Tennis Picks 2022 (June 25th)

The four tournaments being played in three different venues will come to a conclusion on Saturday as the attention has firmly turned to the end of the grass court season.

Everything culminates with the third Grand Slam tournament of the 2022 season as Wimbledon is set to begin on Monday and it looks like we will have two largely dry weeks in South West London.

I will have fuller thoughts on the two draws and potential winners in the Day 1 Picks for the tournament that will get underway soon, but this thread is focused on the conclusion of the warm up events with four Finals scheduled to be played on Saturday.

After a mixed Friday, I am only focusing on the two WTA Finals to be played in Eastbourne and Bad Homburg before my own attention also shifts to Wimbledon. It has been a solid week for the Tennis Picks and one I am looking to round off with a flourish.

Petra Kvitova v Jelena Ostapenko: The two time Wimbledon Champion has come into form at a good time, although I am never convinced that winning a tournament in the week prior to a Grand Slam is the best timing. In saying that, Petra Kvitova needed to pick up some confidence and I am a little surprised to see her set as the underdog in the Final in Eastbourne.

I have to credit the defending Champion Jelena Ostapenko for producing a strong week and she has long been an effective grass court player. The former French Open Champion has a big, aggressive game that is well suited to the surface and Jelena Ostapenko has enjoyed considerable success on the grass courts.

Her numbers have backed that up in recent seasons on the grass, but there is no doubting how much Petra Kvitova enjoys playing on the green stuff herself.

The consistency has been lacking over the last twelve months, but Petra Kvitova has found her serve this week and she has some strong wins behind her. The Semi Final victory over Beatriz Haddad Maia is particularly impressive considering how well the Brazilian has been playing on the grass and Petra Kvitova will feel her serve can at least contain some of the aggressive returning that will be produced by Jelena Ostapenko.

She is also getting plenty of first serves in play to make things a bit easier, while Jelena Ostapenko's first serve percentage will need to be significantly improved to avoid having an aggressive Kvitova get after the second serve. If the firsts are landing, Ostapenko can play first-strike tennis in a Final that should see both players looking to get on the front foot and pile the pressure on their opponent.

I do think that is where the high percentage of first serves landing will give Petra Kvitova an edge, although Jelena Ostapenko has been the stronger returner of the two.

Jelena Ostapenko looks to be peaking in time for the Final, but Petra Kvitova has only faced two break points since her Third Round win over Katie Boulter. I think that is key to the outcome of this one and I think Petra Kvitova will overturn a tight loss to Jelena Ostapenko from their sole meeting in 2022 which came on the hard courts in Dubai.

The Czech lefty was unfortunate that day, but I think she is playing well enough to earn the edges in this Final and can win as the underdog.

Bianca Andreescu - 3.5 games v Caroline Garcia: The benefit of having a walkover in the Semi Final will have helped Bianca Andreescu in winning this Final, but I also think she has been playing the stronger grass court tennis of the two competing.

I am a little biased towards Bianca Andreescu as a big fan of her tennis, but her numbers have backed up a decent run on the grass courts and I think she could have a strong impact at Wimbledon next week. That will be the focus for the Canadian, but she will also be aware that Angelique Kerber used a title win here to reach the last four at Wimbledon last year and so winning the Bad Homburg tournament could be a huge boost for Bianca Andreescu.

She is up against Caroline Garcia who needed almost three hours on court to win her Semi Final on Friday, while it cannot be ignored that the fortune has been on the side of the Frenchwoman in her run to this Final.

I have to credit Garcia for playing the big points as well as she has, but the margins are tight and she will need to overcome some fatigue, emotional and physical, to be able to win the big points in this one too. Running out of energy will be a tough obstacle to overcome for Caroline Garcia against someone like Bianca Andreescu, while the serve will have to be working as it has been in the last couple of Rounds.

Caroline Garcia has saved twenty-four out of twenty-eight break points faced in her last three matches, but it is hard to imagine her continuing to get out of those jams consistently. In the Final she will be facing a player who has found at least three breaks of serve in every match played on the grass in 2022 and Bianca Andreescu has put a lot of pressure on her opponents by winning 46% of return points played on the surface over the last month.

