It's good to be back.
A small break between the end of the Indian Wells Masters and the start of the second week at the Miami Masters recharged the batteries and the opening selections from this tournament could not really have gone much better.
Six Picks were made on Monday, five are in as winners as I write this although the last has made a miserable start.
It's still a start I appreciate and hopefully gives me a foundation on which to build another winning week from the Tennis Picks on the Tour. In 2019 I have only had the sole losing week so far and that is reflected in the extremely positive season totals ahead of the clay court season beginning.
The season is a long one and the turnaround in the middle of 2018 to end up with a winning record on that season shows things can change very quickly if not focusing on the task at hand.
I'm not looking at November, but taking things day by day, week by week and hopefully that will lead to a lot more winners than losers.
On Tuesday the entire Fourth Round of the ATP Masters event is set to be played and the first half of the WTA Premier Event Quarter Final matches are also scheduled for what has been a wet Miami at times.
Hopefully we are not going to see the same kind of delays that affected Monday's play.
Below you can see the selections made from the matches set to be played on Tuesday and at the end of it I am hoping more positive numbers have been added to the week's totals.
Petra Kvitova - 2.5 games v Ashleigh Barty: For the third time in 2019 we are going to see Petra Kvitova and Ashleigh Barty meet on the hard courts and I think it is going to be the player from the Czech Republic who will continue her dominance over this opponent.
Both of the matches in 2019 have been won by Kvitova Down Under where Barty would have been receiving a lot of support. The Australian remains a very popular figure, but I think the crowd split will be a lot more even and that should give Kvitova even more time to settle on her shots.
The two players have both produced solid performances this week to move through to this Quarter Final, but I still worry about Barty's mentality in these big matches. There is no doubting the talent she clearly possesses, but Barty has regularly struggled to put away top 10 opponents and I do think she needs to be a little more ruthless on the court.
While others will get louder and more 'in your face', Barty tries to play a calm game and I am not sure that helps in the critical moments. One of the strengths of the Barty game is the aggressive return, but this match up makes it more difficult for her against a big server like Kvitova and I do think that is where the multiple time Grand Slam Winner is able to come through against Barty.
Ashleigh Barty has been playing the more eye-catching tennis so far this week in Miami, but Petra Kvitova has looked strong too. The two players are both seeing the ball big enough to get a lot of joy out of the return of serve and I think the narrow edge on the serve is in Kvitova's favour which means I do think she can make it three wins in a row over Barty in the 2019 season.
Confidence is not going to be an issue for either, but I believe Kvitova has the stronger mentality in this one and I think that will see her edge out Barty in what could be a very good Quarter Final.
Felix Auger Aliassime v Nikoloz Basilashvili: One of these players will be an unexpected Quarter Finalist at the Miami Masters and give their World Ranking a real boost with the points they can earn. Not many would have picked Felix Auger Aliassime or Nikoloz Basilashivili to get to the Fourth Round, but both have been deserving of their place and will have full belief that this is a winnable match for them.
Felix Auger Aliassime is starting to make waves on the Tour as he has reached a career high World Ranking prior to the tournament beginning. The decision to play in clay court events over the last few weeks has not affected his confidence to produce on the hard courts and he has battled through the Qualifiers in Miami to make the main draw before winning three matches.
He has needed three sets to overcome three of the five opponents he has beaten in the event, but the day off between matches should mean the 18 year old is not suffering from any lingering fatigue. The numbers in the Miami Masters have been similar to what Auger Aliassime has been producing throughout 2019 on the hard courts and that bodes well for him as it does not feel like he is overachieving to make it through to the Fourth Round.
A strong 85% number of holds of serve in the tournament are being backed up by very good returning and Auger Aliassime is going to be tough to knock off at his current standards.
Nikoloz Basilashvili will feel he can do that having won his opening two matches very well in the tournament. He is inside the top 20 of the World Rankings these days, but I can't help feel the Georgian is playing above his level to be in this position and it is not one I feel he is going to hold for a long time barring a significant improvement.
He is having a strong tournament, but Basilashvili's overall percentage of hold of serves on the hard courts is down at 79% in 2019 and that is about where he has been in recent years. In this event he is up to 85% of holds, but I expect his young opponent to test that number.
Basilashvili is a decent enough returner, but this is another area in which I have to give Auger Aliassime the advantage and I think it is going to lead to a win for the Canadian. It might be a close match though and I am not going to play any handicap but simply look for Auger Aliassime to find a way past an opponent who is perhaps overachieving on the World Rankings.
Within a year I would perhaps even think these two players will pass each other on those Rankings and the improving Auger Aliassime is my pick.
MY PICKS: Petra Kvitova - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Felix Auger Aliassime @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Kyle Edmund @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)
Miami Update: 5-1, + 6.72 Units (12 Units Staked, + 56% Yield)
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