Tennis Picks 2019 (February 2nd)

I've had a number of matches narrowed down on my shortlist as far as the Tennis Picks have gone this past week, but a few question marks kept popping up around them which meant I have to made any selections since the end of the Australian Open.

On Saturday we have got down to the Semi Final stage at both events being played on the WTA Tour this week and I do feel there are three selections that can be made from the four matches scheduled to be played.

The new format of the Davis Cup means there were a lot of Singles matches scheduled for both Friday and Saturday, but nothing really stood out and I will stick to the Ranking events that are taking place.

I wrote a small piece which covered the end of the Australian Open. I've also updated the 2019 season records and you can read that here.


Alja Tomljanovic - 3.5 games v Tamara Zidansek: This is the third time Alja Tomljanovic and Tamara Zidansek have met over the last nine months and they have split two matches with one win apiece. The single hard court meeting took place in Seoul at the back end of the 2018 season and the Australian was able to recover from a set down to beat Zidansek in three sets.

Both players have been playing some decent tennis to get through to the Semi Final in Thailand this week although Zidansek has been having a few more difficulties coming through the draw.

Alja Tomljanovic and Zidansek have both been able to get a lot out of the return of serve which has given them a chance to win their matches. It is going to be the key to this match too as the player who can get close to the 50% return points won so far this week are most likely going to progress to the Final.

The feeling is that the Australian has the stronger serving numbers and Tomljanovic's first serve is going to give her a chance to at least get away with some cheap points compared with Zidansek.

As long as she can continue producing the big serves at key times Tomljanovic is likely going to be in a position where she has the majority of break points in this match and I will look for the higher Ranked player to work her way through this Semi Final with a win and a cover of the number.


Kiki Bertens v Aryna Sabalenka: This looks to be a fantastic Semi Final between two players who have been much improved on the hard courts over the last several months.

The two players have made their way through to the Semi Final with some decent numbers, but it is Kiki Bertens who looks to be playing the superior tennis.

She may be the only player who has dropped a set on the way through to the Semi Final, but Bertens has been perhaps a little unfortunate to do that. On the other hand Aryna Sabalenka should have dropped at least one set but she has managed to get her tennis together at just the right times to prevent opponents from picking up momentum against her.

The strength of her tennis can't be underestimated, but Bertens is also serving very well in St Petersburg and her game looks pretty suited to the indoor hard courts.

Kiki Bertens is getting more out of her serve in this tournament and she is also showing the superior returning of the two. The Dutchwoman has beaten Sabalenka in both previous meetings between them and I think Bertens can be backed as a very narrow underdog to do the same in this one.


Donna Vekic - 3.5 games v Vera Zvonareva: It is very good to see Vera Zvonareva back on the court and playing some strong tennis as she made her way through to the Semi Final in front of her home fans. Injuries have really blighted the latter stages of her career, but the Russian clearly still loves playing tennis and all three wins earned to reach the Semi Final have been impressive.

The veteran is back inside the top 100 of the World Rankings and has dropped a single set to Julia Goerges on her way through the draw, but she is going to be challenged by Donna Vekic in this one.

The 22 year old Vekic has begun to show a little more consistency in her matches and this is a very good chance to reach the Final. A win over Australian Open Finalist Petra Kvitova in the Quarter Final was a very good result for Vekic and she has won six sets in a row since dropping the first one in St Petersburg.

Donna Vekic has been serving very well to get into a position to progress to the Semi Final and it has to be noted that Zvonareva's return has not been as strong as she would have liked. It has been enough to get through this draw so far, but the Vekic serve might be another challenge to what she has faced so far and I can see that putting pressure on the Russian to make sure she is producing her best off her own serve.

The indoor hard courts makes it much easier for servers though and Zvonareva has got a decent pop out of her own on this surface too. However Vekic has been getting enough out of her return to give Zvonareva something to think about and the Croatian has been creating enough break point chances against players this week to think she can do the same here.

Home fans will keep Zvonareva competitive, but Vekic may just have a little too much in each set they play and that could be enough to win and cover.

MY PICKS: Alja Tomljanovic - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Kiki Bertens @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Donna Vekic - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (2 Units)