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

Montreal day 1: Pennetta under threat

Schedule of play:

http://www.wtatennis.com/schedule/tournamentId/740/title/rogers-cup

Match focus:

Flavia Pennetta vs. Yulia Putintseva

Flavia marks her return to tour from yet another injury with a tricky first round opponent. Yulia Putintseva is a feisty competitor, and can get onto the opponent's nerves. If Flavia isn't fully recovered, she will have a tough time handling Yulia's flat strokes. Coupled with the youngster's taunting come-ons, Flavia might just lose it. A tough draw for the Italian, who has done almost close to nothing since her Indian Wells triumph.

Pick: Putintseva in 3 sets

Sara Errani vs. Sabine Lisicki

On grass, Sabine Lisicki would have been the clear winner given how well she excels on that surface. However, that part of the season is gone, and Sabine is back to her struggling ways. Sara's game is deceptively efficient on hard courts, so Sabine cannot expect to just simply blast the Italian away. The German needs to be patient and attack on the right balls. If not, it will be an extremely ugly match which Sara will emerge the winner.

Pick: Errani in 3 sets

Sorana Cirstea vs. Lucie Safarova

Defending finalist Cirstea will be under loads of pressure to defend her points here. Sorana is still in the top 50 purely based on the finalist points last year. If she loses here, she will be well below the top 50, which is not a surprise given her appalling results this year. It is not hopeless yet for Sorana, as she meets the equally volatile Lucie Safarova. The Czech looked to be in the form of her life, when she unexpectedly got knocked out last week in Washington as the top seed. Looks like consistency will never be in these 2 girls' dictionary. Cirstea has more shocking losses this year, so the edge clearly belongs to Safarova.

Pick: Safarova in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Dominika Cibulkova, Heather Watson, Roberta Vinci
Upset alert: Flavia Pennetta, Sloane Stephens, Alize Cornet