Beijing Day 5: Angelique chasing for finals spot

Schedule of play:

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

Match focus:

Angelique Kerber vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova

With Radwanska surprisingly bundled out, Kerber needs a good showing here to boost her chances of appearing in the year-end championships. She will face former Beijing champion Kuznetsova, but the Russian is suffering from erratic form. I believe the German is extra motivated now that the door to qualifying is wide open, so she will chase down Svetlana's balls relentlessly. Kuznetsova will probably be irritated and go for too much, hitting herself out of the match.

Pick: Kerber in 3 sets

Samantha Stosur vs. Caroline Wozniacki

Another player trying to cement her place in the year-end championships is Caroline Wozniacki. Before the US Open, it was almost an impossible task for the Dane to qualify for the prestigious event. However, an inspired run at US Open, followed by consistent results thereafter makes her an almost lock for the final 8. Against Stosur, Caroline just needs to play her normal consistent game and make Samantha miss.  The Aussie's game is very much built on confidence, so with her recent downward form, it should be an easy win for Wozniacki.

Pick: Wozniacki in 2 sets

Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Maria Sharapova

It should be a foregone conclusion that Sharapova is the huge favourite here. However, Carla Suarez Navarro interestingly won their last encounter in Montreal. If one recalls that match, it was an absolute horror show from the Russian, so I believe Sharapova will be more than happy to exact revenge. With her superior mental strength, it shouldn't be a tough task for Maria to beat the mental midget Carla. That is if her game is at its normal level and not hitting double faults and errors everywhere.

Pick: Sharapova in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Petra Kvitova, Alize Cornet

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

Montreal QF: Path opens up for Venus

Schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/740/title/rogers-cup

Match focus:

Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Venus Williams

With the massive upsets yesterday, Venus Williams suddenly is the favourite to win here. Carla Suarez Navarro benefitted from a jarringly bad performance from Sharapova, when the Russian really should have lost in straight sets. Venus looks sharp after an upset of her own over Kerber, and looks poised to reach the semi-finals of a Premier event. Let's hope she's not too tired after her long match with Kerber.

Pick: Williams in 2 tight sets

Serena Williams vs. Caroline Wozniacki

Serena was tested against Safarova, but the Czech never had the mental strength to upset the number 1 seed anyway. The American will face a major test against resurgent Caroline Wozniacki, who breezed through her matches barely dropping games. There is no doubt that Serena's game can overpower the Dane. However, Serena will need to be sharp and stingy with her errors. The way Caroline is playing now resembles her peak form from 2011, which will trouble Serena. Let's see how Serena handles her.

Pick: Serena in 3 tight sets

Coco Vandeweghe vs. Ekaterina Makarova

Serbian killer, Coco Vandeweghe surprises everyone by reaching the quarter-finals here. Her big serve suits the hard courts here, and her game is more mature than it was a few years ago. She will face Makarova, who upset Kvitova in another roller coaster match. Seems like consistency will never be Petra's forte. These 2 are quite evenly matched, but Makarova is more experienced on the big stage. The Russian should be the slight favourite here, as Coco had 2 marathon matches in a row.

Pick: Makarova in 3 sets

Victoria Azarenka vs. Agnieszka Radwanska

Even though Azarenka owns a commanding lead over Radwanska in their career heads-to-heads, Radwanska dismantled the Belarussian in their last match in Melbourne. Since then, Victoria has never been the same again. Coming back from injury, Victoria seemed to have lost some zip in her shots, and her serve is more inconsistent. Agnieszka will capitalize on that vulnerability and try to slowly even the heads-to-heads. If Azarenka wins this though, it will be her announcement to the world that she is truly back.

Pick: Radwanska in 3 sets

Roland Garros scorecard: Queen of clay, Sharapova

A+: Maria Sharapova

Playing clutch tennis through her last 4 matches, Sharapova showed she had the best mental game on the women's tour despite not playing her best.

A: Simona Halep

Very decent showing from Halep given that this is her first slam final appearance. Definitely a future slam winner.

A-: Eugenie Bouchard

Not a fan of her attitude off court, but Eugenie has some serious game. If only she can mature off court, WTA will have another player to market.

