In the Monday Tennis Picks, I mentioned that this is a really busy week of tennis with some big events to be played, but finding selections on Tuesday have proven to be a little more difficult than anticipated.
There are plenty of matches scheduled, but the stricter approach taken that has led to a solid return in 2025 and a positive start to 2026 has to be applied.
With all of that said, there are two Picks from the matches to be played at the WTA 1000 event in Doha as the Second Round is completed.
The Monday selections are yet to be completed at the time of writing, but the numbers to start the week will be updated and placed in this thread on Tuesday morning.
Linda Noskova - 4.5 games v Varvara Gracheva: One of the more surprising names in the top 20 of the World Rankings on the WTA Tour is Linda Noskova, but the 21 year old is improving as a player. She did reach the Quarter Final at the Australian Open in 2024 and the Fourth Round at Wimbledon last year, but the majority of her better work has been done below the Grand Slam level and that does mean there are some big Ranking points to be earned with strong efforts at the Majors.
That did not go to plan in Melbourne last month when Linda Noskova was beaten in the Third Round, although she did make some use of the her Seeding for a third Slam in a row.
Strong runs in Asian events after the US Open helped the young player improve her World Ranking and Linda Noskova arrived in Doha twelve months after entering the tournament as the World Number 33.
A convincing First Round win will have given Linda Noskova some confidence and her numbers are solid on the hard courts, even if they are far from spectacular. Importantly Noskova has tended to beat those players she should and has won thirteen of the sixteen matches played against those Ranked outside the top 50 on the hard courts over the last twelve months.
The first serve has been a big weapon for Linda Noskova in the majority of her hard court matches, as it was in the First Round win over Maya Joint, and she will need to use that shot to keep Varvara Gracheva at bay.
Early losses to Elina Svitolina and Elena Rybakina have made it a slow start to the season for the World Number 73, but she has come through two Qualifying matches and beaten Laura Siegemund in the First Round here in Doha. The performance level in the three wins here have been impressive, but Varvara Gracheva would be the first to admit that this is a different kind of test and the fact is that she has struggled to compete with the top players on this surface.
A losing record against top 50 Ranked opponents on the hard courts is one thing, but the numbers have taken a serious dent when Varvara Gracheva has had to face a top 20 Ranked opponent over the last twelve months. The serve becomes a vulnerability, while the 25 year old has really struggled to make enough impact on the return to put any significant scoreboard pressure on those opponents.
This has ultimately made it very difficult to remain competitive and the biggest shots in this match up should be from the Linda Noskova side of the court.
The spread is set in a slightly awkward line for someone with Noskova's inexperience to cover- in the last twelve months, Linda Noskova has had twelve hard court wins against players Ranked outside of the top 50 which have been in completed matches (one a mid-match retirement win) and she would have covered this line seven times.
There are times when a loss of concentration can see Noskova throw away games or sets, but the key here is serving well enough to just get through a couple of sticky moments. If she can get enough first serves in play, Linda Noskova should be able to keep Varvara Gracheva under the cosh and she has shown she can return well enough against those lower down the World Rankings to really get after the serve she will face in the Second Round.
Karolina Muchova - 3.5 games v Tereza Valentova: There is always some kind of pecking order in tennis and two players from the same nation will be well aware of where they stand in that order.
18 year old Tereza Valentova is making her way into the WTA Tour and she has entered the top 50 of the World Rankings, while she reached the Third Round at the Australian Open last month before losing to eventual Champion Elena Rybakina.
This is still the early stages of her career and that has meant Tereza Valentova has had to win a couple of Qualifiers to earn her spot in the main draw in Doha. However, all credit has to be given to the teenager for winning those two matches before crushing her way past Alexandra Eala in the First Round.
Being comfortable in the conditions will give Valentova an edge, but she is facing a well known figure in Czechia tennis circles and a current top 20 Ranked player.
Karolina Muchova has a win over Elena Rybakina under her belt, but that was in Brisbane rather than Melbourne, while the only two losses suffered on the hard courts in 2026 have been against Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff. The World Number 19 was a comfortable First Round winner here in Doha and Karolina Muchova has long been a consistent force on this surface, as well as having all court skills that makes her a tough out on the clay and grass courts too.
The serve is an important weapon for Karolina Muchova, while she is someone who can get up to the net and show off some of her volleying skills.
The real test here is whether Tereza Valentova can produce the level needed to take on one of the better players on the Tour and someone she would likely have followed as she was getting closer and closer to turning professional.
Tereza Valentova has played three hard court matches against top 20 Ranked opponents over the last twelve months and all have ended in relatively comfortable defeats. Two of those losses have been against Elena Rybakina, while the other has been against Madison Keys, but Valentova has a dangerous first serve and it will be important for her to get plenty of those into play to try and put some pressure on Karolina Muchova.
Another test will be getting a bit more out of the return of serve, but the youngster is still learning and this could be another somewhat painful lesson.
MY PICKS: Linda Noskova - 4.5 Games @ 2.05 William Hill (1 Unit)
Karolina Muchova - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Weekly Update: 4-2, + 1.86 Units (6 Units Staked, + 31% Yield)
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