Moscow, Luxembourg day 3: Forza Italia

Moscow schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/664/title/kremlin-cup-by-bank-of-moscow

Match focus:

Flavia Pennetta vs. Camila Giorgi

An all Italian clash features the young Camila Giorgi versus the veteran Flavia Pennetta. Giorgi is coming off a final appearance in Linz, but she lost a heartbreaker there. Can she turn it around for Moscow? Pennetta's form after US Open has been bad, so Camila stands a good chance, but I do think that her loss in Linz will haunt her for a while. Flavia also has the experience to weather the bombs that Giorgi throws at her.

Pick: Pennetta in 3 tight sets

Monica Niculescu vs. Mona Barthel

On an indoor surface, I would expect Mona Barthel to perform better. The German has won Paris Indoors before, so she would have the experience of playing under such conditions. Niculescu's junky game will be less of a factor in the indoor environment, so Barthel should be able to belt her winners at will. Mona has a clean game, but tends to make silly errors at inopportune times. I still believe she needs a new coach to bring her game to the next level.

Pick: Barthel in 3 sets

Johanna Larsson vs. Polona Hercog

Both players have a glaring weakness, which is their backhands. These 2 players seem contend to be languishing inside the top 100, not making a concerted effort to improve their weakness or game. Nevertheless, Larsson's recent form has been decent, with a 3rd round showing in US Open, and an upset of Kirsten Flipkens in her first round. That should give her the confidence boost she needs. Polona also claimed an upset over Erakovic, but it's not as significant as Larsson's win over a seeded player. Whoever wins this will probably be ousted in the next round though.

Pick: Larsson in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ekaterina Makarova, Alize Cornet, Sabine Lisicki
Upset alert: Monica Niculescu

US Open day 2: All eyes on Serena

Upset of the previous day:

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni def. Garbine Muguruza 6-3 7-6(4)

Looks like Garbine is still struggling to find the consistency to win matches that she's supposed to win. Mirjana can be classified as a has-been, being over 30 and not achieving anything significant for the past 2 to 3 years. Not saying that Mirjana cannot hit a good ball, but Garbine should have been able to weather the storm. Disappointing end of the year for the Spaniard after starting her season so well. Looks like she still needs a lot of maturing to do.

Match focus:

Serena Williams vs. Taylor Townsend

I believe it will be a dream come true for Taylor Townsend to play against Serena, a woman who she has idolised and aspired to be. Just on that point alone, Serena will be able to stamp her authority, and start her US Open campaign on a good note. It will be Taylor's first time playing on the gigantic Arthur Ashe stadium, so it will take her some time to settle down as well. By the time she does that, the match might be over. The only question is if Serena is too eager to prove the doubters wrong. If she rushes things, she might give away too many free points and bolster Taylor's confidence.

Pick: Serena in 2 sets

Flavia Pennetta vs. Julia Goerges

As with all Goerges' matches, you'll never know when peak Julia will show up. Right now, Goerges is going through a drought, losing almost every match in sight, but still manages to spring an occasional surprise from time to time. Against a less than optimal Pennetta, can she do the same? Well, Flavia is defending major points here, so she definitely feels the pressure here. However, I believe Flavia is experienced enough to let Julia self-implode to advance to the next round.

Pick: Pennetta in 2 tight sets

Mona Barthel vs. Zhang Shuai

Somehow, Zhang Shuai finds herself seeded at 32 despite never winning a Grand Slam main draw match before. Mona Barthel will be relieved at drawing the weakest seed in the draw, and will revel at the chance of at least reaching the 3rd round. Zhang's game is elementary, and her high ranking mostly consists of lower tier events, where competition is much lower. I expect an upset of sorts here.

Pick: Barthel in 2 sets

Klara Koukalova vs. Petra Cetkovska

Here is a fun fact. Klara Koukalova has never won a singles match in US Open in her long career. Will she break the duck here against her compatriot Cetkovska? Well, both players haven't been playing well recently, so this match is pretty even. On the whole, I believe Klara has had a better year, and should stand a chance to break the curse. She just needs to believe in herself more and stop sulking so much.

Pick: Koukalova in 3 sets

Francesca Schiavone vs. Vania King

Francesca Schiavone holds the record for the longest consecutive Grand Slam appearances for active players, and will like her chances against Vania King. The Italian's all court game will test the feisty American. Schiavone needs to attack King's weak delivery, and make Vania guess by using drop shots and lobs, not letting King get into the rhythm. All in all, I think this is a very winnable match for the veteran.

Pick: Schiavone in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Petra Kvitova, Madison Keys, Eugenie Bouchard, Dominika Cibulkova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Upset alert: Pauline Parmentier, Zhang Shuai

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

Roland Garros day 4: Lower seeds in trouble

Upset of the previous day:

Kristina Mladenovic def. Li Na 7-5 3-6 6-1

Li Na said in her post match interview that she would have lost playing anybody. I have to agree. It's been a while since she couldn't control anything on her groundstrokes. Yesterday was an example of what Li Na can do on her worst day. Sadly, she only has one gameplan and cannot adapt when things are not working. Looks like the current Australian Open champion has a lot to reflect on. Coming into this tournament as the 2nd seed must have added pressure to her. Well, there's always grass season coming for Li, which suits her better.

