Doha Final: Imperious Halep tramples Kerber

Doha Final:

Simona Halep def. Angelique Kerber 6-2 6-3

Simona Halep continues her rapid ascent to the top as she overcame Kerber without much difficulty. The aggressive Romanian clinched her 7th straight title dating back to her debut title in Nernburg last year, and her first and biggest title this year. Dominating exchanges with her speed and big forehand, the Romanian reminds me of a less powerful version of Kim Clijsters. Kerber was a little bit flat, but it was also due to the fact that Halep got everything back with interest. With this win, Halep rises to a career high ranking of number 9. Top 8 ranking is only a matter of time for the most improved player of 2013. 

Doha F: Simona to cement her place in the top 8

Angelique Kerber vs. Simona Halep

It will be an intriguing match final as Simona Halep has not met Angelique Kerber for the past 5 years. Both of them are vastly different players now, so it'll be a battle for a place in the top 8. Odds are slightly in Simona's favour due to Kerber's dismal results in finals. The German is a disappointing 3-5 in finals, while Simona is almost guaranteed to win once she reaches the final, going 6-0 in her last 6 final appearances. What is going to make the difference is Halep's ability to just turn on the aggression. Against Radwanska trailing 2-5, Simona upped her game and never looked back. Kerber will need to be at her retrieving best to trouble the Romanian. I think Simona 's still carrying a slight injury, so I don't think she's in the mood for long drawn rallies. Look out for Halep to take the initiative and power her way to her 7th title.

Pick: Halep in 2 tight sets

Doha SF: Scrappers rule

The last 4 in Doha cannot be described as power hitters. Perhaps the era of power-hitting is over? This shows how much the court conditions affects the outcome. Doha's cool and heavy conditions favour the defensive players, hence the final 4.

Jelena Jankovic vs. Angelique Kerber

Jankovic won their last encounter in Brisbane just a month ago. She will be the favourite to come through to her first Premier final. Jankovic's dismissal of Kvitova was impressive, but it was also due to the nonchalant hit or miss attitude from the Czech. Against the left-handed Kerber, she's going to have to work harder for her points. The advantage for Jelena is that Kerber's crosscourt forehand goes to her strength, her backhand. A lot of long rallies are expected, but I believe Jankovic will win to reach her first Premier final since Beijing.

Pick: Jankovic in 3 sets

Simona Halep vs. Agnieszka Radwanska

 

Take a look at these 2 player's results and you can see one similarity, they tend to lose to powerhitters who had their day. Pitch both of them together, you're guaranteed a closely contested match with lots of court coverage. These 2 girls do not possess the hardest serves or groundstrokes, but their tenacious game will make for good entertainment. Halep won their last encounter in Rome, so Radwanska will be seeking revenge. The Pole has been unchallenged in all her matches so far, but I expect Halep to give her a run for her money. The Romanian was stellar in destroying Errani, maybe she can cause another surprise here.

Pick: Halep in 3 sets

Doha QF: Li and Wozniacki out of the party

With only Li and Wozniacki failing to reach the quarters, the last 4 matches promise to be nail biting affairs.

Match focus:

Petra Cetkovska vs. Angelique Kerber

Cetkovska produced stunning tennis to knock out the reigning Australian Open champion, Li Na. It's heartening to see the Czech playing to her abilities now that her injuries are healed. However, she will have her hands full with Kerber. The pesky German will run down every single shot that Petra throw at her. And the cool and heavy conditions favour defensive players like Kerber. Petra needs to play deep balls and get to the net to finish the points. Easier said than done.

Pick: Kerber in 2 tight sets

Petra Kvitova vs. Jelena Jankovic

Petra Kvitova continues to live her life on the edge with another 3 set win over Safarova. The problem with Kvitova is that she loses her concentration too often and expends unnecessary energy going into 3 set matches. Against someone like Jankovic who can run all day, she may get into trouble. If Kvitova is clicking, nothing Jelena can do will derail the Kvitova express. The Serbian needs to hope that Petra is tired and a little off her timing. I do think that Petra will keep it simple this time though, being the favourite of the top half now.