B+: Andrea Petkovic

First slam semi-finals in her career made even sweeter given that she almost retired after her injury. Still, might have a Dementieva career. almost there but never reaching it.

B: Garbine Muguruza

What a showing from the Spaniard, displaying consistent power-hitting, and almost ousting 2 former champions. Clinical in her disposal of Serena Williams.

B-: Carla Suarez Navarro

Nobody can call her a mental giant. Wasted a perfect opportunity to make her first slam semi-finals by choking away leads in the sets that she lost. Needs a sports psychiatrist now.

C+: Pauline Parmentier

French wildcard captured the home crowd's imagination with her inspired play. She has the game, but just no faith in executing it. Hopefully this will give her the confidence to play well for the rest of the year.

C: Kiki Bertens

Out of nowhere, came through from qualifying all the way to the 4th round. Was always a competent player let down by her lack of focus. This run will give her the boost needed to get back on the main tour.

C-: Petra Kvitova

Well, she lost to a better clay court player. However, she fought very hard and almost had the win. Still, losing to Svetlana in a tight match isn't a good sign.

D: Agnieszka Radwanska

A strange and uninspired performance from the Pole. Wasted a perfect opportunity to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.

E: Serena Williams

She was outplayed and out hit by Garbine, who just couldn't miss. Normally, Serena would have fought her heart out, but a flat performance gave her her earliest exit in a slam after her infamous flop against Razzano.

F: Li Na

No excuses for the Chinese. Precisely what she said, she would have lost to anyone who was standing across the net. Horrific performance.

Roland Garros QF: Sharapova's title to lose

Upset of the previous day:

Sara Errani def. Jelena Jankovic 7-6(5) 6-2

Making her third consecutive QF in Paris in a row, Errani once again proves to be a threat on clay. To beat Errani, you have to hit through her, something which Jankovic doesn't have the power to do. The Serbian's balls do not have the penetration to hurt Sara, and Errani once again proves the doubters wrong. Another very winnable match against Petkovic awaits, as Errani tries to reach her third semi-final here for 3 consecutive years.

Match focus:

Garbine Muguruza vs. Maria Sharapova

Sharapova got out of jail big time against Stosur, with the Australian freezing up when she was near victory. The Russian will need to get things going against Garbine Muguruza, as the Spaniard is going from strength to strength. Muguruza's ground game is impressive, pinning her opponents to the baseline with hard hit balls. The only relative weakness I see is her service. If she gets a low percentage of first serves, Sharapova can pounce on the second serve and gain advantage. This is Garbine's first quarter-final, so there will definitely be nerves. Therefore, I think Sharapova will emerge to victor this time again. Things might get close for one set though.

Pick: Sharapova in 2 tight sets

Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Eugenie Bouchard

Bouchard's game isn't really suited for clay but she's also excelling on this surface. A win here will mean she's the only player to have reached 2 consecutive slam semi-finals this year. Carla loves the clay, but her mental game always lets her down. I believe securing that title in Oeiras has freed her a bit and it will be a dogfight here. Bouchard takes the ball early, but Carla can nullify that with her slow slice. If she can frustrate the Canadian with patient play, she can advance to her first slam semi-finals. Very evenly matched for these 2 players, but I think Suarez Navarro has the better clay game, and will reach the last 4.

Pick: Suarez Navarro in 3 tight sets

Roland Garros day 8: Another breakthrough for Bouchard

Upset of the previous day:

Lucie Safarova def. Ana Ivanovic 6-3 6-3

Another one bites the dust! Pre tournament favourite Ana Ivanovic throws in an erratic performance and is sent packing home by the unpredictable Lucie Safarova. Lucie does hold a commanding lead over Ana in previous meetings, but I figured that Ana is able to win with her confidence sky high. Perhaps with the top seeds falling out and the focus shifting to her, Ana couldn't handle the pressure as usual. Poor Ana. It always seem like one step forward, two steps back for her.