Schedule of play:

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/schedule/index.html

Match focus:

Mona Barthel vs. Sabine Lisicki

Sabine Lisicki is only in the second round because she struck lottery playing against an underpowered French wildcard. Even then, she didn't win convincingly as expected. Mona will definitely revel at this chance against her fellow struggling German. Mona seemed to be back on track after demolishing Knapp in her first round. If Mona goes on a roll, it will be hard to stop her.

Pick: Barthel in 2 sets

Alize Cornet vs. Taylor Townsend

Playing her first Grand Slam maindraw, Taylor Townsend will make her debut on a show court against homecrowd favourite Alize Cornet. Taylor is an exceptional shot maker with talented hands, but is hampered by her lack of conditioning. It will be a tough task for the American to upset Alize on the show court, but it will give the world a chance to see what she's capable of. If only she can put some effort into staying fit, I believe she has what it takes to be a top player. Just not now at this state.

Pick: Cornet in 2 sets

Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Elena Vesnina

 

Ajla has already accounted for the upset of Francesca Schiavone. Can she go one better by beating Vesnina? The Russian's form is quite fragile at the moment, and Ajla can take advantage of that. Riding on her confidence, I believe the Croatian can cause another upset here if she goes for her shots. Elena is feeling the pressure after her breakthrough year last year, and seems overly cautious so far. She should replicate the fearless tennis she displayed last year that won her 2 titles.

 

Pick: Tomljanovic in 3 sets

 

Julia Goerges vs. Eugenie Bouchard

 

For someone who excels on clay, Goerges has surprisingly weak results here in Paris. Her best showing was a third round, where she lost to clay-hating Bartoli. Still, Eugenie cannot let her guard down, as Julia always lifts her form to match her opponent. Bouchard is coming of her first title in Nurnberg, and will like her chances of going far this year. Her game takes time away from Julia's loopy groundstrokes, which will cause trouble for the German. Despite Julia showing some signs of a revival, I believe Bouchard will still win this.

Pick: Bouchard in 2 tight sets

Sure win bets: Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Yaroslava Shvedova, Flavia Pennetta, Samantha Stosur
Upset alert: Daniela Hantuchova, Elena Vesnina, Angelique Kerber, Sabine Lisicki



Strasbourg, Nurnberg QF: Germans to shine again!

Strasbourg schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/341/title/internationaux-de-strasbourg

Nurnberg schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/3204/title/n%FCrnberger-versicherungscup

Match focus:

Julia Goerges vs. Madison Keys

The path doesn't get easier for Julia Goerges. The German impressively took out Davis who she has lost both encounters this year, and will be facing another dangeous American, Madison Keys. Keys actually had a kind draw, facing players who doesn't excel on clay. Still, she is very dangerous regardless of surface when she's clicking. Goerges should be very confident after her 2 impressive wins so far, and will be the slight favourite here.

Pick: Goerges in 3 sets

Andrea Petkovic vs. Monica Puig

With Peng's exit, Petkovic is the only seed left in Strasbourg, and will be favoured to go into the finals. The German will face Monica Puig, a fiesty youngster but is prone to losing her concentration during matches. Petkovic's game is pretty steady, and not prone to lapses like Puig. Thus, Andrea should be able to win this. Monica can hit a pretty good ball, but she'll get a set at most.

Pick: Petkovic in 2 sets

Elina Svitolina vs. Mona Barthel

Barthel is on a roll here in Nurnberg. Players like Mona get into the habit of winning and she'll be very difficult to beat. That is why Svitolina is in trouble here. The Ukrainian has been struggling for the clay season, but notched a couple of wins here. Not sure if it is enough to see off the dangeous Barthel, but Mona seems to be back. I predict yet another upset by the volatile German

Sure win bets: Christine McHale, Camila Giorgi, Caroline Garcia
Upset alert: Elina Svitolina

Strasbourg, Nurnberg day 3: Germans all around

Strasbourg schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/341/title/internationaux-de-strasbourg

Nurnberg schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/3204/title/n%FCrnberger-versicherungscup

Match focus:

Julia Goerges vs. Lauren Davis

Julia Goerges took out Sloane Stephens easily as expected, but runs into her nightmare, Lauren Davis. This 2 have met twice this year, and Davis won both of them, including the most recent one in Rome. On clay, Goerges should have the upper hand, but Davis' pesky game will always give Julia fits. The German needs to apply controlled aggression and attack on suitable points. Easier said then done. Look out for another meltdown from Julia after an upset.

Pick: Davis in 3 sets

Andrea Petkovic vs. Vania King

With the top 3 seeds all dropping out in their opening match, the spotlight is now on Petkovic, the highest seed left. She will face the dangeous Vania King for a spot in the quarter-finals. Vania is a good player who can beat players on their bad day. The problem with King is she tends to take sets off, without winning matches. Andrea is not playing badly at the moment, so I think she should be able to cruise through this match. Is the title going to be hers? Let's see who she faces in her next rounds.

Pick: Petkovic in 2 sets

Mona Barthel vs. Annika Beck

It will always be difficult to predict a Mona Barthel match as you just don't know which Barthel will show up. Mona did very well to oust Belinda Bencic in her opening match, and will be looking forward to winning against compatriat, Annika Beck. That win against Bencic should give her the needed confidence to overcome the passive Annika. Mona needs to have patience and attack on the right opportunities. This will be a close match, but I believe Barthel should be able to snap out of her slump and beat Beck.

Pick: Barthel 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