Linz, Osaka, Tianjin QF: Keys ready for the next level?

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:

Camila Giorgi vs. Marina Erakovic

With the lightnig fast surface, it's no wonder these 2 players have posted good results here. Out of these 2 players, I would say Giorgi has the more lethal game on the indoor surface. The Italian's flat serve and groundstrokes have been clicking so far, so it's difficult to get into a rhythm with her playing so well. Marina will need to disrupt Camila's rhythm by using slices and volleys to rush her. It won't be an easy task though, with the way Camila has been playing.

Pick: Giorgi in 2 tight sets

Luksika Kumkhum vs. Madison Keys

Madison Keys has won her first title this year, but has since regressed back into her erratic ways. The American has the game to be a solid top 20 player, but has to rein in her aggressive play at the right time. This probably wouldn't happen too often, but Keys is facing an opponent with an even more aggressive mindset than her. Kumkhum can wallop the ball as well as anybody, but her lack of a defensive game puts her at a disadvantage when she's pulled wide. Both players need plenty of maturing to do, but Keys should be the one who is more experienced in the big stage.

Pick: Keys in 2 sets

Zheng Saisai vs. Sorana Cirstea

With her huge upset over Jankovic, Zheng Saisai will need to focus immediately on another dangerous opponent in former top 20 player Cirstea. The Romanian has rekindled her fire recently, and will be the slight favourite here. Zheng will need to play a very steady and counter punching game against the hard hitting Sorana. If the Chinese can get the Romanian riled up, she can cause another upset. However, Zheng has the habit of faltering after a big win, so I expect Sorana to cruise.

Pick: Cirstea in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Belinda Bencic, Varvara Lepchenko, Samantha Stosur
Upset alert: Zarina Diyas

Linz, Osaka, Tianjin day 3: Struggling girls attempt to rise up again

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

Match focus:

Klara Koukalova vs. Marina Erakovic

Klara was enjoying one of her best years on tour, until she began to return to her losing ways. Her season was highlighted by capturing her first title in 9 years, but has been 3-7 in her last 10 matches. This is the unpredictable Koukalova, who appears to sulk more than enjoy playing tennis. Erakovic enjoyed a great win over the talented Garcia, so she will be the favourite here. I do expect Klara's flat strokes to be effective here, but with her confidence so low, I doubt she will hit enough balls in the court to win this.

Pick: Erakovic in 3 sets

Yulia Putintseva vs. Heather Watson

As much as I love to loathe Putintseva, she does have a pretty powerful and compact game. Against someone with limited power like Watson, she has the chance to overpower the Brit. Not too sure what happened to Yulia, as she was on the ascend one year ago. Now, she's struggling mightily and just not winning the matches she's supposed to win. I believe this girl needs a mental psychologist to tone her on-court antics down. So much drama isn't good for her otherwise effective game. Look out for another typical Yulia meltdown.

Pick: Watson in 3 sets

Sorana Cirstea vs. Andrea Hlavackova

2 girls who are on the free fall this yeat attempt to correct their win-loss record for this season. Hlavackova has been concentrating on her doubles career so far, so it's good to see her making an effort in singles again. Even though she had a good win over Puig, I believe Sorana has the more powerful game. The Romanian is out of the top 50 for the first time in about 4 to 5 years, so this should be a humbling experience for her. It's not everyday that I say this, but Sorana has the better court sense than Hlavackova. The Czech often goes for outrageous shots in impossible positions, losing the points 90% of the time. Sorana should cruise through this.

Pick: Cirstea in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Luksika Kumkhum, Varvara Lepchenko, Camila Giorgi
Upset alert: Ajla Tomljanovic, Klara Koukalova

Linz, Osaka, Tianjin day 1: Last chance to grab points

Linz schedule of play:

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

Match focus:

Marina Erakovic vs, Caroline Garcia

When Garcia hits her stride, she's very difficult to beat. That's what's happening to the youngster as she had a good run in Wuhan and Beijing. Erakovic is also a streaky player, but I think Caroline should be confident of her chances after her Asian swing. Caroline's problem will always be trying to balance offense and defense, so if Marina plays her defense well enough, Caroline might self-implode. The New Zealander isn't a defensive player though, so the odds are against her.

Pick: Garcia in 2 sets

Elina Svitolina vs. Shelby Rogers

Both players are considered rising stars in the WTA poll, so it might develop into a nice rivalry in the future. Svitolina's run in Wuhan was surprising, as she upset the consistent Kerber and effectively ended her campaign for Singapore. With that win, it is safe to say that the Ukrainian is the huge favourite. Shelby's results has been too inconsistent to challenge the steady Elina, so she might claim a set, but not the match.

Pick: Svitolina in 3 sets

Olga Govortsova vs. Francesca Schiavone

While Schiavone is not the player that she was, she still has enough game to tame the lesser players. Govortsova is a typical one dimensional ball-basher with almost zero game plan. The wily Italian will be quick to deploy her slices to disrupt the rhythm, and make Olga self-destruct. I will be very worried if the former slam champion loses this.

