Linz, Osaka, Tianjin finals: Riske claims her maiden crown

Linz finals:

Karolina Pliskova def. Camila Giorgi 6-7(4) 6-3 7-6(4)

Camila Giorgi certainly has to rein down her ultra aggressive game, and stengthen up her mental game because she just gives away too many free points. Pliskova served well and had some goo returns, but Camila's game is just too hit or miss to really win anything significant. Giorgi came all the way from 1-5 down and wasted a match point on Pliskova's serve, showing how up and down her game is. Hopefully she will find a middle ground for her game as when she's nervous and piling up the errors, she's already putting herself at a disadvantage. With this win, Pliskova bolsters her chance of making the mini-YEC in Sofia, and with some steady results in slams, I'm sure Karolina will be a staple hold in the top 20.

Osaka finals:

Samatha Stosur def. Zarina Diyas 7-6(7) 6-3

As expected, Stosur claims her 3rd title in Osaka, defending her title from last year. Samantha always does well in this tournament, and will be looking to qualify for the mini-YEC in Sofia as well. Diyas played well for her first final, but losing the first set in such a tight manner did her in. If Zarina somehow edged out the first set, I'm sure she will be more confident of her chances. Nevertheless, it's been a stellar year for the young Kazakh, going from outside the top 100 to firmly in the top 40. I believe she can be a steady top 30 player if she keeps up her form.

Tianjin finals:

Alison Riske def. Belinda Bencic 6-3 6-4

Belinda Bencic must be too nervous at the aspect of becoming the youngest winner since 2006. She was not her steady best, while Alison just had to be solid with her game. The American had an uneven season this year, but her last season form has been solid, culminating in her maiden title run. Alison's game is still a bit hit and miss for me, so it'll be interesting to see how she follows up after this triumph. As for Belinda, time is on her side, so 2015 will be an exciting year for her after her first full season.

Linz. Osaka, Tianjin final: 3 peat for Stosur

Linz final:

Camila Giorgi vs. Karolina Pliskova

Karolina Pliskova is having a very good season, making her 5th final of the year. She faces the hard hitting Giorgi, whose all-or-nothing game seems to be tailored to the fast indoor surface. Giorgi will be hunting for her first title, so there will definitely be nerves. When the Italian gets nervous, the only way she knows how to deal with it is to hit harder. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't. Against Pliskova's hige serve, I am leaning towards the Czech player as she has a more powerful and reliable serve compared to the Italian's erratic one. However, you'll never know which Giorgi will show up.

Pick: Pliskova in 3 sets

Osaka final:

Samantha Stosur vs. Zarina Diyas

Osaka is Samantha's favourite hunting ground. She always seem to find her game in this Japanese city, having won her first title and kickstarted her last season revival last year. I think Stosur will be poised to win her 3rd title here as Diyas is making her final debut and will definitely be nervous. Stosur's game doesn't work well against tall hard hitting players, which Diyas is neither. The Kazakh is more of a scrappy counterpuncher, who can be overpowered. Stosur's spinny and unorthodox game will be difficult for the young rising star to deal with.

Pick: Stosur in 2 sets

Tianjin final:

Alison Riske vs. Belinda Bencic

Both final debutantes, I believe this final will be a nervy affair. Bencic is trying to be the youngest title winner since 2006 at 16 years old. Not too sure whether is will spur her on or add pressure to her shoulders, but I think the calm Swiss Miss has the more well-rounded game. Riske's game is a pleasure when it's on, but when she feels the pressure, she can spray the balls all over the court. Bencic's more steady and counterpunching game is more dependable, and will be the slight favourite to capture her first title.

Pick: Bencic in 2 sets

Linz, Osaka, Tianjin SF: Rising stars mke SF debut

Linz schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/461/title/generali-ladies-linz

Osaka schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/340/title/japan-womens-open-tennis

Tianjin schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/3783/title/tianjin-open--tianjin-china

Match focus:

Anna-Lena Friedsam vs. Karolina Pliskova

I cannot comment much on Anna-Lena's game as I have honestly never seen her play before. The young German rising star has had a dream run to her semi-final debut, and will be facing the in-form Karolina Pliskova. Judging by Pliskova's form in recent months, it's a tough task for the youngster to stage another upset. The fast indoor surface suits Pliskova's huge serve, so Friedsam will need to go for her own shots more. I believe Karolina will win this and reach yet another final, her 5th this year.

Pick: Pliskova in 2 sets

Zarina Diyas vs. Luksika Kumkhum

Both these players were nominated for the Rising Stars poll to play in a mini-exhibition in Singapore, and Diyas made it to the top 2 in the Asia Pacific region. However, judging by recent form, I would have to say Kumkhum does stand a chance. Luksika's all-or-nothing game has been reaping rewards for her, capturing a gold medal in Asian games doubles and a silver in singles. If she continues to hit the lines and play with courage, she can hit the slightly underpowered Diyas off the court. Zarina will really need to be patient and "push" to irritate the Thai. With her maturing game and rising ranking, I think Diyas will eventually find a way to overcome the rather one-dimensional game of Luksika.

