of her chances. The Swede cannot just depend on her forehand to win matches. Strycova's all court game will test Johanna's backhand, and cruise to an easy victory.

Pick: Zahlavova Strycova in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Varvara Lepchenko, Annika Beck, Kristina Mldaenovic
Upset alert: Tsvetana Pironkova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Moscow, Luxembourg day 1: Massive withdrawals dampen season ending tournaments

Moscow schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/664/title/kremlin-cup-by-bank-of-moscow

Luxembourg schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/233/title/bgl-bnp-paribas-luxembourg-open

Match focus:

Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Klara Koukalova

Svetlana Kuznetsova looks content just being a solid top 30 player, always pushing the top players but coming out short in the end. In an event marred by the top players' withdrawal, this will be a good chance for Kuznetsova to revive her career. The Russian enjoys home crowd support, and will be the firm favourite against the slumping Koukalova. If the Russian loses this, I'm afraid any hopes of a career revival will be dashed.

Pick: Kuznetsova in 2 sets

Tereza Smitkova vs. Roberta Vinci

Vinci may be slumping, but I certainly do not expect her to lose to unheralded Tereza Smitkova. The Czech youngster had a breakthrough tournament in Wimbledon, but faded in obscurity immediately after that. There is one factor that might work against Roberta though, as she is scheduled to play in the Year-End Championships in Singapore. If she advances to the finals, she will have limited time to travel back to Asia and readjust to the conditions. Not saying that the Italian should throw the match away, but it will be a matter of priorities.

Pick: Vinci in 2 sets

Silvia Soler Espinosa vs. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova

Silvia held a 5-0 lead against Serena in Beijing, but collapsed immediately after that when the world number 1 raised her game. The Spaniard's game is not flashy, but will make you earn your points. Barbora's season has been consistent after her Wimbledon breakthrough. She used to be a walking time-bomb, never knowing when she will self-destruct and wallow in self pity. Once she kept her emotions intact, she plays a good all-court game which is a joy to watch. I would give Barbora the advantage as she's a play maker, as opposed to Silvia's reactionary game. It will be close though, with a lot of scrambling and all court tennis.

Pick: Strycova in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Mona Barthel, Karin Knapp, Monica Niculescu
Upset alert: Jana Cepelova, Donna Vekic, Tsvetana Pironkova

Beijing day 2: Can Halep find her groove back?

Schedule of play:

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

Match focus:

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova vs. Simona Halep

It is no secret that Simona Halep has been struggling to find her form ever since her early exit in US Open. The consistent Simona looks vulnerable now, and is just content with keeping the ball in. Not too sure why Halep is playing so conservatively, since it was her smart counterpunching game that brought her to number 2 in the world. Maybe the pressure is too much. She needs to get her gears working against the tricky Strycova. If she's just relying on mistakes from Barbora, I'm afraid she will be looking at another early round exit.

Pick: Halep in 3 sets

Kaia Kanepi vs. Maria Sharapova

Another player struggling with her form, Sharapova has not been the same ever since her Roland Garros triumph. Perhaps she's too zoned in on her clay court tennis that she's not comfortable on her former best surface, hard courts. Maria's vulnerable serve is back to its errant ways, but it still takes a player with good mental strength to beat her. Kaia is well known to crumble under pressure, so I won't be banking on her for this upset. Nevertheless, Kanepi has the game to make this competitive.

Pick: Sharapova in 2 tight sets

Ekaterina Makarova vs. Garbine Muguruza

Makarova is having a remarkably consistent year and may be the dark horse to qualify for the championships in Singapore. She has a tough opener against the hard hitting Muguruza, who had a good showing last week in Wuhan. These 2 players will be bound to hit the fibres out of the tennis ball, and it will be a close one. The Russian had an unexpected loss against Bacsinszky last week, and will be eager to correct that against Muguruza. Besides, the Spaniard withdrew due to gastritis last week, so Makarova should have the edge here.

Pick: Makarova in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Karolina Pliskova

Upset alert: Andrea Petkovic, Samantha Stosur, Roberta Vinci

US Open day 6: Calm after the storm

Upset of the previous day:

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni def. Simona Halep 7-6(6) 6-2

3 players who were expected to win crashed out within minutes of each other, but none of them are as surprising as Halep's exit. Kerber lost to a future star, while Venus' erratic play would have given Errani a chance, but the steady Halep losing this early was just unforeseen. If Halep played her normal game, she would have won quite easily, given how Lucic loves to go for outrageous winners when out of position. However, when leading 5-2 in the first set, Simona just lost her plot and started committing silly errors. Credit to Mirjana as well for still going for her shots. This is an extremely bad loss for the Romanian, even though she has already qualified for Singapore. As for Mirjana, she will be elated at upsetting the world number 2 in the age of 32. Who knows how far she can go.