Schedule of play:

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/schedule/index.html

Match focus:

Eugenie Bouchard vs. Angelique Kerber

Anyone who watched Kerber's previous match would have seen the controversial point where Kerber claimed  point that wasn't hers. Well, it's not entirely her fault that the umpire, Louise Engzell, is totally incompetent at her job, but Angelique showed poor sportsmanship by telling Daniela to carry on with the game. Back to this match up, Eugenie's game should be able to trouble Kerber. The Canadian takes time away from Kerber, and is confident after winning her first title last week. Even if the umpire incident didn't happen, I would expect Bouchard to beat Kerber anyway.

Pick: Bouchard in 2 sets

Garbine Muguruza vs. Pauline Parmentier

Who would have expected one of these ladies will be in the quarter-finals of Serena Williams's section. Garbine is riding on her high right now and is the clear favourite. Nevertheless, Parmentier has been springing surprises throughout the tournament. Lifted by the French crowd, Pauline is making one last dash in her long career. It will be a fairytale for her to reach the last 8, but I believe Garbine is too solid to let that happen. Pauline had the luck of drawing easily affected opponents so far. Muguruza was so steady in her dismissal of Serena, that I believe she will easily trounce Parmentier to reach her maiden quarter-final.

Pick: Muguruza in 2 sets

Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Carla Suarez Navarro

Another youngster trying to make it to the last 8, Tomljanovic will be facing a big test in trying to topple Suarez Navarro. The Spaniard clearly excels on clay, and will be sure to make Ajla work for her points. The only way for another upset is to hope for another listless performance from her opponent. Carla has struggled in her first 2 matches, and seems to be back on form with her win over Taylor Townsend. It is all about peaking at the right moment and I believe Carla is doing just that. Unless she has another mental breakdown, which I believe she has overcome that with her win in Portugal.

Pick: Suarez Navarro in 2 sets

Samantha Stosur vs. Maria Sharapova

Just like Cibulkova who doesn't match up well to Stosur, Samantha's game just doesn't trouble Sharapova. The Australian's spinny game goes right into the strike zone of the statuesque Russian. and she will not hesitate to pound them for winners. Maria is also on a roll, winning her last match with a double bagel. Signs are not good for Samantha, but if she can upset the Russian (!), she has a chance to reach the finals.

Pick: Sharapova in 2 sets

Roland Garros day 6: Stosur the dark horse

Upset of the previous day:

Julia Glushko def. Kirsten Flipkens 6-4 3-6 6-4

The horror year continues for Flipkens as she suffers another early round exit in Roland Garros. She and Lisicki are guilty of not fully utilizing their elevated rankings to get consistent results, and will most probably be dropping out of the top 40 after Wimbledon. Kirsten seems to be confused at the moment, doing different things that gave her this ranking. She should continue to deploy her slice as not a lot of players on tour can handle that. Let's hope she can have better results on grass.

Schedule of play:

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/schedule/index.html

Match focus:

Dominika Cibulkova vs. Samantha Stosur

 Cibulkova must be cursing at her rotten luck having drawn Stosur in her third round. The Slovak hasn't found any solutions to the Stosur puzzle and will probably go down tamely as usual. With the top half of the draw collapsing, Stosur might have a chance to go far in this tournament. That is provided she can upset Sharapova though. Nevertheless, Stosur can breath a sigh of relief as Dominika just doesn't trouble her. A 4th round showing will be good enough for the Aussie.

Pick: Stosur in 2 sets

Daniela Hantuchova vs. Angelique Kerber

Players all aim to peak at the right tournament and these 2 are doing exactly that. In their warm-up tournaments, they were posting horrid results and looked poised for an early upset. Surprisingly, they chose this tournament to shrug off the bad form, both living to their seed status. Daniela's best surface will never be clay, but neither is Kerber's. Daniela does have some good wins on the red stuff, and is capable of creating an upset once in a while. I still believe Angelique's grinding game will cause Daniela to go for too much and make the errors. It might get close though.

Pick: Kerber in 2 tight sets

Taylor Townsend vs. Carla Suarez Navarro

Taylor Townsend proved to be delight to watch as she displayed her powerful game (on a show court nontheless) against Alize. Even though she's carrying extra weight, her movement isn't that compromised, and she showed some fine power and delicate touch as well. Carla will need to be on alert as Taylor is fearless and has nothing to lose. The Spaniard's form isn't exactly stellar so far, but she has been doing enough to win her matches. Let's see if she does enough to tame the youngster.

