It has been a vastly disappointing start to the week so far, but a bit of bad luck and strange collapses have also played their part. Hopefully that will change, although it is tough to know what is going on without the aid of pictures.
I said this a couple of weeks ago, but why these 'premier events' don't have live television coverage from the First Round, especially in 2013, is beyond me. Let me get this right- I can watch matches immediately in places like Bucharest, Kuala Lumpur and Outer Mongolia, but I can't in top events in Indian Wells and Miami???
I can't even get it understood as to why that is the case? All I know is that in a modern society where the likes of Twitter and Facebook have helped aid instantaneous news, why major tournaments with millions of dollars of prize money can't show the event from the outset is a big mystery to me.
Tommy Haas - 3.5 games v Igor Sijsling: These two players met at Delray Beach and exchanged sets before Igor Sijsling had to retire, but I think Tommy Haas will be a more comfortable winner this time around.
Haas has been playing the better tennis of the two players and I also think Sijsling was very fortunate to steal set when they met at Delray Beach. I think this match will follow what happened in Auckland back in January rather than the more recent meeting and will be more straight-forward for the German.
The serve of Sijsling can be a concern, but he makes a lot of mistakes as well with the way he plays the game, and I think Haas takes this 6-4, 6-3.
Jurgen Melzer - 1.5 games v Marcel Granollers: There isn't much I am going to say about this match except I think Jurgen Melzer has enough confidence to see off Marcel Granollers, especially on the hard court.
The win in Dallas helped Melzer recover from a set down to beat Richard Berankis in the First Round and Granollers has suffered a lot of disappointing defeats recently. Defeats to the likes of David Nalbandian and Roger Federer are 'acceptable, but losing easily to Frank Dancevic and Matteo Viola are a little more head-scratching.
Hopefully Melzer won't leave it as tight as a third set tie-breaker in this Round, although he made need three sets again.
Maria Kirilenko - 4.5 games v Bethanie Mattek-Sands: Bethanie Mattek-Sands is better known for her outlandish dress sense on the court than for anything she has really done in the Singles game (probably a touch harsh to be fair), and I think she finds the Indian Wells Semi Finalist a little too good for her.
Mattek-Sands qualified here so has plenty of matches under her belt as well as being adjusted to the conditions in Miami, but Maria Kirilenko is a player that should be a little too experienced and talented for her.
Kirilenko played well in Indian Wells to reach the Semi Final last week and I think she will be able to take that into the tournament here. There will be chances to break serve for both players, but I expect the Russian to get through with a 6-4, 6-2 scoreline.
Ana Ivanovic - 3.5 Games v Urszula Radwanska: There is no doubt that Ana Ivanovic is the least reliable player in the top 20 in the Women's Rankings, and is always a danger of putting in a terrible match. Her serve is erratic and her groundies can be wild and that can be tough to overcome.
However, I still think she should be too good for the younger of the Radwanska sisters, even if Urszula is beginning to find her feet on the Tour over the last fifteen months. She did reach the Fourth Round in Indian Wells last week so confidence won't be an issue, although I still think she is a little inconsistent too.
Don't be surprised if there are more breaks of serve than there are holds in this one, but I think Ivanovic will be the one who comes out on top, possibly 7-6, 6-3.
MY PICKS: Tommy Haas - 3.5 Games @ 1.92 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Jurgen Melzer - 1.5 Games @ 1.95 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Maria Kirilenko - 4.5 Games @ 1.95 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Ana Ivanovic - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Weekly Update: 3-5, - 4.30 Units (16 Units Staked, - 26.88% Yield)
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