Pick: Kvitova in 2 sets

Simona Halep vs. Sara Errani

This match is tough to call since Simona has improved leaps and bounds since last year. Their only meeting was in Miami 2013, where Halep was destroyed by Errani. Will history repeat itself? Or can the enhanced Halep get her first win over the Italian? Given that these two players play a similar game, it's very difficult to choose who has the edge. Errani did struggle against Niculescu, but so did Halep against Kanepi. Whoever is the victor, you can expect long drawn rallies with both players running all over the court.

Pick: Errani in 3 tight sets

Yanina Wickmayer vs. Agnieszka Radwanska

This match is almost cast in stone with a Radwanska victory. Wickmayer's last win over Agnieszka was way back in 2010, and she barely clinched the win. Since then, it has been straightforward victories for the Pole. I don't expect a meltdown like in Melbourne, since this is a smaller event with less pressure on Radwanska.

Pick: Radwanska in 2 sets

Doha day 4: Lower seeds all ousted

Yesterday featured an absolute carnage of the lower seeds, denying us of several mouth-watering clashes. Nevertheless, there are still some matches which might whet your appetite.

Schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/86/title/qatar-total-open

Match focus:

Petra Kvitova vs. Lucie Safarova

Lucie Safarova must be suffering the effects from a long drawn Fed Cup weekend. The Czechs were delayed by rain in Spain, and only finished the tie on Monday. Showing no signs of fatigue yet, Lucie battled her way into the 3rd round. However, she will surely feel the effects against a well-rested fellow Czech who skipped Fed Cup. Kvitova fought her way through a tough Williams, and will be the favourite against the lesser version of her. I believe these 2 know each other's games inside out, and Petra will against prevail against Lucie to increase the heads to heads to 3-0. One thing's for sure, there will not be a lot of finesse and touch shots in this match.

Pick: Kvitova in 2 sets.

Alisa Klaybanova vs. Jelena Jankovic

Alisa signals her impressive comeback with a steady win over Voegele. However, Stephanie seemed to be bothered by an illness at the end of the match, so I wouldn't say that Kleybanova's fully back to her 2010 form yet. This will be the pair's 7th meeting, and the winner can claim the lead in the heads to heads. I would definitely give Alisa the edge in 2010, but she did lose to Jankovic last year in US Open. Jankovic does have the tendency to be too tentative though, so Alisa needs to apply pressure on her and just go for her shots. I hope this will be a close match, even if Kleybanova loses in the end, so that she can gauge her level now.

Pick: Jankovic in 3 sets

Yanina Wickmayer vs. Jana Cepelova

The only match to feature 2 unseeded players, one of them will advance to the quarter-finals of this Premier event. Yanina has been out of the spotlight for quite sometime, so it's heartening to see some fight left in her after subduing the tireless Wozniacki. What's more impressive is that she didn't let her recent poor form and abysmal record against the Dane bother her. Maybe the Belgian is back. Cepelova is also coming off an impressive win over Stosur, but we all know if Sam plays badly, she can be REALLY bad. Yanina just needs to continue her game against Cepelova and it will be enough. I believe she has the experience to come through, giving her a much needed confidence boost.

Pick: Wickmayer in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber
Upset alert: Jelena Jankovic

Doha day 3: Blockbuster Venus vs. Kvitova

Schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/86/title/qatar-total-open

Match focus:

Venus Williams vs. Petra Kvitova

As usual, it is almost impossible to predict a Kvitova match. You just don't know which Petra will show up. The Czech has withdrawn from her last tournament citing illness, so she will be lacking match practice. Let's hope Venus can take advantage of this and level the heads to heads to 2 all. Venus needs this more, so I hope the American will come through.

Pick: Venus in 3 sets

Zhang Shuai vs. Petra Cetkovska

Petra finally overcame a unmotivated Sloane to set up a winnable clash against Zhang Shuai. The Chinese had a good end of 2013, but her season so far has been below average. If Petra plays to her full potential, it will be difficult for the Chinese to beat the creative Czech. Let's hope Petra continues her winning ways and get her ranking up.

