Eastbourne, Dan Bosch QF: Can Giorgi topple resurgent Caroline?

Camila Giorgi vs. Caroline Wozniacki

Giorgi's playing the best tennis of her career, and winning tight matches. Can she muster the strength to defeat another former number 1? Caroline likes playing on the grass, where she can absorb the power her opponent throws at her. The Dane should enjoy playing Camila, as she supplies a good amount of power for Caroline to redirect the ball. I believe Wozniacki's pesky game will get the better of Giorgi's flashy power game, with a tight 3 sets win. 

Pick: Wozniacki in 3 sets

Lauren Davis vs. Madison Keys

It seems that the future of US tennis lies in these two players. Davis' game actually suits slower surfaces more, but credit has to be given to her for fighting and trying her best on grass. Madison has the advantage with her bombastic serve, but Lauren can draw the errors if she puts in one more ball. But Davis must be feeling the effects of playing so many matches all the way from qualifying, so I believe Keys will have the edge. 

Pick: Keys in 2 sets

Magdalena Rybarikova vs. Annika Beck

The draw for Dan Bosch has been blown wide open with the retirement of Simona Halep. Beck has benefitted from that, but Magdalena is the superior grass court player. With the latest turn of events, Magdalena will be one of the favorites to capture the title. Beck just doesn't have the firepower to excel on this surface. 

Pick: Rybarikova in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Elina Svitolina, Petra Kvitova, Garbine Muguruza

Upset alert: Angelique Kerber, Klara Koukalova

Eastbourne, Dan Bosch day 3: Unpredictable girls

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:

Sloane Stephens vs. Caroline Wozniacki

Caroline is back in her winning ways with a good win over Samantha Stosur. Granted that Stosur's game is not suited for grass, any win for Caroline is a confidence booster. She meets the underachiever, Sloane Stephens. The American is a mystery in non-grand slam events, losing to players she should be owning. However, playing Caroline can be considered a big match, so I think Sloane will raise her level here. Even though Caroline lacks the match play, I think her game suits well against Sloane, and will prevail here.

Pick: Wozniacki in 2 tight sets

Varvara Lepchenko vs. Petra Kvitova

Kvitova is as always unpredictable. Scrapping through her first match against her pigeon, Lucie Safarova, she faces another lefty who can hit a mean ball. It seems that Petra is just content with being a top 10 player, with no real Grand Slam aspirations. Pity as she had the game to win multiple slams. We all know that Petra needs a new coach, a new approach to the game, but she is too stubborn to change. Oh well, watch Petra struggle her way to another win here.

Pick: Kvitova in 3 sets

Michaella Krajicek vs. Yaroslava Shvedova

Michaella Krajicek was once hailed as a future star of WTA until injuries and personal problems took a toll on her. Now at the age of 25, she's beginning to climb back into the top 100. On grass, her serve is a weapon. However, her lack of mobility is a problem and Yaroslava will be eager to exploit that. Shvedova seemed to have overcome her demons with an impressive win over Cibulkova. If she wins this match, it will signal a return to form for the Kazakh. Let's see how she handles the pressure of playing a hometown favourite.

Pick: Krajicek in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Camila Giorgi, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep
Upset alert: Elena Vesnina, Kirsten Flipkens, Vania King

 

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

Eastbourne, Dan Bosch day 1: Vesnina under pressure to defend

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:

Peng Shuai vs. Elena Vesnina

Elena Vesnina is most well known for her mental frailty than her ability to fight. She seemed to have overcome that mental hurdle by winning 2 titles last year, but how she reacts trying to defend is another matter. The Russian will be under the pressure, with so many well ranked players playing this year. It is unlikely that she will defend, but she gets a winnable opening match. Peng is focusing on her doubles so far, but is still a threat in singles. I think this will be a close match, with Elena edging out the Chinese.

Pick: Vesnina in 3 sets

Samantha Stosur vs. Caroline Wozniacki

Stosur's game is not suited for grass despite her big serve. Her spinny strokes do not match well on the slick surface, and the low bounce makes her shanks even worse. Caroline will be the favourite here, but it all depends on whether she has fully healed from her heartbreak. It has been a while since the unfortunate incident, so I believe Caroline will be eager to let her racket do the talking.

Pick: Wozniacki in 3 sets

Elina Svitolina vs. Kurumi Nara

Kurumi's game is more suited for grass with her flat strokes, so it's pretty amazing that she clinched her first title on clay. Against Elina, the Japanese will need to be error-free and not leak too many errors. Kurumi was challenging Jankovic well in Paris, until she started missing the court completely. Let's see if she will lose her concentration here. Svitolina's game on grass should be potent, and will be the favourite to win.

