Birmingham final: Daniela clinches her first grass court title

Birmingham final:

Daniela Hantuchova def. Donna Vekic 7-6 6-4

Daniela made her WTA main draw debut here in Birmingham 14 years ago and now, she's finally won the title. This shows the longevity of Daniela's career and what could have happened if she had more mental strength. Vekic was too nervy in her second career final but that's understandable for a 16 year old. She will have plenty of chances to win her first title. This gives Daniela the much needed points to re-enter the top 50. Let's hope the Wimbledon draw is kind to her and she can do some damage there.

Birmingham, Nurnberg finals: First title for Simona, first title for Donna?

Birmingham finals:

Daniela Hantuchova vs. Donna Vekic

Sabine didn't make it to the finals as she got a controversial call serving to stay in the match. Alison benefitted from dubious umpiring as she did commit hindrance but didn't admit to it. I guess Daniela did poetic justice by winning their semi-final match. She will face the young 16 year old, Donna Vekic in the title match. Vekic continues to impress as she took out Rybarikova despite losing a lopsided second set. For a 16 year old to have this kind of mental resolve is very impressive. We might be looking at a future Grand Slam champion. Daniela has the experience and will finally try to add a Birmingham title to her resume, having reached the finals in 2011. Donna, on the other hand, has nothing to lose and will definitely try to swing freely.Will experience triumph? Or will raw talent prevail? Comparatively, Hantuchova has had the tougher path to the finals, so I'm sticking with the Slovak. Vekic can win more titles in the next few years of her career.

Pick: Hantuchova in 3 sets

Nurnberg final:

Simona Halep def. Andrea Petkovic 6-3 6-3

It was one match too many for Petkovic. Simona Halep took her first title here in Nurnberg, taking out Andrea easily in straight sets. This caps an impressive clay season for the Romanian and makes up for the bad draw in Paris. Petkovic shouldn't be too disheartened, she has already claimed valuable ranking points and a wildcard to Wimbledon. With that monkey off the back, let's see if Simona can improve and ascend up into the top 30 or even top 20.

Birmingham. Nurnberg Day 6: Andrea's return to form

Birmingham:

Donna Vekic vs. Magdalena Rybarikova
Sabine Lisicki/Alison Riske vs. Daniela Hantuchova

Nurnberg:

Simona Halep vs. Andrea Petkovic

Match focus:

Donna Vekic vs. Magdalena Rybarikova

Donna tweeted that you know things get serious when WTA tweets about you. Yes, she is the real deal here as she easily takes out Sorana Cirstea. As the youngest member of the top 100, Vekic might be the new star that WTA is craving for. She has the looks and the game to draw the crowds. Despite her inexperience on grass, she powers her way into her first grass semi-final. Here, she will face an experienced grass courter, Rybarikova. Her inexperience might play to her advantage as Donna has nothing to lose. She needs to attack Magdalena's weaker backhand and go for her big shots. If she swings freely, an upset might be possible.

Pick: Vekic in 3 sets

Sabine Lisicki/Alison Riske vs. Daniela Hantuchova

Daniela conjures up all her mental strength to comeback from the brink of defeat against Schiavone. Will she be able to do it again against Lisicki/Riske? First of all. the Slovak has the advantage as this will be the second match that her opponent will be playing. Lisicki is the more possible opponent as Riske has to be tired coming all the way from qualifying. If the German comes through, Daniela needs to serve well and extend the rallies to induce the mistakes from Sabine. Once she implodes, Daniela will have an easier time. I've always thought Hantuchova has the game to beat the top players, just that her head isn't there 90% of the time. Let's hope she wins this in the twilight years of her career.

Pick: Hantuchova in 3 sets

Simona Halep vs. Andrea Petkovic

Petkovic surprised me with her easy win over Jelena Jankovic. This shows that the German is truly back in the game. When she's healthy, she's one of the most consistent and fittest player on tour. Simona had a tougher time against Safarova but won nonetheless. She will be the underdog here despite her higher ranking. I'm sure the crowd will be behind Andrea as she has a more pleasing personality and one more thing that favours Petkovic: Simona is still titleless despite having numerous final appearances.