Schedule of play:

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/schedule/schedule12.html

Match focus:

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova vs. Eugenie Bouchard

Eugenie struggled to put away the dangerous Cirstea, but emerged victorious eventually. With so many upsets today, I believe there will be a calm after the storm. Despite having bad form coming into the Open, Bouchard is fighting through her matches here, which I believe is essential not to peak too early. She will have to be wary of the dangerous Strycova, as she can mix it up very well. Still, Eugenie's court speed is pretty good, so she should be able to win this one.

Pick: Bouchard in 2 tight sets

Elena Vesnina vs. Victoria Azarenka

Her first round was a mess, but Azarenka righted her ship with a clinical disposal of McHale. Looks like the old Azarenka is back. Against Vesnina, the Belarussian is firmly the favourite, even though Vesnina is a former top 20 player. The Russian's form is pretty bad coming into the Open, but was helped by her soft draw here. Victoria has had easy victories over Elena before, and I expect the same here.

Pick: Azarenka in 2 sets

Casey Dellacqua vs. Karolina Pliskova

This should be a nervy affair for these 2 players, having not reached the 2nd week of a slam before in their career. With the exit of Ivanovic, this section of the draw is wide open, and I believe Ana's conquerer is ready to emerge. Dellecqua is enjoying her best year on tour after her injury, but Pliskova has a huge serve and flat groundstrokes. Casey will have to disrupt the Czech's rhythm by deploying her lefty serve and make her hit awkward balls. Still, I believe Pliskova is confident after her win over Ivanovic, unless she lets her nonchalant attitude get to her.

Pick: Pliskova in 3 sets

Kaia Kanepi vs. Carla Suarez Navarro

Kaia Kanepi showed real grit, saving 2 match points against Samantha Stosur. Can she do it again against Carla is another question. Carla's game is frankly quite similar to Stosur, with a weaker serve of course. Both players use the backhand slices frequently, but Carla can hit some decent backhand topspin shots. Kaia's long drawn match with Samantha will probably have an effect here, but she should be well-rested after a day's break. As with the Stosur match, this will be a tight affair, and when things get tight, Carla breaks.

Pick: Kanepi in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Serena Williams, Flavia Pennetta, Petra Kvitova
Upset alert: Carla Suarez Navarro, Casey Dellacqua

New Haven QF: Kvitova the sole seed left

Schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/535/title/connecticut-open

Match focus:

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova vs. Petra Kvitova

With only one seed left, it's difficult to go against Kvitova. The Czech annihilated Makarova in their Montreal rematch, and seems to be finding her groove again. Strycova is a dangerous all court player, but Kvitova's power will just blow her away. I will be very surprised if Petra doesn't hold the trophy come Saturday.

Pick: Kvitova in 2 sets

Magdalena Rybarikova vs. Alison Riske

These 2 players surprised everyone by breaking their slumps in spectacular fashion. Rybarikova took out top seed Simona Halep, while Riske ended Pennetta's campaign. Alison plays a high risk game and it paid off well against Flavia. However, Rybarikova's game incorporates a lot of slices, which doesn't give Alison much rhythm to get into her zone. Besides, Magdalena is definitely on a high after getting her first career top 5 win. I believe the Slovak will prevail this time.

Pick: Rybarikova in 2 tight sets

Camila Giorgi vs. Garbine Muguruza

When Giorgi's playing well, not even the Great Wall of Denmark can stop her. The Italian hits every ball as hard as she can and it paid off very well against the in-form Wozniacki. Caroline was a bit flat though, but Camila stuck to her game and reaped the rewards. Garbine will be a different case as she hits the ball with authority. She can boss Camila around and make the Italian try to make outrageous shots. Given her better shot selection, I predict Muguruza will emerge the winner.

Pick: Muguruza in 3 sets

Kirsten Flipkens vs. Samantha Stosur

Look who's back. Stosur dominated rising star, Eugenie Bouchard, and raced to her first quarter-final since January. Just when we thought that Stosur can be labelled as a has-been, she showed the form that carried her to the US Open title. If she continues her form, she will sweep away Flipkens as well, who struggled to put away a stubborn Petkovic. While both players play a similar game, Stosur does everything better than Flipkens, so it should be a no-brainer.

Pick: Stosur in 2 sets

New Haven day 3: Another post grand slam slump

Schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/535/title/connecticut-open

Match focus:

Ekaterina Makarova vs. Petra Kvitova

Since her Wimbledon title, Kvitova has only won one match since. She suffered a loss right at the hands of Makarova in Montreal, so the Russian will be confident of her chances here. Seems like 2011 all over again with Kvitova failing to live up the the heightened expectations of her. She needs to right the ship here and get a good result, or she will go into New York with low confidence and an easy target for an upset.

Pick: Kvitova in 3 sets

Alison Riske vs. Flavia Pennetta

Pennetta got back some of her groove last week in Cincinnati, winning matches that she's supposed to win. This one is no different. Alison Riske has been struggling with her form lately, so Flavia should be able to take this one. However, Riske plays a risky game, so if she hits her spots, the match might be over quickly for Pennetta. The Italian will need to hang in and draw the errors from the American.