Pick: Svitolina in 2 tight sets

Sure win bets: Agnieszka Radwanska, Garbine Muguruza, Monica Puig
Upset alert: Angelique Kerber, Sloane Stephens, Marina Erakovic

Eastbourne and Dan Bosch: Vesnina and Halep claim their 2nd titles

Eastbourne final:

Elena Vesnina def. Jamie Hampton 6-2 6-1

Elena Vesnina is having the season of her career. From being an eternal bridesmaid who's known for choking the most finals, to winning 2 titles in one season. It was a windy day which wrecked havoc on both players' game. The only difference is that Elena played better on the important points. Jamie shouldn't be too dejected as she won 7 matches in 7 days. Let's hope she's not too tired for Wimbledon. For Vesnina, I'm sure she will carry the confidence forward with her first premier title and look to do some damage in London.

Dan Bosch final:

Simona Halep def. Kirsten Flipkens 6-4 6-2

Looks like the bridesmaids will eventually have their day. Simona Halep caps off an impressive 2 weeks with 2 titles on 2 different surfaces. She had lost 3 finals prior to her triumph last week but now is on a winning streak. Rain interrupted play but there was no stopping Simona. She has found the correct balance between aggressive and defensive play. Looks like her coach change did the trick. Simona will go into Wimbledon ranked in the top 30 and I believe players will be trying to avoid her. Well done Simona!

Eastbourne & Dan Bosch final: Jamie's fairytale continues

Eastbourne final:

Jamie Hampton vs. Elena Vesnina

Jamie Hampton continues to defy the odds by winning against much favoured Caroline Wozniacki. She will be one match away from her first main tour title. This will be Jamie's first final, compared to Vesnina who has a lot of experience in finals. Vesnina has had an easy match coming into the finals so she should be fresh. Besides, she overcame her demons this year by finally clinching her first title after numerous final appearances. Elena is the favourite, but I would love to see Jamie complete her fairytale run. Head says Elena, heart says Jamie.

Pick: Vesnina in 3 sets

Dan Bosch final:

Simona Halep vs. Kirsten Flipkens

The change in surface obviously did not affect Simona as she eased past Carla Suarez Navarro in straight sets. The Romanian is getting into the habit of winning and I think it will take a top 10 player to stop here right now. Flipkens has a nice grass game but against someone like Simona who's extremely high on confidence, it might not be enough. Another statistic that's against Flipkens is that she has never beaten Simona before. Thus, Halep might be one of the few players who wins successive tournaments despite the surface change.

Pick: Halep in 2 tight sets

Eastbourne and Dan Bosch: Caroline the clear favourite now

Eastbourne SF:

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Jamie Hampton

Caroline has passed her previous rounds with flying colours, so it seems that she's back on track and the clear favourite to win here. Obviously, using a new racket gave her the much needed pop in her shots and gave her new confidence. Rumors are that she's reverting back to Babolat after her stint with Yonex. Anyway, she is the favourite in this match as Jamie has already played qualifying and had a huge tussle with Safarova in the quarter-finals. Surely Jamie will be exhausted. She will be happy with her showing here and hopefully bring the form to Wimbledon.

Pick: Wozniacki in 2 sets

Yanina Wickmayer vs. Elena Vesnina



Devoid of any form, Yanina surprises many, maybe even herself, by reaching the semi-finals here. The Belgian has had a horrid year as she struggled to win consecutive matches throughout. She will face Vesnina, who kept her nerves and took out the 2nd seed, Li Na in easy fashion. On grass, Yanina has an advantage with a bigger serve and groundstrokes. However, she needs to strike a balance as Vesnina is a steady player who will not be afriad to attack. I believe the Russian is high on confidence after clinching the doubles title in Paris and will carry it over to here and Wimbledon.

Pick: Vesnina in 3 sets

Dan Bosch SF:

Simona Halep vs. Carla Suarez Navarro

Up until now, Simona Halep has always been unfortunately tagged as the girl who reduced her "assets" to play better tennis. Now, she's letting her tennis speak as she clinched her first title last week and is cruising to another one, on grass as well. Her smooth transition from clay to grass is bouyed by her boost in confidence and it will be interesting to see if Carla can stop this. Both are not particularly well known for their grass court prowess, but Carla has a more explosive game. If one has to pick a favourite, it would have to be the Spaniard.

