I didn't have the best of times last week as the little bit of luck required was certainly not on my side, but a new game begins this week in Canada as both the ATP and WTA Tour move on to the first of back to back Masters/Premier Events taking place ahead of the US Open.
I have a couple of outright picks from the ATP tournament being played in Montreal and they can be found here.
The First Round matches will begin on Monday and there is plenty of tennis taking place at the two main tournaments to begin the week.
Bernard Tomic - 2.5 games v Florian Mayer: Florian Mayer may hold a 3-1 head to head lead over Bernard Tomic, but there have been signs that the German veteran is perhaps on a slide down the Rankings that he won't be able to stop.
Mayer has always relied on a decent first serve and a lot of variation in his game to confuse opponents, but the hard courts certainly allow players to hit through him, although he is up against an opponent that is happy to join the grimy tennis when rallies develop that way.
Bernard Tomic hasn't quite pushed on up the World Rankings as his potential suggested he would, but he is still young and it has taken some of the biggest names on the ATP Tour to stop his runs on the hard courts this season.
The Australian has a bigger serve than Mayer and I do think he will be able to fashion more chances on the Mayer serve once he gets to grips with some of the drop shots and slices that the latter is happy to use. Defeats to the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Roddick during the North American hard court season last year and a defeat to Juan Martin Del Potro last week in Washington aren't the worst results for Tomic and I think he will eventually break down Florian Mayer with a 76, 63 win.
Martin Klizan v Thomaz Bellucci: This is a First Round match between two left-handed players and I believe the favourite, Martin Klizan, will be able to see off Thomaz Bellucci who is still finding his feet on the Tour following a return from a three month lay off.
I think the poor form the Brazilian has displayed since returning to the courts is one concern, but he has not really transferred his game onto the hard courts with any real success in the past. On the other hand, Martin Klizan has lost all five matches he has played on hard courts this season, but he at least reached the Fourth Round at the US Open last season, although he hasn't had sustained success on the surface either.
Both players will look to build points off the first serve, but I think the key to the match may just boil down to whether Bellucci has confidence that he can come through this match, especially at the moments when the match becomes close and those pressures are increased.
Bellucci's last three defeats have not been comfortable losses so this is going to be close, but I do think Klizan is going to be a little more solid at the critical moments and move through to the Second Round.
Ernests Gulbis - 2.5 games v Feliciano Lopez: This could be an entertaining, aggressive tennis match that will be fun for the viewers and I favour Ernests Gulbis to be the man to progress to the Second Round.
Consistency has always been a problem for Gulbis and his poor record at Grand Slam level doesn't do his talent justice although that could change at the US Open. With a couple of good tournaments here in Montreal and Cincinnati, there is every chance that Gulbis could be seeded for the final Grand Slam of the season and make a real impact in that tournament.
The Latvian has a big serve and he can be very good going forward when he is feeling confident, although he might not have the opportunity to build much of a rhythm against Lopez in this one. That is because the Spaniard also has a big serve, but is happy to get to the net to shorten points where possible and that should make this a close match.
Both players weakest shot will be going into the other's as the Lopez backhand goes against the Gulbis forehand with both shots capable of breaking down. I do feel that Gulbis will be able to earn more success when those rallies develop and that is why I believe he will make it through to the Second Round from this one after a 75, 64 win.
MY PICKS: Bernard Tomic - 2.5 Games @ 1.75 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Martin Klizan @ 1.75 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Ernests Gulbis - 2.5 Games @ 1.90 Pinnacle (2 Units)
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