Pick: Diyas in 3 sets

Zheng Saisai vs. Alison Riske

Zheng Saisai makes her semi-final debut as well, showing why she's one of the rising stars coming to Singapore. Against the hard-hitting Riske, I do think she has a good chance of reaching her maiden final. Riske plays a high-risk game as her names suggests, and Saisai has the game to neutralize the flat balls that Alison is sending to her. Zheng has been patient so far with her game, and I believe she has what it takes to outlast the American and reach her first WTA final, provided her nerves doesn't get to her.

Pick: Zheng in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Camila Giorgi, Samantha Stosur
Upset alert: Peng Shuai

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

US Open day 5: Venus's golden opportunity

Upset of the day:

Karolina Pliskova def. Ana Ivanovic 7-5 6-4

Ana's grand slam woes continues as she crashes out to her earliest defeat in majors this year to Karolina Pliskova. While the Czech is no pushover, as the tour leading player with the most wins, I expected Ivanovic to win this. As usual, the jittery and inconsistent Ana showed up, and Karolina was steady enough to cause the upset. This will cause a huge dent to Ana's chances of qualifying for Singapore. She will have to make it up with a congested fall schedule, which may result in another burnout.

Schedule of play:

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/schedule/index.html?promo=subnav

Match focus:

Sara Errani vs. Venus Williams

Playing arguably her best tennis since her auto-immune diagnosis, this is Venus' golden chance to stay in the draw for the second week. Errani has had a horrific US Open swing, and barely made it against journeywoman Rodionova. Venus' power should be able to derail the pesky Italian, as long as she doesn't make silly mistakes. With the US crowd firmly behind her, an upset is likely here.

Pick: Williams in 2 sets

Maria Sharapova vs. Sabine Lisicki

Sharapova played an ultimate atrocious match in her 2nd round, and was only able to squeak through a lowly ranked Dulgheru. If she continues playing that badly, Lisicki will make her pay. The German's serve is already a weapon, but coupled with Maria's unstable serve, the match might be over soon if Sabine finds her range. However, being the tour's biggest fighter, Sabine might falter when nearing the finish line. So be prepared for a topsy turvy match.

Pick: Sharapova in 3 sets

Roberta Vinci vs. Peng Shuai

Confidence is a funny thing. When you just caused the biggest upset of tournament, can you carry the momentum forward to your next match? Peng will have to answer this question as she attempts to replicate the form that destroyed Radwanska. Vinci reached the quarter-finals here last year, but is plagued by bad form throughout the year. If Peng imposes her powerful game, it will be a straightforward victory for the Chinese. The trick for Peng is to concentrate on this match and not look ahead. She tends to overthink, causing her to lose matches and countless title matches.

Pick: Peng in 3 sets

Andrea Petkovic vs. Caroline Wozniacki

Wozniacki had a minor incident with her hair in her 2nd round match, but was straightforward in her dismissal of Sasnovich. She didn't need to get into second gear in fact. But against the dangerous Petkovic, she will have to play her best. While the German hasn't enjoyed the easiest wins so far, she tends to raise her level against quality opponents. It will be a close fight, but I believe Caroline's recent fine form will gain her the victory.

Pick: Wozniacki in 2 tight sets

Sure win bets: Simona Halep, Jelena Jankovic, Angelique Kerber
Upset alert: Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci, Lucie Safarova

Stanford, Washington day 3: Serena starts her comeback!

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:

Serena Williams vs. Karolina Pliskova

Serena claims to be healthy and ready to go for her US Open series campaign. Nevertheless, there will be doubts about her health given how out of sorts she was in Wimbledon. Serena did mention that she will get a health check after the season, so maybe the mysterious illness is still bugging her. The question is can Pliskova take this chance and upset the rusty Serena? Karolina's game is pretty one-dimensional, so Serena shouldn't have a problem. The Czech isn't exactly known for her fighting abilities as well. Looks like a straightforward opener for the world number 1.

Pick: Serena in 2 sets

Naomi Osaka vs. Andrea Petkovic

Samantha Stosur's days as a top 20 player are number if she can lose to someone who's making her main draw debut. Naomi Osaka has a hard-hitting game, but it's not something that Stosur isn't accustomed to. Her mental frailty was painfully exposed by the teenager, who seemed like the veteran on court. Petkovic is likely to impose herself on the gutsy teenager. Andrea's game is scrappy, so Naomi will have to hit that extra ball to win the point. Tough to do it for the whole match.

