The WTA Finals got underway on Sunday and the two matches were both won by the underdogs as Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova stole a march on Petra Kvitova and Caroline Wozniacki.
Unlike every other tournament played on the Tennis Tour this does not mean the end of the event for Kvitova and Wozniacki, but they have been put in a precarious spot after both were beaten in straight sets and both won six games in their defeats.
While still alive now, the losing player on Tuesday is going to be virtually out of the WTA Finals, but the winner will stay alive and look to move through to the Semi Final when they play their final match on Thursday.
Those four players make up the White Group, but it is the Red Group which gets underway on Monday. All of the players in this Group have to believe in their ability to make it through to the Semi Finals in Singapore later this week, but that also means there is some pressure to perform from the start of the tournament instead of needing to play catch up.
First up is the match between the last two US Open Champions who are also making their debut in the WTA Finals and that is before the current Wimbledon Champion takes to the court.
On Monday it is also the start of the two ATP 500 events in Basel and Vienna which begin First Round matches having seen the Qualifying matches played over the weekend. There are some big names from the ATP Tour who will be playing this week as we get closer to the end of the 2018 season and places at the World Tour Finals are still up for grabs.
Naomi Osaka - 3.5 games v Sloane Stephens: These two players have won the last two US Open titles and both Naomi Osaka and Sloane Stephens have deserved their place in the WTA Finals after strong showings in 2018.
Last season it was difficult for Sloane Stephens to follow up her success at the US Open which really came out of left field after the American had only recently returned from an injury. It took a few months for Stephens to appreciate her new status on the Tour and the target that had appeared on her back for other players, but she began to cope earlier in 2018 and that has seen her have success including reaching another Grand Slam Final.
Stephens was a surprise winner of the US Open in 2017 and her opponent Naomi Osaka has to be considered a surprise winner of the US Open in 2018. The Final may be best remembered for the Serena Williams meltdown which overshadowed Osaka's win, but the composure shown by the youngster that day should have given us an idea as to how she would react as a Grand Slam Champion.
So many other players have won a maiden Grand Slam and struggled to cope with the pressure that comes with reaching that kind of level. However that has not been the case for Osaka who has produced a lot of wins during the Asian hard court swing and who should be happy to compete in Singapore on the hard courts which look to be her most dangerous surface up to now.
The last couple of months has really seen Osaka pick up her game and she has been able to break down opponents with her big hitting. Her numbers on the hard courts have been impressive throughout 2018 and that makes Osaka very dangerous here in Singapore, but those numbers have taken a sharp upturn over the last six weeks since the beginning of the US Open.
In that time Osaka has improved the percentage of points won on both first and second serve while also improving her returning numbers. All of that doesn't bode well for Stephens who has 2-4 record on the hard courts since the end of the US Open.
The American has won a title in Miami and reached the Final in Montreal as well as the Quarter Final in the defence of the US Open. That is impressive stuff from Stephens, but the season has not wound down as she would like and I think Osaka can get the better of her here with a break more in each set of a straight sets win.
Kiki Bertens + 3.5 games v Angelique Kerber: A relatively poor 2017 saw Angelique Kerber miss out on playing in Singapore, but the Wimbledon Champion is back this year and this is the kind of hard court that should suit her game.
You would think winning Wimbledon would mean Kerber is coming into the WTA Finals with some confidence and comfort with her game. That may not exactly be the case after the decision was made to part with Coach Wim Fissette just days before the final tournament of the 2018 season was due to begin and I wonder if that is going to be a negative factor for her.
At least Kerber has some experience of this tournament format which is not the case for the other three players in the White Group. First up for Kerber is Kiki Bertens who has benefited from the decisions made by Simona Halep and Serena Williams to skip the WTA Finals with injuries ending their seasons earlie than expected.
Getting to the WTA Finals is a huge achievement for Kiki Bertens who has produced some solid tennis outside of the clay courts in the 2018 season. Her numbers on this surface had not been the most impressive earlier in 2018, but she has been very strong over the last three months and Bertens has regularly played tight matches with Kerber.
There is every chance this could be another very competitive match as long as Bertens isn't affected by nerves in playing alongside the top eight players for the first time. It shouldn't be something that bothers the Dutchwoman and a strong serving day should see her keep this one close against Kerber who has not played a lot of tennis over the last seven weeks.
Like Kerber, I think Bertens is going to appreciate the conditions in Singapore and this could be enough games for her to be competitive.
MY PICKS: Naomi Osaka - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Kiki Bertens + 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Borna Coric - 5.5 Games @ 2.25 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Marin Cilic - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)
WTA Finals Update: 0-1, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)
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