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

US Open day 3: All according to script?

Upset of the previous day:


Catherine Bellis def. Dominika Cibulkova 6-1 4-6 6-4

I know Cibulkova isn't playing well, but to lose to someone ranked outside the top 1000 is just baffling. Bellis took advantage of Dominika's weak serve and made her look like the one who's ranked outside the top 1000. With this, she becomes the youngest player to win a Grand Slam match since Anna Kournikova. As for Cibulkova, she needs to take a break and find herself again.

Match focus:

Daniela Hantuchova vs. Alize Cornet

Daniela is defending quarter-finalist points here, but it's tough to see her reaching that stage. Cornet's scrambling game will make Hantuchova go for too much, and hit herself out of the tournament. Daniela's form has been dire for the past year, so I don't think she can surprise at the twilight years of her career.

Pick: Cornet in 2 sets

Belinda Bencic vs. Kurumi Nara

Promising star Belinda Bencic stands a good chance of upsetting Kurumi Nara, one of the weaker seeds in the draw. However, Kurumi has been improving a lot this year, and Bencic will have to play her best to topple the Japanese. The Swiss still has some maturing to do game-wise, so while I believe she will put up a good fight, the steadier Nara will still emerge victorious.

Pick: Nara in 3 sets

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni vs. Shahar Peer

One of these ladies will have a chance to appear in a 3rd round of a Grand Slam, which is a very nice surprise for these 2 aging players. It is arguable that the best years of these ladies are over, so the reward in the last 32 will be extra sweet. Mirjana can hit with the best players of the world, but she's just not consistent enough. Peer's game will make Lucic try outrageous shots, so the Israeli stands at an advantage here.

Pick: Peer in 3 sets

Sloane Stephens vs. Johanna Larsson

Sloane Stephens is playing well, but her opponent just destroyed Virginie Razzano with the dreaded double bagel in her first round. Can Larsson carry her good form here? Firstly, she will be daunted by the prospect of playing an American on the huge Arthur Ashe stadium. Besides, Larsson's game will always be limited by her weak backhand. Sloane will take full advantage of that side and cruise to a comfortable victory.

Pick: Stephens in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep
Upset alert: Roberta Vinci, Andrea Petkovic

New Haven day 2: Last min preparation before the big one

Schedule of play:

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

Match focus:

Dominika Cibulkova vs. Andrea Petkovic

The American hard court season is normally where Cibulkova excels. However, this year, she is in absolutely horrific form, winning only 1 match against an unheralded Abanda. Looks like her woes will continue against Andrea Petkovic, who is playing good tennis once again. Not too sure what's bothering Dominika, but she needs to either take a break to regroup herself, or get a new coach. The constant losing will not be good on her mental game.

Pick: Petkovic in 2 sets

Garbine Muguruza vs. Sara Errani

Like Cibulkova, Errani has been struggling for the American hardcourt swing. She will face another hard-hitter, Muguruza after being ousted twice by Lisicki. Muguruza might not serve as hard as the German, but she can hit a mean ball from the ground. Sara will need to be patient and make Garbine commit the error. The good thing for Sara is that Garbine can lose to grinders, as evidenced by her puzzling loss to Annika Beck last week. Sara's game is better than Beck's, so the Italian looks poised to win another match here.

Pick: Errani in 3 sets

Bojana Jovanovski vs. Eugenie Bouchard

Major alarm bells will ring if Bouchard manages to lose this one. The hyped-up Canadian hasn't won a match so far in the American hard court season, so she has to prove herself here against Jovanovski. To be fair, Eugenie only played badly against Shelby Rogers, while Kuznetsova is always a dangerous opponent. So I believe Eugenie will right the ship and cruise to an easy victory here. If she manages to lose this, it will seem like she has crumbled under the heavy expecations laid upon her.