Pick: Petkovic in 2 sets

Kristina Mladenovic vs. Taylor Townsend

Mladenovic unceremoniously dumped top seed Lucie Safarova in her opening match, opening up the top half of the draw. Kristina's game blows hot and cold, so it's important to stay with her when she's hitting the spots. Taylor Townsend has an all court game which will give Kristina no rhythm to work with. Coupled with her tricky lefty serve. the American is poised to take this match. I just hope that the pressure doesn't get to Taylor, playing in front of her home crowd.

Pick: Townsend in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Monica Puig, Agnieszka Radwanska, Serena Williams
Upset alert: Sorana Cirstea, Kurumi Nara, Marina Erakovic

Stanford, Washington day 1: US Open series begins

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:

Kimiko Date-Krumm vs. Karolina Pliskova

The evergreen Kimiko Date-Krumm continues to give young girls fits with her unorthodox game. The only thing that's holding her back is her lac of finishing touch. The Japanese had lost too many matches due to her nerves and weak serve. She has a chance against the lanky Pliskova, as her low flat strokes will cause the Czech problems. However, as usual, I think Kimiko will buckle at the important moments and Karolina will advance to the next round.

Pick: Pliskova in 3 sets

Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Andrea Petkovic

Rising star Alja Tomljanovic has defected to Australia, but is still competing under the Croatian flag for regular events. Let's see if this defection will cause her some distractions. Petkovic has been playing well for the past months, winning a title in Bad Gastein despite not playing her best. The German will be the slight favourite here, as Alja is showing signs of slowing down. Still, Andrea must play her best to overcome the big serving Alja, as the Australian/Croatian can hit a mean ball. It should be a close match.

Pick: Petkovic in 3 sets

Julia Goerges vs. Taylor Townsend

Julia Goerges had a good season in 2011, and prompty faded into oblivion. There were signs of her coming back with sporadic good wins, but her losses to unknown entities kept coming. At this point of her career, it's almost certain to say that the German will not be back in the top 20. Her strokes are just too erratic and there's no game plan at all except wallop the ball at full speed. Taylor Townsend is America's new hope with her exciting all court game and deceptively good movement. With Julia's confidence at an all time low, Taylor should be able to capitalize on that and gain momentum from the home crowd support. Look out for Taylor.

Pick: Townsend in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Samantha Stosur, Madison Keys, Alison Riske
Upset alert: Sorana Cirstea, Caroline Garcia, Vania King

Wimbledon day 4: Can little Jie upset Ana?

Schedule of play:

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

Match focus:

Ana Ivanovic vs. Zheng Jie

It's no secret that Zheng thrives on the green grass. She has posted her best results on this surface, and fittingly kickstart her season with several wins on grass. Against Ivanovic, Zheng is really a underdog. The Serbian is playing with confidence and striking the ball with venom. Zheng will need to be clean with her errors and be on the offensive at all times. A very daunting task. Besides, Ana will ruthlessly punish Zheng's weak serves as well.

Pick: Ivanovic in 2 sets

Karolina Pliskova vs. Sabine Lisicki

Both ladies possess a booming serve, but Sabine Lisicki backs it up with her powerful groundstrokes. Pliskova's lanky frame makes her rather clumsy on court, and she doesn't reach low enough for the low bounces on grass. Thus, Lisicki is the firm favourite here. Playing in Wimbledon obviously invigorates her as shown in her first round demolition. Let's see if this motivated Sabine will show up against seeded players.

Pick: Lisicki in 2 sets

Klara Koukalova vs. Madison Keys

Keys really surprised me with her title run in Eastbourne. I thought she will be one of those wasted talents, never fully fulfilling her talent because of her fragile mind. She proved me wrong with courageous hitting, and she seems to be carrying the form here into Wimbledon. Madison needs to be careful though, as Klara's game is also quite potent on grass. Still, I believe that Keys is high on confidence, and can cause the mini upset here.

Pick: Keys in 2 sets

Donna Vekic vs. Vera Zvonareva

Former finalist Vera showed plenty of fight against Tara Moore, but it doesn't bode well to struggle against a British wildcard. Vekic is the firm favourite here, as Zvonareva is a shadow of herself. The Russian's strokes has lost its sting, and her movement isn't as crisp as it was. I believe Vera will never duplicate her peak form again, but credit has to be given to her for trying. Donna will be looking at her first 3rd round appearance in a grand slam, and hopefully doesn't choke this great draw.

Pick: Vekic in 2 sets

Alison Riske vs. Camila Giorgi

Both players hit a very flat ball and have very little margin of error. It will be a ball bashing fiesta here, with neither one having the clear edge. However, I would favour Giorgi, given her recent run in Eastbourne, and winning matches on a regular basis these few months. Riske will have to put plenty of first serves in and keep pressuring Giorgi's serve to win this.

Pick: Giorgi in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Eugenie Bouchard, Andrea Petkovic, Carla Suarez Navarro
Upset alert: Alize Cornet, Klara Koukalova, Kaia Kanepi