Pick: Schiavone in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Belinda Bencic, Alison Riske, Barbora Strycova Zahlavova, Madison Keys
Upset alert: Sorana Cirstea, Annika Beck, Eri Hozumi, Erika Sema

US Open day 4: Shaky Azarenka in doubt

Upset of the previous day:

Peng Shuai def. Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3 6-4

 There's something about New York that just doesn't gel well with Agnieszka. Of all of her appearances here, she has never made it past the 4th round, which is shocking given her first real breakthrough was here when she shocked Sharapova. While Peng is a capable player, able to cause real trouble on her day, Radwanska should have used her craft to move Peng around. Just a very weird and abnormal display from the 4th seed. Maybe she just doesn't have what it takes to win a major.

Schedule of play:

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/schedule/schedule10.html

Match focus:

Christina McHale vs. Victoria Azarenka

Azarenka struggled against a lowly ranked Doi in her first round, and will face a sterner test against American McHale. Christina enjoys homeground advantage, and if there's a chance for an upset, it is now. Victoria has lost her groove on her service, and is leaking double faults on crucial moments. Christina will need to be steady, and let Victoria earn her points. If she can make it tight, Azarenka might break. Still, I think McHale doesn't have the mental fortitude to finish the job.

Pick: Azarenka in 3 sets

Sorana Cirstea vs. Eugenie Bouchard

Just when you classify Sorana Cirstea as a walking bye, she astonishes everyone with a drubbing of Heather Watson. While the Brit is no world beater, Sorana was clinical in her disposal of her opponent. Against Bouchard, Cirstea does stand a chance. The Canadian barely won matches in her lead up to US Open, and might be feeling the pressure. If Sorana gets the lead early, she has a good chance of causing the upset. As always, you'll never know which Cirstea will show up though.

Pick: Bouchard in 3 sets

Marina Erakovic vs. Elena Vesnina

Svetlana really should be punishing herself now for not taking her chance with a wide open draw. Marina fought to the bitter end, and deserves her spot in the 2nd round. Elena Vesnina has not had a good year after her breakthrough last year. This is a good chance to salvage some of her pride as she attempts to reach the 3rd round in a slam for the first time this year. Both players are pretty evenly matched, with their head-to-head tied at 2-2. I believe though that Erakovic has the bigger win, and should be more confident of her chances. Vesnina hasn't had a notable win for quite a while, so she's in danger.

Pick: Erakovic in 3 sets

Samantha Stosur vs. Kaia Kanepi

Kaia seems to be back with her straightforward win over Parmentier, and she stands a good chance against Stosur. The tall Estonian can counter Samantha's kick serve with her powerful strokes. Kaia just needs to have the belief and make Stosur hit that extra ball. Kanepi has made known that she won't be on tour for long due to a chronic heel injury, so I hope she gets her last hurrah here. Kaia has been very unlucky with her injuries, and would have definitely be ranked higher if not for her constant disruptions.

Pick: Kanepi in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Serena Williams, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Ekaterina Makarova, Petra Kvitova
Upset alert: Zarina Diyas, Samantha Stosur, Elena Vesnina, Carla Suarez Navarro

Stanford, Washington SF: Serena to exact revenge

Stanford SF:

Serena Williams vs. Andrea Petkovic

Petkovic ruined an all-Williams encounter, which Serena will be hungry to take revenge for elder sister. Serena showed old signs of being a fighter in her ultra close match against Ivanovic, so Petkovic will need to play much better than against Venus. Andrea was lucky that Venus got tired in the end, but Serena looks fit and ready, so a win for the world number seems more likely. Besides, Serena has dominant wins over Andrea this year, so this match should be the same.

Pick: Williams in 2 sets

Angelique Kerber vs. Varvara Lepchenko

Interestingly, Lepchenko has a leading head to head against the higher ranked Kerber. The American won 4 times in 6 meetings, but lost the most recent 2 meetings in the last 2 years. All of Varvara's victories came when Kerber was still languishing below top 50. Thus, Kerber looks set to inch closer to tying the head to head here. Except for that bizarre bagel set loss to Vandeweghe, Kerber has been playing well and clinical in her matches. It will be a surprise if Lepchenko can cause another huge upset after beating Radwanska.

Pick: Kerber in 2 sets

Washington SF:

Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Ekaterina Makarova

 

As a 2 time grang slam champion, it's really mind-boggling to see Kuznetsova struggling like this. It's not as if she has lost her ability to hit her thunderous forehand. Maybe her serve has regressed a bit, but her flaky mentality is at its best, hindering her from obtaining the results that she can achieve. As a former US Open champion, she should be the favourite here, but Makarova has been steady throughput the tournament. The advantage the Svetlana had will be her extra day off given Vania King's withdrawal. Let's hope Kuznetsova can win this title to give her frail confidence level a boost before New York.