Pick: Bouchard in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Kirsten Flipkens, Elina Svitolina, Caroline Wozniacki
Upset alert: Dominika Cibulkova, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, Magdalena Rybarikova

Cincinnati day 1: Can Pennetta break out of her horrific slump

Schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/1118/title/western-southern-open

Match focus:

Chanelle Scheepers vs. Flavia Pennetta

Pennetta's record since Indian Wells has been a paltry 7-9 win-loss record. This is really absurd for someone who has started the year so well. The Italian might be carrying an injury, but if you're injured, you shouldn't even be on the court. Anyway, Pennetta gets a soft opening match here against Scheepers. If she manages to screw this up, I'm afraid she's done for the year, or maybe even her career. Flavia needs to grab this chance, and stop the horrific slump before it gets embarassing.

Pick: Pennetta in 2 tight sets

Alize Cornet vs. Madison Keys

Even though Keys has won her first event in Eastbourne, I believe her game still needs some polishing. The American is too impatient at times and commits silly errors during important points. Cornet is a good player for Keys to play against as Alize will thrive on these small little errors. Besides, Alize will make Keys want to hit that winner with her endless retrieving, testing the patience of the American. This should be a tight one, but Cornet has the experience and might irritate Keys into hitting herself out of the tournament.

Pick: Cornet in 3 sets

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Dominika Cibulkova

Much like Pennetta, Cibulkova is at a disappointing 5-7 win-loss record after her appearance in Kuala Lumpur. This is extremely shocking as it was remarked on how much she has improved in Melbourne. As with Flavia, there is a possibility that she's playing through an injury, but it is never wise to do that. Thus, Pavlyuchenkova should be able to cruise through this. The Australian Open finalist is just too fragile at this moment to be winning matches against top 30 players.

Pick: Pavlyuchenkova in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Belinda Bencic, Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki,
Upset alert: Zhang Shuai, Klara Koukalova, Samantha Stosur

Stanford, Washington day 2: Revenge for Ivanovic?

Stanford schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/637/title/bank-of-the-west-classic

Washington schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/2182/title/citi-open

Match focus;

Sabine Lisicki vs. Ana Ivanovic

Ana's last loss was against Sabine Lisicki on grass in Wimbledon.The Serbian will be looking forward to taking revenge here on her favoured hard courts. Sabine's game is quite elementary on surfaces other than grass, so Ana should have the advantage here. Nevertheless, Lisicki might have a day where she can't miss, then Ana will just have to blame it on her bad luck.

Pick: Ivanovic in 2 sets

Dominika Cibulkova vs. Garbine Muguruza

Dominika's title defense will face a tough test in her first round, where she faces the hard hitting Muguruza. Garbine's year has been impressive so far, although she went missing for a few months after losing the final to Koukalova. With Garbine back on track with her impressive showing in Paris, Dominika will have to play her A game to open her title defense. Cibulkova plays her best tennis on American hardcourts though, so she still has a slight edge over Muguruza, who didn't have too much of an impressive record before.

Pick: Cibulkova in 3 sets

Magdalena Rybarikova vs. Ekaterina Makarova

Another titlelist will find her title defense tough as Rybarikova faces the dangerous Makarova in her opening match. Magdalena has won the title for the past 2 years, but with a stronger field this year, defense of her title seems impossible. Makarova is playing better now, as compared to Rybarikova, who had some puzzling losses recently. I'm afraid Magdalena's ranking will take a tumbling after this match.

Pick: Makarova in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Venus Williams, Daniela Hantuchova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Upset alert: Yanina Wickmayer, Kirsten Flipkens, Marina Erakovic

Wimbledon day 5: Former champions clash

Upset of the previous day:

Zarina Diyas def. Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6(12) 5-7 6-2

Carla's game has the potential to excel on grass, but her mindset is always tuned on clay court tennis. Zarina fought well and the difference was winning that ultra close tiebreak. Even though the Spaniard won the second set, she ran out of steam in the third to the younger Diyas. Zarina has been languishing in ITFs for a while now, and it's nice to see her finally breakthrough into the main tour. With her compact game, she should be competent on the green grass. Let's see how she fares against Zvonareva next.

