Rio final: The Kookie crumbles yet again

Rio final:

Kurumi Nara def. Klara Zakopalova 6-1 4-6 6-1

14 finals with only 2 titles to account for, Zakopalova shows that she's an absolute horror when it comes to finals. Even if her opponent is Kurumi Nara, who just reached her first WTA final and was outside the top 100 just last year. No words to describe how absurb the Czech is in finals. Maybe she just doesn't want to win. Overall a pretty dire match as Nara couldn't capitalize on her chances and end this misery sooner. Her break point conversion is abysmal, but she got the job done. With this win, she enters the top 50 and is Japan's highest ranked player now. I don't expect her to reach the heights of Ai Sugiyama or Kimiko Date, but I think Nara can be a top 30 staple.

Dubai, Rio Final: Venus claims her 3rd consecutive Dubai title

Dubai final:

Venus Williams def. Alize Cornet 6-3 6-0

Venus Williams should be singing "This Is How You Do It" to Serena as she ruthlessly punished Alize Cornet to claim her first title in 2 years, and her third consecutive Dubai final. Venus has been on scintillating form all week, winning all her matches in straight sets. Showing no signs of her illness, she covered the court like in her peak, and boomed down serves like rockets. Maybe this is a sign that Venus is finally back, as she soars back into the top 30 with this win. Cornet's performance was lackluster compared to yesterday. She couldn't keep her emotions in check and was frankly whiny throughout the whole match. Still, no one can take away her big win over Serena Williams, so she can have that as a consolation.

Rio final:

Klara Zakopalova vs. Kurumi Nara

In the much overlooked tournament in Rio, Klara Zakopalova has been virtually unchallenged in her path to the finals. The top seed has yet to drop a set, and is the huge favourite to claim her first title since 2005(!). Nara has never reached a final before, so this will be a nervous match for the petite Japanese. Klara needs to be careful though, as Nara has improved a lot throughout last year. Even though she struggled with her concentration in her semi-final, Nara is capable of playing scrappy tennis and springing surprises. Still, I do think that Klara will clinch the title despite her customary final meltdown, as she has too much experience over Nara.

Pick: Zakopalova over Nara

Dubai, Rio SF: High drama in Serena Jankovic QF

If only the match was as exciting as this. Serena cruised to another easy victory, but Jankovic made things interesting as usual. What she couldn't do with her racket, she did with her antics on court. Seemingly displeased with Serena taking too long to receive serve, she irritated Serena into saying "You want to do this again Jelena?" Just watch the video in case you missed it. http://youtu.be/GDEzeB_X0EA

Anyway, Serena and Jelena seems to have gotten over the incident after the match, but I'm very sure these two won't be sending each other Christmas cards anytime soon. 

Match focus:

Serena Williams vs. Alize Cornet

Sorry Alize, your journey will definitely end here. Serena is back and with her demolition of Jankovic, she is announcing her comeback with a roar. Alize benefitted again with another mental midget performance from Suarez Navarro. Shows how crappy Kvitova was playing. Serena looks good to clinch the title, and the only person that can stop her is maybe Venus. And even if she loses to her sister, it's probably because she needs it more. 

Pick: Serena in 2 sets

Venus Williams vs. Caroline Wozniacki

Caroline has never beaten Venus before, and this will be a good time for her to clinch her first win. These two have not met since 2008, and Venus's form has dipped considerably since then. Still, I won't count Venus out as she was very impressive so for in Dubai. Caroline did well too against Cirstea, but it was mostly due to the incessant errors from the Romanian. If Venus can continue her huge serving, she will be able to win. I do think that Caroline will snatch her first set against Venus though. 

Pick: Venus in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Paula Ormaechea, Klara Zakopalova

Upset alert: Teliena Pereira, Kurumi Nara

Dubai, Rio QF: Possible all Williams final?

3 shock exits yesterday as Radwanska, Kvitova and Errani were all bundled out. Petra's random losses are no longer surprises, but Agnieszka's defeat in the hands of Flavia was unexpected. If the Pole exits early in Indian Wells as well, she can be put on official slump alert.

Match focus:

Serena Williams vs Jelena Jankovic

A tough test for Serena as she will take on the pesky Serbian for a place in the semi finals. Jankovic's game can and will bother Serena, but when Serena is firing on all cylinders, there's nothing much Jankovic can do. If Serena's match with Makarova is any indication, it shows that the American has shaken off her rust. I expect a straightforward match with maybe a close set. 

