Tennis Picks 2014 (July 22nd)

Tuesday is the day that the tournaments really get underway as far as I am concerned and you still have time to read the outright picks from the week here.


With rain expected at all three men's tournaments to be played through the day, don't be surprised if there are delays within matches. Yesterday the picks went 2-1 as Donald Young fell apart in his loss to Dudi Sela and once again is on my unbackable list.

A positive result is still a positive start to the week and hopefully that can be built upon in the next few days.


Pablo Cuevas - 4.5 games v Mate Delic: After winning the title in Bastad, confidence has certainly been flowing through Pablo Cuevas who has come through three qualifiers to reach the main draw here in Umag.

It might be a little more difficult to see of Mate Delic than in a normal occasion considering he will be vocally backed by the home crowd, while the Croatian has also played well in the level below the main Tour.

He qualified for tournaments in Stuttgart and Hamburg before being beaten in the First Round and he has reached a Semi Final and a Final on the Challenger Tour on this surface. That will have given Delic the belief he can spring a surprise, but Cuevas has been performing better at a higher level.

The first set might be a tough one to separate these players, but if Cuevas can come through that, I expect him to record a 75, 63 win.


Jiri Vesely - 4.5 games v Pere Riba: Jiri Vesely has lost three matches in a row coming into this one, but I think he has every chance to win this match against Pere Riba who does look overmatched on the main Tour.

Riba is very comfortable on the clay, but he doesn't have a lot of power and his serve is vulnerable which makes him a player that is a good match up for many at this level. Even in his sole match against Vesely, Riba was crushed 64, 61 last season and I think it is asking a lot from him to keep ahead in this match.

I do expect Vesely to earn a few breaks of serve, and he should be a fairly comfortable winner as long as he can serve semi-effectively. A 64, 63 win should be on the cards at the least for Vesely in this First Round match.

MY PICKS: Pablo Cuevas - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Jiri Vesely - 4.5 Games @ 1.92 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 2-1, + 1.60 Units (6 Units Staked, + 26.67% Yield)