Stnaford, Washington F: Former US Open champions announces their comeback

Stanford F:

Serena Williams def. Angelique Kerber 7-6(1) 6-3

Never write Serena Williams off. Trailing 1-5 in the first set, Serena ran away with 5 games in a row and clinched the first set on a tiebreak. Maybe she took a while to get herself into gear, but once she's on it, she's pretty much still the number 1 player in the world. With this win, Serena leads the tour with 4 titles so far this year. Despite not having the desired results in Grand Slams, Serena is making up with good results on the regular tour. Let's see if she can carry this form into New York.

Washington F:

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Kurumi Nara 6-3 4-6 6-4

Despite making things difficult for herself once again, Svetlana Kuznetsova finished the job in the end, and ended a 4 year title drought. Kuznetsova was cruising up a set and 3-1 when she decided to go on a mental walkabout. Nara's game isn't something which Kuznetsova couldn't handle, but the Russian always complicate things for herself like in the Oeiras final against Suarez Navarro. Nevertheless, she completed the win and added another well-deserved title to her resume. Svetlana will be one dangerous floater that the other players will be wanting to avoid in New York.

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

Stanford, Washington QF: Serena faces stern test again

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. Ana Ivanovic

The only quarter-final where the players played to their seedings, Serena will face another tough test against Ivanovic. The Serbian famously started her year with an upset over the formidable American, sending Serena doubts for the rest of the season. While Serena seems to be back in the groove, she cannot afford to lose focus as Ana is a quality opponent. I would still give Serena the edge though as she's playing in front of her home crowd, and also Ivanovic's recent coaching change.

Pick: Serena in 3 sets

Venus Williams vs. Andrea Petkovic

Venus continues her winning streak against Azarenka with a convincing straight sets win over the former world number. Victoria wasn't at her best yet, but a win is a win. Venus might find Petkovic a tougher test as Andrea is a better defender than Azarenka. Venus must be patient and finish the point at the net for an easier time. If they go on a baseline slug fest, Andrea might tire the elder Williams out. If Venus wins this, we might have a tantalizing all Williams match-up yet again.

Pick: Venus in 3 sets

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Ekaterina Makarova

 

These 2 Russians are pretty evenly matched on all aspects of their game, but Makarova is arguably the more consistent player. Anastasia tends to have periods where she loses focus and starts losing points rapidly. Makarova won their last encounter, but it was on Ekaterina's preferred surface, grass. I believe hard courts will suit Anastasia more, but given her up and down form, I would still go with the safer bet. Whoever wins this has a pretty good chance of hoisting the trophy on Sunday.

Pick: Makarova in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Varvara Lepchenko, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Bojana Jovanovski

Upset alert: Angelique Kerber, Kurumi Nara, Andrea Petkovic

Stanford, Washington day 4: Venus to trump rusty Azarenka

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:

Victoria Azarenka vs. Venus Williams

Venus Williams will be happy that she's facing a rusty Azarenka, who has won only one match since her return from injury. Not that the elder Williams's isn't capable of beating Azarenka when she's healthy, but coupled with her auto-immune illness, you take whatever advantage you can get. Victoria's best surface is the hard courts though, so she might put up a good fight.

Pick: Venus in 3 sets

Garbine Muguruza vs. Daniela Hantuchova

Fresh from her upset win over Cibulkova, Muguruza will like her chances against fading veteran Daniela Hantuchova. The Slovak is barely hanging onto her ranking, and is only bolstered by her surprise quarter-final appearance in US Open last year. Daniela needs to disrupt Garbine's rhythm and attack the net whenever possible. However, if the Spaniard is firing, it's difficult to get a chance to volley.

Pick: Muguruza in 2 sets

Vania King vs. Christina McHale

All American clash as Vania King takes on Christina McHale. Christina took out 4th seed Sloane Stephens in 3 tight sets, but it was worth nothing that Sloane doesn't bring her best tennis to smaller events. King has the experience and leads the heads to heads against Mchale 2-0. Although the wins were during 2010, I think King has the game to upset the relatively passive Christina. Vania needs to take good care of her serve and attack the net when possible.

Pick: King in 3 sets

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 2: Revenge for Ivanovic?

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;

Sabine Lisicki vs. Ana Ivanovic

Ana's last loss was against Sabine Lisicki on grass in Wimbledon.The Serbian will be looking forward to taking revenge here on her favoured hard courts. Sabine's game is quite elementary on surfaces other than grass, so Ana should have the advantage here. Nevertheless, Lisicki might have a day where she can't miss, then Ana will just have to blame it on her bad luck.

Pick: Ivanovic in 2 sets

Dominika Cibulkova vs. Garbine Muguruza

Dominika's title defense will face a tough test in her first round, where she faces the hard hitting Muguruza. Garbine's year has been impressive so far, although she went missing for a few months after losing the final to Koukalova. With Garbine back on track with her impressive showing in Paris, Dominika will have to play her A game to open her title defense. Cibulkova plays her best tennis on American hardcourts though, so she still has a slight edge over Muguruza, who didn't have too much of an impressive record before.