Pick: Kuznetsova in 3 sets

Kurumi Nara vs. Marina Erakovic

Out of nowhere, these 2 slumping players managed to somehow reach the semi-finals. Erakovic has been on a decline recently, struggling to win even the most basic matches. It's not that she doesn't have the game, but her consistency is not there. Seems like she got it right this week, playing good aggressive tennis to win her matches without much trouble. These 2 haven't met since 2011, but Erakovic last won their match with a dreaded double bagel. With the fast hard courts, I believe Erakovic's aggressive game will have the advantage. She just needs to be patient enough to attack on the right points.

Pick: Erakovic in 3 sets

Indian Wells day 2: First round matches round up

Schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/543/title/bnp-paribas-open

Match focus:

Alisa Kleybanova vs. Victoria Duval

Only 3 players separate these 2 players in terms of ranking, but in terms of experience, Kleybanova has tons of them. The Russian is slowly picking up the pieces after her battle with cancer, and has already had a few wins on the main tour. Duval has been thriving in the ITF circuit and trying to play through qualifying. This is a good way to get into match rhythm and I think this will be a good fight. Alisa will have the crowd and experience behind her, while Duval will have the fearlessness of youth. I think Alisa needs this more, so I think the Russian will fight until the bitter end to cause a minor upset.

Pick: Kleybanova in 3 sets

Francesca Schiavone vs. Mona Barthel

Both players have had very a very forgettable 2014 so far, but at least Mona has a few wins under her belt. Schiavone on the other hand drew tough opponents, or lost to players who she's supposed to beat. The Italian is still winless this year despite playing lower tier events in Brazil. This doesn't bode well for the former Grand Slam champion. Barthel is difficult to predict, but with Schiavone at an all time low confidence, I doubt the German will be losing to her.

Pick: Barthel in 2 sets

Urzsula Radwanska vs. Aleksandra Wozniak

Fresh off her injury timeout, Urzsula Radwanska hopes to get back into action against Aleksandra Wozniak. The Canadian is also an injury plagued player, whose career might have been different if she stayed healthy enough. Anyway, it's tough for the Pole to get straight back into match playing rhythm. Wozniak had Acapulco to prepare, so she has the advantage with more match play. Even though Radwanska is still ranked higher, I believe Wozniak will take this.

Pick: Wozniak in 3 sets

Monica Niculescu vs. Marina Erakovic

I cannot say that I'm a big fan of Niculescu's game. The Romanian's unorthodox and junky game does give players fits and confuses the ball bashing players. However, Monica is under an injury cloud as she retired in Florianopolis. I doubt she has recovered fully if it was serious enough to retire from title defense. Erakovic and Niculescu have met once before last year, with Monica edging Marina out in a third set tie break. On hard courts, I believe the aggressive Erakovic has the advantage here. She just needs to keep going for it and not be bothered by the weird balls the Romanian is sending her.

Pick: Erakovic in 2 sets

Elina Svitolina vs. Monica Puig

This might be the first time these 2 have met on the senior tour, but I am sure they have a long history in juniors. Just a few years ago, these 2 players were at the top of junior rankings and this will be a good match up to see who has improved the most. Svitolina currently has a title and couple of impressive wins so far, while Puig has the tendency to perform well in the Slams. Based on current form, Elina has the advantage with more wins under her belt. Puig has suffered from fluctuating form since late last year, and it would be a surprise if she snaps out of that.

Pick: Svitolina in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Ajla Tomljanovic, Karin Knapp

Upset alert: Alexandra Cadantu, Donna Vekic, Urzsula Radwanska

Sydney, Hobart day 2: Tough opening for Kerber

Sydney schedule:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/636/title/apia-international-sydney

Hobart schedule:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/415/title/hobart-international

Match focus:

Dominika Cibulkova vs. Angelique Kerber

One of the highest ranked non-seeded players, Cibulkova is a dangerous floater for anyone. Last year's finalist will attempt to overpower the feisty Kerber in their first round match. What's working against the German is her poor head to heads against Cibulkova. The Slovak leads 4-0, including a win here last year in Sydney. With that in mind, Dominika will be confident of her chance against the 5th seed. Kerber tends to start her year slow, so I wouldn't be surprised if she crashes out early.

Pick: Cibulkova in 3 sets

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Julia Goerges

Caroline Wozniacki's off court activities might be distracting her from fulfilling her full potential. Being recently engaged, I'm not too sure how much work she put in during off season. Against the dreadful Julia Goerges, Caroline should have a soft match to start her tennis season. Not to mention that Julia retired in her final round of qualifying, so I'm not too sure how she will be able to play this match fully fit. It won't be a pretty match, but the steady player will win.

Pick: Wozniacki in 2 sets

Marina Erakovic vs. Kirsten Flipkens

In my opinion, Flipkens and Erakovic play a similar game. Kirsten is helped by the fact that she is higher ranked and has more confidence. Marina dropped out of her home tournament early, so she needs to get over that disappointment. The New Zealander has a chance of upsetting the Belgian, but I think she will be too eager to end points, resulting in numerous errors.

Pick: Flipkens in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Kaia Kanepi, Alize Cornet, Samantha Stosur
Upset alert: Angelique Kerber, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Klara Zakopalova