Pick: Pennetta in 2 sets

Caroline Garcia vs. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova

Things were going smoothly for Garcia until her collapse in Paris. She has never been the same again since then, losing matches which she's supposed to win. Strycova on the other hand, has been riding on a new wave of confidence since her surprise run in Wimbledon. This meeting will be a no-brainer as to who is the favourite. Caroline needs to address what's wrong with her mental game as she seemingly cannot handle the pressure of higher expectations laid upon her. If she can overcome that, she has the game to become a top player definitely.

Pick: Zahlavova Strycova in 2 sets

Wimbledon scorecard: GOATra makes rare appearance

A+: Petra Kvitova

I don't think anyone on tour could have survive Kvitova in the final match. Just flawless hitting from the Czech.

A: Venus Williams

Strange to give such a high grade to a 3rd round loser, but she was the closest to defeating Kvitova. Venus went toe to toe with the champion and was 2 points away from victory.

A-: Eugenie Bouchard

Young star was humbled by Kvitova in the finals, but has a lot to be proud of for her first slam final appearance.

B+: Simona Halep

Seems like the only dependable player on tour. Unfortunate injury in her semi-final, but would have been destroyed by Kvitova anyway.

B: Lucie Safarova

Finally advances to her first slam semi-finals after years on tour. Let's see if she can build on this momentum.

B-: Barbora Zahlavova Strycova

Drop shot queen of the tournament, scoring upset wins over Wozniacki and Li Na. Also showing signs of maturity as she's not as animated as before.

C+: Sabine Lisicki

Didn't go all the way to the final this year, but still manages to reach the quarter-finals despite an absolute horrendous year. Now see her fade back into obscurity.

C: Tereza Smitkova

Who? Another Czech who took most of an open draw to reach the last 16. One to watch in the future.

C-: Maria Sharapova

Didn't handle the pressure of being the favourite well, faltered badly against Kerber. Grass is quickly becoming her worst surface.

D: Agnieszka Radwanska

Expected her to make things difficult for Makarova, but just went down meekly. Looks like she'll never win a major.

E: Li Na

Her split with Carlos Rodriguez definitely was a contributing factor, but her weakness was fully exploited by Barbora. At her age, it remains to be seen if she has the motivation to bounce back.

F: Serena Williams

Maybe F is too harsh for Serena, but she came into the tournament all serious and eager to prove the detractors wrong. However, she was just missing for the past 2 slams. Will Serena get back on her feet? Or is there something wrong with her health given that she withdrew under mystifying circumstances?

Wimbledon day 9: Surprise semi-finalist in Makarova/Safarova

Upset of the previous day:

Ekaterina Makarova def. Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3 6-0

When your opponents posts statistics like 24 winners with just 7 errors, you just have to ackowledge that she's too good. Makarova played a very impressive and tidy match to leave yet another seed tumbling out of the tournament. With her powerful strokes, Agnieszka couldn't play her tricks and just got outhit by the Russian. This is in stark contrast with Makarova's first round encounter where she barely scraped past Kimiko Date-Krumm. With another winnable match next, Makarova looks set to make her slam semi-final debut.

Schedule of play:

http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/schedule/index.html

Match focus:

Petra Kvitova vs. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova

Barbora continues to stun the tennis world by upsetting Caroline Wozniacki in the 4th round. Can she do it against the highest ranked Czech player on tour? This marks Petra's 5th consecutive quarter-final appearance here in Wimbledon, showing that her game is truly suited to the slick surface. With her thundering strokes and serve, Strycova cannot deploy her crafty drop shots and net play. If a baseline battle ensues, Kvitova will win 90% of them.

Pick: Kvitova in 2 sets

Lucie Safarova vs. Ekaterina Makarova

Before this tournament, Lucie Safarova was barely winning matches on grass. She turned the tides this year by making only her 2nd quarter-final in a Grand Slam with an unexpected run on her worst surface. Makarova will revel at this big opportunity to reach her first semi-finals, but will the occasion get to her? The heads to heads is tied at 1-1, but Makarova won their last encounter last year. Pretty evenly matched for these 2 southpaws, but on grass, you have to favour Makarova.

Pick: Makarova in 2 tight sets

Simona Halep vs. Zarina Diyas

Right after her second round struggle against Tsurenko, Halep rights the ship with a 6-4 6-1 rout of Belinda Bencic. This shows how much Halep is willing to take steps to correct her mistakes and play a better match on her next. Against unheralded Diyas, she will impose her game on the petite Kazakh. Zarina fights well, but against a player of Simona's calibre, it's not going to be enough.

Pick: Halep in 2 sets

Sabine Lisicki vs. Yaroslava Shvedova

With her biggest obstacle Ivanovic out of the way, Lisicki is poised to make yet another quarter-finals here in Wimbledon. Such is the uniqueness of this surface that one player can go completely missing for the whole year, and magically win consecutive matches here. Shvedova has a good grass court game, but Lisicki in Wimbledon is another story. Coupled with the Kazakh's weak mental game, it might be a demolition job for the German.

Pick: Lisicki in 2 sets