Pick: Cibulkova in 3 sets

Magdalena Rybarikova vs. Ekaterina Makarova

Another titlelist will find her title defense tough as Rybarikova faces the dangerous Makarova in her opening match. Magdalena has won the title for the past 2 years, but with a stronger field this year, defense of her title seems impossible. Makarova is playing better now, as compared to Rybarikova, who had some puzzling losses recently. I'm afraid Magdalena's ranking will take a tumbling after this match.

Pick: Makarova in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Venus Williams, Daniela Hantuchova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Upset alert: Yanina Wickmayer, Kirsten Flipkens, 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

Washington, Carlsbad final: Underdogs claim their crowns

Washington final:

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Andrea Petkovic 6-4 7-6(2)

Trailing 0-4 in the first set, Rybarikova went on a tear and won the next 8 games. Seems like nothing can go wrong for the Slovak here in Washington, as Petkovic is denied of another title after her injury timout last year. I have to admit that Rybarikova is the one who took the chances and played the more inspired tennis. Petkovic was too nervous and played careful tennis when it mattered. Magdalena now needs to translate her results here to Grand Slams as she has the all court game to do so. Let's hope this win gives her the confidence to do well in New York.

Carlsbad final:

Samantha Stosur def. Victoria Azarenka 6-2 6-3

Nobody beats Samantha Stosur for 9 straight times! Azarenka was unable to maintain a clean slate against the Aussie as she went down convincingly to the former US Open champion. Stosur didn't have to do much though, as Victoria was playing horribly in the match and only converting one break point throughout the match. Still, it takes great mental strength to overcome someone who has owned you for 8 straight matches, so congratulations to Stosur. Not everything's bad for Victoria as she returns to the number 2 spot with this final appearance.

Washington, Carlsbad: Petkovic for the title!

Washington final:

Magdalena Rybarikova vs. Andrea Petkovic

There must be something in the water of Washington that make Rybarikova click. She upsets another much favoured and higher ranked player in Makarova in the semi-finals to make her second final appearance here. This time, she won't be facing someone higher ranked as Petkovic is coming back from injury and looks set to regain her top 10 ranking. Andrea has the game and needs to serve well to counter Magdalena's big serve. If Andrea can take advantage of Rybarikova's weaker backhand, the match could be over in a flash of an eye. Petkovic deserves to win after coming back and persevering despite her constant injury woes. Let's hope she gets her title this time.

Pick: Petkovic in 2 tight sets

Carlsbad final:

Victoria Azarenka vs. Samantha Stosur

Samantha Stosur meets her nemesis, whom she has never beaten before in 8 meetings. Azarenka just owns Stosur and Samantha can barely win sets against the Belarussian. Victoria's superior returning game nullifies Stosur's big serve, and causes the Aussie to go for more than necessary. All's not lost for Stosur though. Victoria was shaky against her match with Ana. If Azarenka is a bit tentative, Stosur might have a chance. However, that shouldn't be the case as once Azarenka reaches the final, she's got her eye on the prize and will bulldoze her way to the title.

Pick: Azarenka in 2 sets

Washington, Carlsbad SF: Azarenka's title to lose

Washington:

Magdalena Rybarikova vs. Ekaterina Makarova

What an upset from Magdalena Rybarikova over Angelique Kerber. She kept her nerves and finished the job against one of the mentally toughest players on tour. Let's see if she can replicate that performance against Makarova, who's breezing through the draw easily. With her wicked lefty serve, Makarova is at an advantage, but Rybarikova already had practice against Kerber's lefty serve. I'm sure Ekaterina will be more aggressive than the German top seed, so I believe the Russian has a chance of reaching the finals.

Pick: Makarova in 3 sets

Alize Cornet vs. Andrea Petkovic

Andrea Petkovic wasn't entirely convincing in her win over Ormaechea, but she got the job done. She will have a lot of balls to hit against Alize Cornet, who can run the whole day retrieving balls. Andrea will have to serve well and keep her game clean against the defensive Frenchwoman. This will be a good gauge on whether Petkovic's back to her top 10 form, as she will beat players like Cornet convincingly in the past. If she manages to win this, I'm sure she's a hot favourite for the final.

Pick: Petkovic in 2 sets

Carlsbad:

Victoria Azarenka vs. Ana Ivanovic

Azarenka seems to be fully recovered from her injury in Wimbledon, demolishing her opponents in easy style. This is not good news for Ana Ivanovic, who has difficulty playing Azarenka. Ana's last win was 3 years ago in Cincinnati, where Azarenka choked the match away. This is not the same Victoria anymore as evidence by her demolition of Ivanovic last year in Wimbledon. Ana needs to pray Azarenka picks up a new injury, or else she's not going to win this.

Pick: Azarenka in 2 easy sets

Virginie Razzano vs. Samantha Stosur

Virginie Razzano must be tired after her marathon match against Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals. Kvitova seemed to be back on track, only to throw in a craptastic match against Razzano. Nevertheless, kudos to Razzano for hanging on and making the most of the draw. Stosur upset Radwanska for the semi-final place and will be extremely confident of her chances against Razzano. This is the Aussir's first semi-final appearance this year, and I believe it will be her first final appearance here as well.

Pick: Stosur in 2 sets