Tennis Picks August 12th

The most frustrating element of this week has been how close some of these picks have been to winning, yet I find myself in a very bad position.

Both tournaments in Toronto and Montreal have seen a huge number of surprise results, and I guess that has to be expected considering a lot of the players are playing in their first events since Wimbledon. Still, I expect better from myself and am hoping I can have a strong end to the week to salvage some pride.

Now on to the Picks:

Sam Stosur - 3.5 games vs Roberta Vinci: If you had blindly backed Roberta Vinci in every match this week, you would have + 8.52 Units for every 1 Unit you have staked- it has been more than a surprise to see Vinci still participating in a tournament after struggling on the hard courts for much of her career.

I backed Ana Ivanovic to beat Vinci yesterday, but I am going back to the well with Sam Stosur, a player that looked in fine fettle in her win over Na Li yesterday.

Stosur plays her game with a lot of spin and that could cause problems for the 5 foot 4 inch Vinci, especially if she gets as much off the court as the Australian did yesterday. The hard courts should favour Stosur's game much more and I will expect her to come through in straight sets, 7-5 6-3.


Agnieska Radwanska vs Andrea Petkovic: I am a little concerned with the amount of tennis Radwanska has played recently, but she showed she is in fine form after winning the tournament in San Diego last week. The Polish Number 1 beat Petkovic en route to the trophy and I expect her consistent game will be too much for the German again.

Petkovic took advantage of an error-ridden game from Petra Kvitova yesterday, but she has lost all 3 previous meetings with Radwanska and finds it hard to break down the defence the Pole employs.

This could go the distance, but I think the edge will be with Radwanska at the end of the day.


Mardy Fish - 2 games vs Stanislas Wawrinka: Mardy Fish has been in fine form during the US hard court swing, winning the tournament in Atlanta before reaching the Final in LA, and I think he is favourite to come through the bottom half of the draw since Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal exited early.

Wawrinka has done well to reach this Quarter Final, but I can't shake the feeling he has taken advantage of a very straight forward draw especially after Murray went out.

I expect Fish will have a little too much for Wawrinka in this match, although it is possible it goes the distance. His serve is a little more solid, while he has the knowledge to end points quickly at the net. I would guess the pressure of keeping up with Fish will eventually be the difference and Fish will get through.


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 3.5 games vs Nicolas Almagro: While we saw Ivan Dodig and Kevin Anderson falter after knocking out players in the top 4 of the World Rankings, I do not expect the same of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who is finally beginning to play with the belief that he should be much higher in the rankings himself.

Many would have been watching out for Juan Martin Del Potro as a dark horse for the US Open, but I have now been converted into thinking Tsonga can do enough to make a serious splash at that event.

His win over Roger Federer showed his serve is working very effectively while his returning game has come on leaps and bounds in the last 8 months.

Nicolas Almagro is a tough competitor, but one who is much happier with the clay under his feet. He has a big serve, but his groundstrokes can be inconsistent and I think that is where Tsonga will have the edge.

Importantly, Tsonga has also won all 4 of their previous meetings, the last 3 all being on clay courts which I would have expected to suit Almagro a little more. I think Tsonga will come through tonight 6-3, 6-4 with a break in each set.


Victoria Azarenka - 5.5 games vs Galina Voskoboeva: Galina Voskoboeva is having a huge week- after qualifying for this event, she has gone on to beat Marion Bartoli and Maria Sharapova and has lost just 2 sets in her 5 matches this week.

This could be her toughest test of the week against Victoria Azarenka who has been playing some good stuff this week, losing just 3 games in 4 sets played. I expect the World Number 4 to have too much for Voskoboeva, and to run away with the match after a tight first set.


MY PICKS: Sam Stosur - 3.5 games @ 2.00 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Agnieska Radwanska @ 1.85 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Mardy Fish - 2 games @ 1.91 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 3.5 games @ 1.72 Coral (2 Units)
Victoria Azarenka - 5.5 games @ 2.05 Coral (2 Units)


WEEKLY UPDATE: - 6.41 Units