Pick: Suarez Navarro in 3 sets

Pauline Parmentier vs. Mona Barthel

Sometimes, crowd support can give you the advantage you need, like in the case of Pauline Parmentier. The French crowd was obviously behind her, but the way they abused Shvedova in their second round was disgraceful. No player deserved to be jeered like that. On a bigger court, I think the crowd will be less partisan, so I believe Mona can finish the job without being affected. Parmentier has done practically nothing this year, so it's a huge surprise to see her outlasting Alize, the highest ranked French player. She'll need a lot of help from the crowd if she wants to win this.

Pick: Barthel in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Agnieszka Radwanska, Maria Sharapova, Eugenie Bouchard
Upset alert: Dominika Cibulkova

Rome report card: Serena back on top

A+: Serena Williams

She has won Roland Garros the last 2 times she won Rome. A sign of things to come?

A: Ana Ivanovic

The only player to take a set off Serena. Did very well in ousting Sharapova. A dark horse in Paris.

A-: Sara Errani

A petite fighter who plays with all her heart, Pity her game will never get her the elusive big title.

B+: Jelena Jankovic

Her lack of net skills has been thoroughly exposed by Errani. However, a good week here as she beat Radwanska, who she hasn't beaten in a while.

B: Carla Suarez Navarro

Showed what's she capable of on clay against Ana, but faltered at the crucial point again.

B-: Agnieszka Radwanska

Continues her best clay season so far by reach at least the quarter-finals

C+: Li Na

How can Li beat Stosur (who she has never beaten before) and lose to Errani (who she has never lost before) back to back? Baffling performance from the world number 2.

C: Francesca Schiavone

Showed that she still has some tennis left in her by winning 2 matches here.

C-: Maria Sharapova

Awful performance considering she's riding on a 12 match winning streak. Nevertheless, she has nothing to be ashamed of for her clay court season so far.

D: Sloane Stephens

Not the first time she has disappointed, but she went down meekly without much resistance to Lepchenko. Expected more out of her.

E: Angelique Kerber

No wins in clay yet. Worrying for the German number 1.

F: Petra Kvitova

Yet another mystifying loss to Zhang Shuai. God help this woman.

Rome QF: Resurgence of Ivanovic

Sara Errani vs. Li Na

Li Na exorcised her demons against Stosur by claiming her first career win over the Australian. With Stosur out of her way, Li's passage is much easier now. She faces Errani, who will be fiercely supported by the home crowd. A lot is on Errani's shoulders, being the last Italian in the draw. However, Sara's form hasn't been magnificient lately, so I don't expect Li to experience much trouble.

Pick: Li in 2 sets

Serena Williams vs. Zhang Shuai

Let's be honest. The only reason Zhang Shuai is here in the quarters is due to the horrific collapse of Kvitova. The Czech seemed to have forgotten to play tennis and paid a heavy price for her early exit. On clay, Zhang has no chance against Serena. Unless something catastrophic happens to the American, Seren'a going to breeze through this.

Pick: Williams in 2 easy sets

Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Ana Ivanovic

 

Another player who got over her demons is Ana Ivanovic. The Serbian beat Sharapova for the first time in 7 years, and in the process, snapping the Russian's 12 match winning streak. This marks the resurgence of Ana, who is looking to repeat her 2008 form where she captured the title in Paris. Ana is a confidence player, so with her confidence now sky high, Carla is in trouble. I'm not saying that the Spaniard doesn't have a chance, but Ana's game is tough to handle when she's blasting balls all over the court.

 

Pick: Ivanovic in 2 sets

 

Jelena Jankovic vs. Agnieszka Radwanska

 

Jankovic is quietly making her way through the draw. She has the potential to be the dark horse, having won here before. The Serbian obviously enjoys the clay in Rome, but she will be tested by Radwanska, who is playing the best clay court tennis of her career. On clay, I believe Jankovic has the edge. Radwanska will need to play very smart tennis to disrupt Jankovic's rhythm. If Jelena gets on a roll, it's difficult to stop her.

Pick: Jankovic in 3 sets