Pick: Suarez Navarro in 3 sets

Garbine Muguruza vs. Kirsten Flipkens

Garbine Muguruza is playing amazingly well for someone who has an ankle injury. She is taking time off after Wimbledon to have surgery to fix her ankle. I guess her serve helped her by winning a lot of cheap points and on grass, it's more difficult to break serves. Kirsten did well to take out last year's finalist, Urszula Radwanska and will be the firm favourite here. If she doesn't let the expectations get to her, I expect her to cruise through this.

Pick: Flipkens in 2 sets

Eastbourne & Dan Bosch: Road gets tougher for Caroline

Dan Bosch:

Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Tsvetana Pironkova
Urszula Radwanska vs. Kirsten Flipkens
Garbine Muguruza vs. Dominika Cibulkova
Simona Halep vs. Lesia Tsurenko

Eastbourne:

Li Na vs. Elena Vesnina
Ekaterina Makarova vs. Caroline Wozniacki
Jamie Hampton vs. Lucie Safarova
Maria Kirilenko vs. Yanina Wickmayer

Match focus:

Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Tsvetana Pironkova

Carla Suarez Navarro is cruising past her first few matches on grass. Seems like she is getting to terms with the surface switch. However, her road to the title is facing an obstacle in the form of Tsvetana Pironkova. There's something about the green surface that brings out the best in the Bulgarian. Does the Spaniard have enough guile to beat the grass specialist? Carla needs to deploy her cunning slice to disrupt Tsvetana's rhythm. If she can do that, she stands a great chance of winning.

Pick: Suarez Navarro in 3 sets

Ekaterina Makarova vs. Caroline Wozniacki

Caroline Wozniacki defies all odds and reaches the quarter-finals here. Well, she has Laura Robson and Tamira Pazsek to thank as they both gifted the match to her. Robson should be careful as she's fast becoming a flash in the pan, unable to back it up when it mattered. Anyway, Caroline will face Makarova, who won this title a few years ago defeating top players easily. She will not show mercy to the Dane as she's very accustomed to the surface. So far, I've been jinxing for opponents, so maybe this time Caroline might win again?

Pick: Wozniacki in 3 sets

Jamie Hampton vs. Lucie Safarova

All the way from qualifying, Jamie looks to complete her fairytale run to the title. Lucie is not a good grass court player at all, so it's a surprise that she's in the quarter-finals. There's just something about Stosur's game that fits right into Lucie's hitting zone. Anyway, Jamie needs to junk things up to rile Lucie up. Safarova likes a high ball to strike. So if Jamie uses her deep backhand slice to great effect, Lucie will hit herself out of the court. I'm sure the American is tired, but I believe she can do it.

Pick: Hampton in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Simona Halep, Li Na, Maria Kirilenko
Upset alert: Dominka Cibulkova, Kirsten Flipkens, Lucie Safarova

Eastbourne and Dan Bosch: Can Krajicek upset again?

Dan Bosch schedule:

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

Eastbourne schedule:

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

Match focus:

Michaella Krajicek vs. Kirsten Flipkens

Michaella Krajicek made a winning return to the WTA tour by upsetting Silvia Soler-Espinosa. However, Silvia is primarily a clay courter, so her loss is hardly unexpected. Michaella will face a tougher test against the 4th seed, Kirsten Flipkens. Flipken's has a good game for grass and she started her revival here last year in this event as well. Will it happen for Krajicek this year? I believe Flipkens passed a very tough test in taking out Schiavone, so she should be able to take this one as well. As long as she doesn't let the partisan crowd get to her.

Pick: Flipkens in 3 sets

Laura Robson vs. Caroline Wozniacki

Laura crumbled against Caroline in Roland Garros despite going in the tournament with good form. Let's see if she can make things right in her home country. Anyone who watched Caroline's match against Tamira will see that she has yet to improve. Basically, Tamira was way off and it didn't take a lot of retrieving for Paszek to hit the ball out. Caroline is still way too passive and giving too many short balls for her opponent to attack. Laura should be a tougher test with her huge serve and big forehand. If she keeps her errors low and not get riled up by the short balls, she should be the victor.

Pick: Robson in 2 tight sets

Marion Bartoli vs. Li Na

With Bartoli's ranking slipping, we are treated to an early round clash between these 2 very capable grass court players. Both are not in great form now, so it will be an even match-up. Both players will be looking forward to getting the first strike, so expect a lot of short points. With Li's early exits in the last couple of years in Wimbledon, I think Marion is the slight favourite here. Let's see if Li can overturn the tide and get a good win here.

Pick: Bartoli in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Maria Kirilenko, Petra Kvitova, Stefanie Voegele
Upset alert: Li Na, Caroline Wozniacki, Dominika Cibulkova