Her own serve can be a little inconsistent, but Caroline Garcia is not exactly the most dominant of return players and I do think Bianca Andreescu can contain her threat. In her three wins here this week, the former US Open Champion has only been broken three times and has faced just ten break points, which is fewer than Caroline Garcia had to face in just her Quarter Final match alone.

With the additional time to rest, Bianca Andreescu looks like she has all the tools to win her first title since that aforementioned US Open in 2019 as the Canadian begins her climb back to the kind of level she belongs amongst the very elite of the WTA Tour.

MY PICKS: Petra Kvitova @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)

Bianca Andreescu - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 33-26, + 6.06 Units (116 Units Staked, + 5.22% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (June 24th)

The Wimbledon draw will be made bright and early on Friday morning with the tournament set to begin on Monday- the weather is forecasted for a pretty good two weeks in London and I think it should be a decent third Grand Slam of the season, even after the decision to ban certain nationalities and with the Ranking points removed.

It is a crucial draw for many and I will have a few more thoughts about that on Sunday when I should have the Day 1 Picks thread up.

For now the focus is on rounding out this week and a strong Thursday has put the Tennis Picks in a position to finish with a solid positive number.

All the Semi Final matches are scheduled to be played on Friday with the four Finals set to for a Saturday finish so all players can make their way to SW19 and be ready to compete.

MY PICKS: Maxime Cressy @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Alex De Minaur - 0.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Benjamin Bonzi-Stefanos Tsitsipas Over 22.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Roberto Bautista Agut-Antoine Bellier Over 20.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Bianca Andreescu + 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Alize Cornet - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Beatriz Haddad Maia @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Jelena Ostapenko - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 30-22, + 8.98 Units (102 Units Staked, + 8.80% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (June 23rd)

It was a mixed day which looked like it was going to be a really bad one for a long time as those inches I've talked about were all going against me.

A late rally prevented it being a really poor day, but I am looking for better results to take into the final three days of the events being played this week and then to carry that forward into Wimbledon.

I have a right to be a touch irritated with the way a couple of the losing Picks came about- Tallon Griekspoor won, but I could never have imagined him losing a set 6-0, while Dan Evans had a chance to get back on serve in the second set at 5-4, 0-40, and that would have been enough for the two setter to cover the total games line set.

All of the Quarter Final matches are scheduled to be played on Thursday, but there are wetter conditions around in Eastbourne and Mallorca and it may mean delays or matches having to be moved to the outside courts to make sure the tournament is down to the final four in both the ATP and WTA event being played there by the time the day's play is completed.

Alex De Minaur - 2.5 games v Tommy Paul: For most players the focus will have turned to Wimbledon and making sure they are ready to compete at the third Grand Slam of the season, but that is a tournament without Ranking points. There will be a number of players that will be disappointed to have heard the news, but it also means that some are out there this week looking to make sure they produce some healthy results in order to avoid a massive drop in the Rankings.

Motivation for Alex De Minaur shouldn't be a problem having won the title here in Eastbourne last year and knowing that he suffered a First Round exit at Wimbledon. That defeat may mean he is not as keen to have to dig deep over the next couple of days, but the fact he is looking after some big Ranking points should help keep the Australian focused.

With days remaining until Wimbledon begins, you have to factor in the motivational angles and I do think the defending Champion will want to pick up another title here. Alex De Minaur has played well in his two wins in the tournament and is clearly enjoying the conditions, although it will feel different on Thursday with the rain cooling the temperature down, while De Minaur may not be exactly sure where he will be playing this match.

That shouldn't affect the mindset as Alex De Minaur takes on Tommy Paul for the third time in 2022 having won the previous two matches in straight sets. This is the third surface on which Paul and De Minaur will be competing, but the latter has long suggested grass is his favourite of the surfaces on which the Tour is played and I am not sure the same can be said for Tommy Paul.