Schedule of play:

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

Match focus:

Petra Kvitova vs. Venus Williams

Two former champions clash early due to Venus's low ranking, and the crowd will be treated to a good grass court match between these two hard hitters. Petra's form is imperious so far, serving bagels in both her matches. In comparison, Venus has struggled against Torro-Flor and Nara. Doesn't bode well for the 5 time champion. Still, I think Kvitova will need some time to get used to Venus's game before running away with the match.

Pick: Kvitova in 2 sets

Lucie Safarova vs. Dominika Cibulkova

Lucie Safarova has never taken a set off Dominika Cibulkova in their previous 3 meetings. Can she finally claim a set with Cibulkova's suspect form? Safarova's game doesn't really suit grass, but she has managed to win 2 close matches so far. Cibulkova on the other hand, struggled to put away unheralded Alison Van Uytvanck in her 2nd round. Lucie has a chance here, but I believe Cibulkova's fight will see her through. Lucie might claim her first set over the Slovak here though.

Pick: Cibulkova in 3 sets

Belinda Bencic vs. Victoria Duval

This might be the future rivalry of women's tennis, as youngsters Bencic and Duval upset their more accomplished opponents to reach the 2nd round. Duval's win over Cirstea is more impressive, and considering she injured her back during the qualifying tournament. How long she can keep that up is questionable, but hopefully she's not too hampered by the pain. Bencic will need to take advantage of this and avenge her loss to Victoria in Acapulco this year. If Duval is healthy, she has the more natural grass game. However, with her back affected, I think Bencic will clinch this.

Pick: Bencic in 2 sets

Carolina Garcia vs. Ekaterina Makarova

Makarova is the more accomplished player on grass, but both players had similar struggles to reach the third round. Caroline upset Errani, but the Italian is one of the weakest gras court players on tour. These 2 have only met once, where Makarova trounced Garcia last year in Washington. It is safe to say that Garcia is a different player now, but the Frenchwoman has the expectations on her shoulders now. She didn;t handle the pressure well at all in Paris, let's see if she relaxes a little in London. This should be a close one, but Makarova should be able to scrape through this.

Pick: Makarova in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Li Na, Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, Carolina Wozniacki, Bojana Jovanovski
Upset alert: Peng Shuai

Eastbourne, Dan Bosch day 2: Azarenka's comeback

Eastbourne schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/644/title/aegon-international

Dan Bosch schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/756/title/topshelf-open

Match focus:

Victoria Azarenka vs. Camila Giorgi

Azarenka faces a tough match on her first tournament back after her injury. Giorgi's hard strokes work well on grass, and Victoria needs to be on the alert immediately. I guess it's too early in her comeback for Azarenka to spring back into winning matches, so I believe Camila will score an upset here. Victoria should just test if she's fully healed and gain some match play before Wimbledon.

Pick: Giorgi in 2 sets

Madison Keys vs. Jelena Jankovic

On grass, Keys' massive serve is a weapon. However, she doesn't have the patience to construct points, committing numerous silly errors. Jelena will attempt to exploit this flaw in Madison's game by retrieving all the balls that the American throws at her. Unless Keys commits no errors, Jelena will emerge the winner. Still, we can expect flashes of brilliance from Madison. However, flashes do not win the match.

Pick: Jankovic in 3 sets

Yaroslava Shvedova vs. Dominika Cibulkova

Yaroslava's famous golden set happened on grass courts, so it's obvious she's comfortable on the surface. Against Cibulkova, she definitely has a chance as Dominika doesn't excel on this surface. However, the mental game of Shvedova is brittle, and Dominika fights for every point like it's her last. Besides, Cibulkova is eager to erase her forgettable clay season with good results on grass. This will be close, but Dominika should be able to edge out a win.

Pick: Cibulkova in 3 sets


Sure win bets: Belinda Bencic, Petra Kvitova, Garbine Muguruza
Upset alert: Flavia Pennetta, Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci

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