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

Budapest, Palermo final: Top 10 for Simona?

Budapest final:

Simona Halep def. Yvonne Meusburger 6-3 6-7(7) 6-1

Simona Halep claims her third title of the season and has gone 16-1 since Roland Garros. Impressive for someone who has lost her first three finals. If Simona continues her form, she is bound for the top 10 with her heightened confidence and kinder draws. She can look to Sara Errani, who started her climb by dominating the smaller events to become a legitimate top 10 player. Congrats to Halep and let's see if she can continue her fine form.

Palermo final:

Roberta Vinci def. Sara Errani 6-3 3-6 6-3

Roberta Vinci snaps a 5 match losing streak to Sara Errani and claims her first Palermo title. This is especially sweet for the veteran as she practices there in the very same courts. By playing some impressive aggressive tennis, Vinci claims her second title of the year and boosts her chances for a career high ranking in the top 10. Errani will be disappointed as she often dominates these kind of smaller events. But I'm sure she doesn't mind losing one to her doubles partner and good friend, Roberta. With some good results before US Open, I won't be surprised if Vinci finally cracks the top 10 after years on tour. Well done Vinci!

Budapest, Palermo final: Halep to claim her third title

Budapest final:

Sorry, I'm in a rush so I will be writing a short one for both finals. Simona carries her impressive form into this week and is cruising to her third title this year. Meusburger winning will be a shocker.

Pick: Halep in 2 sets

Palermo final:

All Italian final in Italy. No matter who wins, Italy gains. Doubles partners face off and Sara will be the favoured one, being the higher ranked player. Vinci will put up a fight, but it won't be enough.

Pick: Errani in 3 sets

Budapest, Palermo day 6: Destined for an all Italian finals

Budapest SF:

Chanelle Scheepers vs Yvonne Meusburger

Yvonne Meusburger's recent form has been surprising. In fact, I thought she had retired! Out of the blue, she manages to string together decent wins and is now the top ranked Austrian on tour, overtaking Tamira Paszek. Not too sure what happened here, maybe a coaching change, but this spells trouble for Scheepers. Chanelle barely scraped through unknown, Kovinic in her quarters and will be tested more against the veteran. Yvonne might not have the nicest strokes or game, but her work ethic is commendable. Let's hope the fairytale continues for her.

Pick: Meusburger in 3 sets

Simona Halep vs. Alexandra Cadantu

Compared to the other semi-final, this match looks more promising. Cadantu's form this week has been impressive, but is it enough to topple the in form Simona Halep? Halep is just tearing through the field here and it's hard for anyone to stop her. It seems like she will clinch her third title this week. Cadantu needs to attack Simona's vulnerable second serve and dictate points. If she gets into a baseline hassle, Alexandra will lose out.

Pick: Halep in 2 sets

Palermo SF:

Estrella Cabeza Candela vs. Roberta Vinci

I'm sorry, but I've never seen Candela's face or play before today. So I don't know her well enough to comment. Vinci will probably gobble up the Spaniard for breakfast given her experience and in front of the Italian crowd. Estrella should just be glad that she reached the semi-finals.

Pick: Vinci in 2 easy sets

Sara Errani vs. Klara Zakopalova

A huge contrast in styles here as the top spin loving Errani meets the flat hitting Zakopalova. On clay, Sara is just of another league. Klara will have a hard time hitting through her. However, given her nonchalant attitude, this might favour her as she will continue to go for her shots even when she has committed 122134 errors. Klara will put up a good fight, but the consistent Errani will still be too strong for the Czech. An all Italian final is imminent.

Pick: Errani in 3 sets

Budapest, Palermo day 5: Halep the favourite now

Budapest schedule:

Danka Kovinic vs. Chanelle Scheepers
Annika Beck vs. Yvonne Meusburger
Timea Babos vs. Simona Halep
Shahar Peer vs. Alexandra Cadantu

Palermo schedule:

Renata Voracova vs. Estrella Cabeza Candela
Lourdes Dominguez Lino vs. Roberta Vinci
Sara Errani vs. Silvia Soler-Espinosa
Klara Zakopalova vs. Dinah Pfizenmaier

Match focus:

Timea Babos vs. Simona Halep

With the exit of the top 2 seeds, Simona Halep automatically becomes the overwhelming favourite to win this title. Timea Babos will face an uphill task trying to upset the in form player. Babos is another puzzle waiting to be solved. She has all the makings of the modern game, strong serve and huge groundstrokes. She even has a title under her name. However, maybe success came too early for her as she lost her way and almost all of her matches. Against someone like Simona who is stingy with her errors, Babos will suffer. The Hungarian should be happy that she scrapped through 2 matches here to gain some precious points.

Pick: Halep in 2 sets

Shahar Peer vs. Alexandra Cadantu

I'll be honest here, I've never like Shahar Peer's game. I think her game isn't aesthetically pleasing even at her peak. However, it is commendable for her to continue on tour after her loss of form which saw her at the brink of the top 10. There seems to be a mini revival for the Israeli, overcoming her opponents easily in the tournament. But it looks set to end here against clay loving Candantu. Alexandra thrives on this surface (being an absolute bye in the others) and will be confident after her convincing wins in the earlier rounds. Peer might steal a set, but the Romanian is the favourite here.