The American had not played any grass court tennis since 2019, but he did reach the Quarter Final in London last week and has backed that up with another couple of wins in Eastbourne. However, Tommy Paul has not been the most convincing of performer and has perhaps benefited from the small margins edging his way at key times during matches to earn the victories.

Tommy Paul has held 85% of his service games played on the grass this season, but he is only winning 63% of the points played behind that shot. Those are decent enough numbers, although the main problem for Tommy Paul is his limited return game on the grass and I do think Alex De Minaur can largely keep him under pressure with his own serve.

Alex De Minaur has won 66% of his points played behind serve, but he has only held 81% of his service games and that is largely down to a really poor effort on the break points. He has faced nineteen break points in his four grass court matches, but De Minaur has been broken ten times and you do have to feel he has to get better on those pressure points against someone like Tommy Paul who has broken in 16% of return games.

There is no doubt that Alex De Minaur has been the more efficient return player and that has also shown up in their head to head matches this season with the Australian holding 81% of service games compared with Tommy Paul's 69% mark and I think that will also be the case in this Quarter Final.

It can be tough to really be confident in Alex De Minaur, but he does tend to beat the players expected and I think he will have too much for Tommy Paul who has ridden his luck at times to put together the wins he has this past month.

MY PICKS: Alex De Minaur - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Cameron Norrie-Maxime Cressy Over 23.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Benjamin Bonzi - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Daniil Medvedev - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Petra Kvitova - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Jelena Ostapenko - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Beatriz Haddad Maia - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Caroline Garcia - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Bianca Andreescu @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Angelique Kerber - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Simona Halep - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Jack Draper - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 21-19, - 0.54 Units (78 Units Staked, - 1% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (June 20th)

The final week before any Grand Slam can be a difficult one to negotiate as far as Tennis Picks are concerned and that is largely down to the chance of there being a lack of motivation to have a deep run with a big tournament coming up.

However, the WTA event in Eastbourne is one of the bigger events on the Tour, while the top names are largely absent in the two ATP tournaments being played. That should mean players will be looking to put solid results together to build some confidence, while others know they will not be able to compete at the third Slam of the season and so may not be worried about conserving energy.

It is a week in which I will be keeping an eye on the early results and making sure I am not in the same kind of hole as I found myself last week.

The late bounce back was not completely satisfactory, but it does mean having some momentum to take into what is a very busy week of tennis as the final approach towards Wimbledon is taken.

Ilya Ivashka - 1.5 games v Emil Ruusuvuori: With Wimbledon out of bounds for those representing Russia and Belarus, it might be hard to find the motivation for players from those nations to put in a big week in the final one before the third Grand Slam of the season begins. However, I do think the Ranking points that can be earned should be motivation enough and there are plenty of events to play next month and then in the lead to the US Open to make up for the disappointment of missing the event in South West London that is a week away from getting going.

Players like Ilya Ivashka may not have been a genuine title contender at Wimbledon, but he is close to surpassing his career best World Ranking and has been a pretty solid player on the grass courts.

The serve is a potent weapon for Ilya Ivashka who has held 90% of his service games played on the grass courts over the last couple of weeks. Only Daniil Medvedev has ended his runs in Hertogenbosch and Halle, but Ilya Ivashka is on the opposite side of the draw in Mallorca this week and will be hoping that serve can help him out of difficult spots.

His return numbers have not hit the kind of marks that Ivashka has reached in 2019 and 2021 on the grass courts, but he can be an effective return player.

It was that side of his game that saw Ilya Ivashka beat Emil Ruusuvuori in Hertogenbosch and I am a little surprised the latter has decided to leave England and play in this event in Mallorca rather than playing in Eastbourne. The travel back and forth shouldn't be a major issue, while Emil Ruusuvuori may feel more confident having Qualified for Queens last week and then reaching the Quarter Final.

Emil Ruusuvuori has not really had the time to adjust as he may have liked having played in London on Friday and this match scheduled for Monday, but again I am not expecting that to be a major factor. The Finn has been serving very well on the grass courts and he will be looking to be more efficient with his performance behind that shot compared with how he played against Ivashka in Holland.