Pick: Petkovic in 2 sets

Birmingham and Nurnberg day 5: Is Daniela back?

Birmingham Schedule of play:

Sorana Cirstea vs. Donna Vekic
Daniela Hantuchova vs. Francesca Schiavone
Magdalena Rybarikova vs. Madison Keys
Sabine Lisicki vs. Alison Riske

Nurnberg Schedule of play:

Jelena Jankovic vs. Andrea Petkovic
Lucie Safarova vs. Simona Halep

Match focus:

Daniela Hantuchova vs. Francesca Schiavone

2 former top 10 aging veterans turn back the clock and face off in this quarter-final match. Schiavone was never much of a grass courter despite reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon a few years ago. Daniela is the one who has the more stellar and consistent results here. However, you have to question if the long match with Mladenovic took some gas out of the Slovakian. Daniela needs to serve big and play first strike tennis. If she goes into long drawn rallies, she's going to lose.

Pick: Hantuchova in 3 sets

Jelena Jankovic vs. Andrea Petkovic

Another pair of former top 10 players face off in Nurnberg semi-finals. Petkovic is on a comeback trail and narrowly defeated Beck in her previous round. Jankovic had a smooth journey to the semi-finals in comparison. Will Andrea have enough left in the tank to upset Jelena? Interestingly, Petkovic leads the heads to heads 3-2. However, with the amount of matches Petkovic has played recently, and Jelena's fine form in Paris, you'll have to pick the Serb. Anyway, any match that doesn't result in an injury for Petkovic is a victory in itself.

Pick: Jankovic in 3 sets

Lucie Safarova vs. Simona Halep

Out of nowhere, Lucie Safarova reaches a semi-final. Despite doing nothing much for half of the year, Safarova still manages to sustain a relatively high ranking. However, her journey is almost bound to stop against Simona Halep. The Romanian had a giant killing spree in Rome and looks to continue her fine form here. A faster surface would favour the Czech, but the slow clay will give Simona the edge. Look out for the upset here.

Pick: Halep in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Sabine Lisicki, Sorana Cirstea, Jelena Jankovic
Upsets alert: Francesca Schiavone, Magdalena Rybarikova, Lucie Safarova

Birmingham and Nurnberg Day 4: Petkovic's back

Birmingham:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/438/title/aegon-classic

Nurnberg:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/3204/title/n%FCrnberger-versicherungscup

Match focus:

Kirsten Flipkens vs. Magdalena Rybarikova

Kirsten might be suffering from the pressure of being the top seed as she barely scraped through her first round encounter. She will face a tougher test in Rybarikova, a former champion here. With her huge serve, Magdalena can look to ease through her service games and pressure the Belgian on her serve. Flipkens has played a lot of matches for the past few months so I believe fatigue might play a factor as well.

Pick: Rybarikova in 3 sets

Sabine Lisicki vs. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni

Former Wimbledon semi-finalists meet here as Sabine looks to capture her second title here in Birmingham. On paper, Lisicki is the huge favourite. But Mirjana is a threat on grass and if Sabine is having an of day, Lucic can take adavantage. As usual, Lisicki needs to find the right balance and not overhit her shots. If she can contain her wild hitting, she can be a top 10 fixture.

Pick: Lisicki in 2 close sets

Andrea Petkovic vs. Annika Beck

Sorry for featuring Andrea for 3 consecutive days but she has proven me right all the time. Fresh off her challenger triumph, Petkovic carried her good form into the main WTA tour with good victories over Arvidsson and Goerges. She will face another German, Annika Beck here. Beck has some easy power and cannot be taken lightly despite her inexperience. Petkovic needs to move Annika around and not let her dictate the points. I believe Andrea is back and she should be able to take this match without much difficulty.

Pick: Petkovic in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Simona Halep, Donna Vekic, Sorana Cirstea
Upset alert: Annika Beck, Kristina Mladenovic, Mona Barthel