Tennis Picks 2022 (February 16th)

It has not been a very good week for the Tennis Picks at all, but I have also been on the wrong end of some poor fortune.

Ultimately I have to hold my hands up and say it has not been good enough, but Wednesday offers a chance to turn things around.

Any selections from Delray Beach or Rio will be added to this post.

Elina Svitolina - 2.5 games v Jill Teichmann: It says plenty about the quality of the field at any tournament that someone Ranked at Number 35 has to come through the Qualifiers to take part in the main draw. That is the case for Jill Teichmann, although she benefited as one of the Lucky Losers from the final Qualifying Round to earn her spot in the draw in Dubai.

The Swiss player has taken full advantage of that by beating Elise Mertens in the First Round, but Jill Teichmann is going to have to win more big matches if she is going to have a deep run here. Performances in 2022 has shown that Jill Teichmann is not intimidated by facing the better players on the Tour, although she has not been able to find the consistency she has needed to win those matches.

In saying that, the hard court numbers before this event in Dubai have been less than impressive as Jill Teichmann has found her second serve and her return game put under some pressure. The second serve could be a problem in this match, but I think the left hander should have a bit more success on the return against what has been a vulnerable Elina Svitolina serve, although perhaps not enough success for Teichmann to be able to earn the upset.

Elina Svitolina may have missed her window to win a Grand Slam, and she has slipped outside the top 10 of the World Rankings after a disappointing Australian summer. Like Jill Teichmann, Elina Svitolina played well in her First Round match here and was relatively comfortable in progressing through to the Second Round, while her overall hard court numbers in 2022 have been slightly more convincing than her opponents.

Both previous matches between these players have come on the clay courts, but in both Elina Svitolina has battered the Jill Teichmann second serve. The matches have been split 1-1, but the Ukrainian player has looked the better player in both and I do think the hard courts suit her game a little more than for Teichmann.

The first serve should be important to both players, but Elina Svitolina has shown a little more ability to protect the second serve and has the superior returning numbers. While I expect Jill Teichmann to have her moments throughout this match, Elina Svitolina can do enough to win and cover this mark.

Simona Halep - 6.5 games v Elena Ruse: I still think there is a Grand Slam or two that Simona Halep can win before she calls time on her career, but the 30 year old has the first ambition of trying to make her way back up the World Rankings. She has started 2022 on fire and Simona Halep was a comfortable winner over Alison Riske in the First Round to continue what has been a largely dominant run to open the season.

A couple of disappointing setbacks will have concerned Simona Halep, but her tennis should be well suited to the quick conditions most players face in Dubai. Her serve was working particularly well in the win over Alison Riske and it could have come by a much wider score on the board if Halep had taken all of the chances she had created.

There might be something of an inferiority complex on the court for this Second Round match too and that can be understandable as Elena Ruse takes on a compatriot at a relatively early stage of her own career. Elena Ruse would likely have looked up to Simona Halep and she has only recently hit her career best World Ranking of Number 59, which is someway below the level that Halep operates at.

Mentally it will be a challenge for Ruse, but she has come through the Qualifiers and earned a win over Paula Badosa in the First Round. It has to give the younger Romanian plenty of confidence having never beaten a top 20 Ranked opponent before, while Elena Ruse has struggled in most aspects of her tennis when facing top 50 Ranked opponents on the hard courts.

The 24 year old may be improving, but she has struggled in her two matches against Simona Halep which have been played over the last four months. Both were on hard courts and Simona Halep lost a total of six games across four sets these two have competed in, something that may underline the point I made about there being a mental obstacle for the younger player to overcome.

Elena Ruse has struggled with her serve and barely been able to get into the Simona Halep service games in those losses and I think that may be the same in Dubai. The quicker conditions could give Ruse a chance to put more pressure on Halep, but any rally will likely end in advantage to the former World Number 1 and I will look for Simona Halep to win by a good margin against her compatriot yet again.

MY PICKS: Elina Svitolina - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Simona Halep - 6.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)

Jelena Ostapenko + 3.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Garbine Muguruza - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Barbora Krejcikova - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Aryna Sabalenka - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Roberto Bautista Agut - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Karen Khachanov - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Dan Evans - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Aslan Karatsev - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Andrey Rublev - 4.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)