Pick: Cadantu in 3 sets

Klara Zakopalova vs. Dinah Pfizenmaier

Dinah Pfizenmaier lacks the experience, which Zakopalova has aplenty. This contrast will be seen in this contest between the young upstart and the veteran. Klara will boss the youngster around with her flat groundstrokes, forcing the German to go for high risk shots. That said, Pfizenmaier is one of the fastest players on tour. If she can retrieve enough balls and induce the errors from Klara, we might have a match. However, experience almost always prevail.

Pick: Zakopalova in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Chanelle Scheepers, Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci
Upset alert: Shahar Peer

Budapest, Palermo Day 4: The curious case of Petra Martic

Budapest schedule:

Petra Martic vs. Chanelle Scheepers
Anna Tatishvili vs. Shahar Peer
Alexandra Candantu vs. Andrea Hlavackova
Valeria Solovyeva vs. Danka Kovinic

Palermo schedule:

Lourdes Dominguez Lino vs. Nastassja Burnett
Klara Zakopalova vs. Karin Knapp
Polona Hercog vs. Roberta Vinci
Estrella Cabeza Candela vs. Kristina Mladenovic

Match focus:

Petra Martic vs. Chanelle Scheepers

Petra Martic has all the shots but somehow just cannot consolidate enough results to make a breakthrough. Not too sure what to make of this talented youngster. She always has moments of brilliance followed by months of awful play. However, when she is in full flight, she's a pleasure to watch. Surprisingly, she has won a few matches here and in recent months to suggest that her form is coming back. If she plays well, Scheepers will not be too much of a problem for her. The important thing for her is to choose the right shot to play at the right time.

Pick: Martic in 2 sets

Klara Zakopalova vs. Karin Knapp

Both these players had a nice run in Wimbledon and are continuing their good form on clay. Karin is playing at home and has a game more suited for clay with her extreme grip. Psychologically, that should give her the advantage. However, Zakopalova has been on tour long enough to not let the crowd get to her. She will be sulking anyway. Tough one to call but I'm going with experience. Klara hasn't won a title for the longest time so it will be a sweet reward for her hard work this year.

Pick: Zakopalova in 3 sets

Polona Hercog vs. Roberta Vinci

Similar to Petra Martic (the two of them are friends by the way), Polona Hercog is another puzzle. She is never consistent or healthy enough to play well for consecutive weeks. In fact, she didn't even qualify for Wimbledon. She will have an uphill task facing the in form Roberta Vinci. The Italian is really a late bloomer, establishing her best results in recent years. She will definitely be the favourite but Polona could hurt her if she's not careful. Still, experience should come through for the veteran.

Pick: Vinci in 2 tight sets

Sure win bets: Valeria Solovyeva, Kristina Mladenovic, Roberta Vinci
Upset alert: Petra Martic, Lourdes Dominguez Lino, Anna Tatishvili

Budapest, Palermo: Precious points for journeywomen

Budapest:

Lara Arruabarrena vs. Johanna Larsson
Annika Beck vs. Tadeja Majeric
Sandra Zahlavova vs. Agnes Bukta
Sesil Karatantcheva vs. Simona Halep
Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor vs. Nina Bratchikova

Palermo:

Mathilde Johansson vs. Silvia Soler Espinosa
Caroline Garcia vs. Corinna Dentoni
Sara Errani vs. Julia Cohen

Match focus:

Lara Arruabarrena vs. Johanna Larsson

Johanna Larsson doesn't enjoy clay so it's a surprise that she's playing here. Lara on the other hand, is predominantly a clay courter, so this should be easy pickings for her. Larsson will need to be patient and wait for the right opportunity to attack the net. If she goes into a crosscourt backhand rally with Lara, chances are she's going to lose the point 9 out of 10 times.

Pick: Arruabarrena in 2 sets

Mathilde Johansson vs. Silvia Soler Espinosa

Silvia Soler-Espinosa is the one who likes clay more but Mathilde can play on this surface as well. Both are coming off a disappointing Wimbledon but they were never favoured to advance far anyway. Johansson has more power, so she will be the one dictating the points. If Silvia is patient enough, she should be able to draw the errors from the Frenchwoman. However, maybe Johansson might be inspired by Marion and pull off a good run of her own.

Pick: Johansson in 3 sets

Sara Errani vs. Julia Cohen

Sara Errani will be eager to put her nightmare Wimbledon behind her. She will face the ultimate moonball queen, Julia Cohen. Errani is definitely of another level and it'll be interesting to see Sara take the initiative this time. Julia is quite incapable of dictating the pace, so Sara should have her ball bashing mode turned on. Errani will show Cohen a free lesson on how to hit purposeful moonball and not wait for errors.

Pick: Errani in 2 easy sets