Pick: Serena in 2 sets

Carla Suarez Navarro vs Alize Cornet

Carla actually wins a close match this time, against Kvitova. But it was easy as all she needed to do was keep the ball in and wait for the grotesque errors from the Czech. She's not going to get as many gifts from Cornet. Alize's elementary game is steady if unspectacular. Carla's variety should be able to overcome the Frenchwoman. As usual, the only thing holding her back is her head. Let's hope Carla's mental game has improved following her win over Kvitova. 

Pick: Suarez Navarro in 2 sets

Caroline Wozniacki vs Sorana Cirstea

Hot and cold Sorana Cirstea snaps out of her slump as she downs Errani in 3 sets. That was the perfect practice for this match, where Wozniacki plays a similar grinding game as Sara. Still, predicting a Cirstea match is akin to guessing when the rain will come. You just don't know. For this, I will choose the ever steady Wozniacki. She seems to be getting back into her groove with some good wins under her belt. 

Pick: Wozniacki in 3 sets

Venus Williams vs Flavia Pennetta

Queen of Dubai, Venus Williams, will look to extend her winning steak here against Flavia Pennetta. However, she trails 3-4 against the feisty Italian. Flavia is also high on confidence after upsetting Radwanska in her previous round. There is no doubt who the crowd will support though. Venus's commitment to tennis despite her illness is remarkable, so a lot of people will be rooting for her. Judging by their matches so far, I believe Venus has the edge. Pennetta had to come through qualifying, so fatigue might set in. 

Pick: Venus in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Serena Williams, Irina-Camelia Begu, Kurumi Nara

Upset alert: Flavia Pennetta

Dubai, Rio day 3: Doha woes for Dubai

Yesterday saw the 2 finalists of Doha crash out as Halep retired tamely to Alize Cornet, while Kerber lost a heartbreaker to Ana Ivanovic. Maybe playing these 2 tournaments back to back wasn't such a good idea.

Dubai schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/652/title/dubai-duty-free-tennis-championships

Rio schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/3704/title/rio-open

Match focus:

Ana Ivanovic vs. Venus Williams

A rematch of the Auckland final in January, Venus and Ana will clash as these 2 former world number 1s attempt to regain their former glory. Venus was impressive in her demolition of Vesnina, not letting the Russian bother her and hitting her serves to great effect. This bodes well against Ana, as Venus's problem now is she tries to overdo things. If the American plays steady by aggressive tennis, Ana will hit the panic mode and hit crazy unforced errors. Besides, Ana barely survived her match against Kerber, so she might be a bit tired physically and mentally.

Pick: Venus in 2 sets

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Annika Beck

A rematch of last year's Luxembourg final, Wozniacki will take on the improving Annika Beck for a place in the quarter-finals. Beck has already accounted for 2 top 20 players in Eugenie Bouchard and Samantha Stosur. Looks like the German's game has matured much more since last year. Wozniacki was lucky to have escaped Lisicki, as the German went AWOL again after clinching the first set. This definitely won't happen to Beck, whose steady though unspectacular game will not break down. Annika is the more aggressive player, but then anyone playing Wozniacki will be, so it will her her dictating the points. Sadly, Beck doesn't have a killer shot to end the points, so I believe Wozniacki will survive to live another day.

Pick: Wozniacki in 2 tight sets

Petra Kvitova vs. Carla Suarez Navarro

Predicting a match with Kvitova in it is like trying to strike lottery. You'll never know the outcome and can only pray and hope for the best. The Czech is horribly inconsistent for a top player, and strings together impressive wins and drops a few ghastly losses in between. Carla trails the heads to heads 1-5, but I won't count her out, as Kvitova might just hit herself off the court these days. Carla needs to keep the ball low with her slices, and annoy the Czech with her endless retrieving. If Kvitova's footwork is not there, she tends to spray the balls all over. It will be tough, but I do believe an upset here is possible. The only thing is, Carla's not a mental giant, so even if she gets into a lead, she might blow it.

