Madrid Tennis Picks 2014 (May 6th)

Monday proved to be a tough first day for the picks, but thankfully Grigor Dimitrov secured a win in the First Round that helped ease the losses for the day.

There is plenty more tennis scheduled for Tuesday as a busy week continues, but hopefully it is a day where the success of the picks turns around.


Tommy Haas - 3.5 games v Igor Sijsling: I have no doubt that Tommy Haas would have been disappointed with how his tournament ended in Munich last week, but he should also take the positives that came with his return to the court.

A couple of wins would have boosted the confidence after a shoulder injury kept him off the Tour and I would imagine he is going to be good for the qualifier Igor Sijsling.

Before winning those couple of matches to get into the main draw, Sijsling had really been struggling for wins that can't have helped any confidence he had. The clay courts haven't usually been the favourite surface of the Dutchman either and I think he could have a tough time against Haas, an opponent that has beaten him in all three previous matches.

It likely won't be as straight-forward as I would like, but Haas should still prove too good and come through 75, 64.


Nicolas Almagro - 4.5 games v Andrey Golubev: Nicolas Almagro remains one of the better clay court players on the Tour and will be looking for another big week in Madrid after finally beating Rafael Nadal in Barcelona in his most recent tournament.

The serve, the power in the groundstrokes and the patience should give Almagro a good chance to see off Andrey Golubev without too many issues in this First Round match.

It is the lack of patience that is going to trouble Golubev, although the Kazakhstan player is capable of playing some lights out tennis when I have seen him in the past.

However, the experience of Almagro should prove too much in a 64, 63 win.


Fernando Verdasco - 1.5 games v Roberto Bautista-Agut: Fernando Verdasco won the title in Houston on the clay courts and he should be able to have a decent run here in Madrid as he takes on Roberto Bautista-Agut in the Second Round.

Verdasco had a strong win in the First Round over Andreas Seppi and he is the better clay court of the two that will be competing against one another on Tuesday.

I expect the serve to be better protected by Verdasco in this match and that should give him a real edge in my opinion. As competitive and resilient Bautista-Agut is, the clay court should favour the bigger hitter in Verdasco, especially in the conditions in Madrid, and I like Verdasco to come through 76, 63.

MY PICKS: Tommy Haas - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Nicolas Almagro - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Fernando Verdasco - 1.5 Games @ 1.85 Pinnacle (2 Units)

Madrid Masters Update: 1-2, - 2 Units (6 Units Staked, - 33% Yield)