Pick; Cetkovska in 2 sets

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Yanina Wickmayer

Caroline Wozniacki owns a perfect 6-0 heads to heads against Yanina Wickmayer and it's tough to see that changing. Despite her loss of confidence and direction, Wozniacki's slump isn't as drastic as Wickmayer's. The Belgian was barely winning matches and went from a top 30 staple to languishing outside the top 50. A B-grade Caroline will still win, but the next match won't be such a certainty.

Pick: Wozniacki in 3 sets


Sure win bets: Li Na, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Sara Errani
Upset alerts: Zhang Shuai, Petra Kvitova, Bethanie Mattek-Sands

Doha day 2: The main action starts

Schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/86/title/qatar-total-open

Match focus:

Ana Ivanovic vs. Daniela Hantuchova

Ana Ivanovic looks to be revived after her impressive win over Serena Williams. She will be fully confident against old rival, Daniela Hantuchova. These 2 have a long history, with Hantuchova accusing Ana of cheating in their Australian Open semi-final back in 2008. Despite that, Daniela has been unable to beat Ana on any other surface other than grass. I don't expect this to change here. Ana's resurgence will continue, and Daniela will continue her mediocre results.

Pick: Ivanovic in 2 sets

Eugenie Bouchard vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands

 

I have a soft spot for Genie as she came down here to Singapore to promote the Year-End Championships. However, I do think that the attention drawn to her is too much too soon. She may have impressive wins over the past 6 months, but the media attention and touting her to be the next-best-thing might be detrimental to her. She will face the tricky Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who just beat her in Sydney earlier this year. This will be a good test of Genie's maturity. If she wins this, she will show the world that she's capable of handling the extra attention. If not, maybe she needs to tone down the media hype and focus on her game more.

Pick: Mattek-Sands in 2 tight sets

Dominika Cibulkova vs. Alisa Kleybanova

Another case of handling the hype after her grand slam success, Dominika choked a tight match against Petkovic in Fed Cup just last week. Can she handle the pressure of being hunted? She has a relatively soft opening in Kleybanova despite the Russian owning a 2-0 heads to heads lead. I cannot really judge Alisa's form as I haven't seen any of her matches since her comeback. It's hard to gauge how much she has regressed from her former self. I believe the old Alisa would have a chance of blasting Cibulkova's serves for winners. Now, I'm not too sure. Heart says Kleybanova, but my head says Cibulkova.

Pick: Cibulkova in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Samantha Stosur, Karolina Pliskova, Monica Niculescu
Upset alert: Kirsten Flipkens, Klara Zakopalova, Kaia Kanepi

Doha day 1: Petrova's back

Match focus:

Peng Shuai vs. Nadia Petrova

One will be forgiven if they thought Nadia Petrova has given up on singles. After a stellar end to 2012, the Russian faded into oblivion in 2013, and suffered a personal tragedy which made her take some time off the tour. Fresh out of qualifying with a few wins under her belt, Nadia stages her comeback against Peng. With a 4-3 lead in heads to heads and winning their last 2 matches, Nadia would like her chances against the Chinese. Nadia needs to serve well and be prepared to scramble. If she's not 100% fit, there's no way she's going to win this. My heart says Nadia, but my mind says Peng. Fitness will definitely be a factor here if it goes to 3 sets.

Pick: Peng in 3 sets

Tsvetana Pironkova vs. Roberta Vinci

I have no idea what happened to Vinci this year, but her form has been non existent. Apart from her doubles success, she has zero wins this year in singles. Despite owning a 3-0 lead against Pironkova, I don't think it matters as she's obviously feeling the strain/or not motivated enough. This is a golden chance for the Bulgarian to snatch her first win over the Italian.

Pick: Pironkova in 2 tight sets

Petra Cetkovska vs. Sloane Stephens

I've always wondered why Cetkovska wasn't ranked higher. The Czech beauty has the variety and can hit hard when needed. The only thing holding her back is her mental game. These two had epic battles for the past 2 years in Wimbledon, where Cetkovska lost in 3 tight sets. Can she take revenge this time on hard courts? Sloane has the tendency to lose concentration midway through the match. If Petra takes advantage of that, she can snare a rare win over the American. Sadly, her head wouldn't allow to do so.

Pick: Stephens in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Flavia Pennetta, Venus Williams
Upset alert: Roberta Vinci, Annika Beck