Pick: Kvitova in 3 tight sets

Sure win bets: Agnieszka Radwanska, Sara Errani, Alison Van Uytvanck

Upset alert: Ana Ivanovic, Kirsten Flipkens

Dubai, Rio day 2: Serena back in action

Dubai schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/652/title/dubai-duty-free-tennis-championships

Rio schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/3704/title/rio-open

Match focus:

Serena Williams vs. Ekaterina Makarova

 

World number 1 Serena Williams takes a last minute wildcard to enter Dubai and she faces the tricky Makarova in her first match. The Russian is on a winning streak, clinching the title in Pattaya. Can she upset Serena again like she did in 2012 Australian Open. It has to be noted that Serena was bothered by an injury in her loss, and if she's still hampered by her back injury, Makarova will make her pay. I believe Serena isn't one to rush things, so she should be able to get through this. 

Pick: Serena in 2 sets

Angelique Kerber vs. Ana Ivanovic 

 

Doha finalist Kerber will take on the dangerous Ana Ivanovic in her opening match. The Serbian leads the heads to heads 3-2, but Kerber has won the last two meetings on hard courts. Ana tends to panic when playing players who make her hit that extra shot. So Kerber will be sure to scramble around the court tirelessly. The only fear for Angelique is that she has played for consecutively three weeks, Fed Cup, Doha and Dubai. Maybe fatigue will set in and Ana might benefit from it. 

Pick: Kerber in 3 sets

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Sabine Lisicki

 

Troubled Wozniacki will face another big hitter in Sabine Lisicki. The Dane has been losing left and right to power hitters and she's going to be in real trouble against the bombastic German. The only thing Caroline can hope for is a meltdown from Lisicki. The emotional German tends to break down when things don't go her way. However, coupled with Wozniacki's total lack of form, the German should be able to cause the upset. 

Pick: Lisicki in 2 sets

Francesca Schiavone vs. Lourdes Dominguez Lino

 

A brand new tournament in Rio didn't attract many top players, maybe because  playing a clay court event before Indian Wells and Miami wasn't that good an idea. Anyway, two clay court specialist veterans will clash for the 6th time and it looks like another Schiavone victory again. The Italian has never lost to the Spaniard and it's hard to see this changing. Francesca should be able to pick up her first win this year, and maybe a chance to hoist the trophy at the end of the week. 

Pick: Schiavone in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Jelena Jankovic, Samantha Stosur, Vania King
Upset alert: Kirsten Flipkens, Caroline Wozniacki, Barbora Strycova Zahlavova

Dubai, Rio Day 1: Venus to announce her intent

Dubai schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/652/title/dubai-duty-free-tennis-championships

Rio schedule unavailable

Match focus:

Sloane Stephens vs. Lucie Safarova

If anyone saw Sloane's match against Cetkovska in Doha last week, they will be aghast at how nonchalant the American was. With that kind of performance, why bother turning up anyway? If this girl continues her attitude, this whole trip to the middle east is wasted. Pity as Sloane can play well if she wants to. Lucie on the other hand did her Fed Cup duties, flew all the way from Spain to Qatar, pushed Kvitova to 3 tight sets. Sloane needs to learn from Lucie about work ethics. Anyway, form wise, Lucie has the edge as well. So I expect a win for the left-hander.

Pick: Safarova in 2 sets

Venus Williams vs. Elena Vesnina

Surprisingly, Venus Williams trails Elena Vesnina in their heads to heads 0-2. Will Venus finally exorcise her demons and clinch that first win over the Russian? Good news for Venus is that Vesnina's form has been shaky recently. The Russian retired in Hobart, lost to big hitters in Julia Goerges and Alison Riske in her last 2 tournaments. Venus looks good to announce her return with a win over the steady Russian. However, if things get tight, we might see a choke again like in Doha.

Pick: Williams in 2 sets

Sorana Cirstea vs. Roberta Vinci

Someone has to win here, a match up of 2 of the tour's worst slumpers. Vinci is still winless this year, while Sorana has negligible wins over Schmiedlova and Kudryavtseva. For someone like Cirstea who doesn't take variety well, Vinci looks set to clinch her first win this year. It's pretty strange to see Roberta struggling this year as she has been enjoying good doubles success. The tennis definitely isn't the problem. Maybe it's the motivation. One thing's for sure, the winner won't have it easy in her next round.

Pick: Vinci in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Carla Suarez Navarro, Ekaterina Makarova
Upset alert: Elena Vesnina, Sloane Stephens