However, the head to head has shown that Ilya Ivashka has been more productive on the return of serve compared with Emil Ruusuvuori and that was the bottom line in Hertogenbosch as Ivashka beat this opponent for a fourth time in a row. In those wins, Ilya Ivashka has held 89% of his service games compared with Emil Ruusvuori's 50% mark and the former did not face a break point when these players met a couple of weeks ago.

The run in Queens will give Emil Ruusuvuori more confidence, but it may not be enough to bridge the gap in this match up and I think Ilya Ivashka can win and cover.

MY PICKS: Ilya Ivashka - 1.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Tallon Griekspoor-Feliciano Lopez Over 22.5 Games @ 1.66 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Roberto Bautista Agut - 3.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Bianca Andreescu - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Alison Riske - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Kirsten Flipkens - 0.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Donna Vekic - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Harriet Dart @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Alex De Minaur - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)

Brandon Nakashima - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Sebastian Korda - 3.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Jack Draper - 0.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Frances Tiafoe - 0.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Tennis Picks 2019 (June 29th)

The Wimbledon draw was made on Friday morning and the excitement for the tournament has begun to build.

There are some interesting First Round matches to come on Monday and Tuesday, while the potential for some huge matches in the days ahead has to excite the fans.

I will say the men's draw looks much more 'predictable' than the women's draw as has been the case in the last few Slams, but you can never tell how a draw will shape up. In saying that I would be surprised if one of the big three men's players is not holding the trophy in two weeks time.

The bottom half of the women's draw looks the weaker of the two sections and I can see someone like Venus Williams making a big run if she can get through the first couple of matches. Karolina Pliskova and Angelique Kerber are both competing in the Eastbourne Final and have to be respected, while i could make a serious case for the likes of Ashleigh Barty, Serena Williams here too, but then again it wouldn't be a huge surprise if we see something like we did in Paris and the final four being a mix of new faces and experienced campaigners.


Sam Querrey - 1.5 games v Taylor Fritz: Two American players will compete for the Eastbourne title on Saturday and we should see a big serving match develop between them. Taylor Fritz and Sam Querrey shared out four matches on the hard courts in 2018, but this is the first time they will be playing on the grass.

Out of the two players I do think Sam Querrey has shown more belief in his ability to play on this surface. He has had a strong week coming out of his injury lay off on the Tour and the Querrey serve remains a huge weapon for him having been the main reason he was able to see off Thomas Fabbiano in the Semi Final.

He has also continued to return effectively, although Querrey will know he can't be as loose with his break points in the Final as he was in the Semi Final. Saving break points was also a huge reason why Taylor Fritz was able to win his own Semi Final against Kyle Edmund, but he was very fortunate in the match and will need to be better if he is going to win the title here.

The Querrey numbers have been slightly stronger than what Fritz has been able to perform in Eastbourne so far this week. Where Querrey has held 95% of his service games, Fritz is at 91%, while the veteran American has broken in 23% of return games compared with Fritz' 22%.

Even in their previous matches Sam Querrey has had the edge over Taylor Fritz with a slightly better hold percentage compared with Taylor Fritz. I have little doubt that both players are going to be able to run through some service games without being threatened, but I expect Querrey may get into a position to return a few more serves with some depth that can make the difference in this Final.

The spread is rightly a tight one because it won't take a lot to shift this in favour of Fritz, but I think he has been a little more fortunate to get into the Final than his opponent. With the momentum picked up behind the serve, I think Querrey can be trusted to get through his service games with a little less concern than Fritz and I think that leads to a win and a cover for the former Wimbledon Semi Finalist.

MY PICKS: Sam Querrey - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Karolina Pliskova - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 9-9, - 2.68 Units (36 Units Staked, - 7.44% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2019 (June 28th)

Thursday was about as rough a day as I have had in 2019, but there was plenty of frustration involved with some of the matches twisting away from the selection despite looking like being in a strong position.

These things can happen in a sport where tiny mistakes can be magnified over the course of a match- I am still not sure how Alize Cornet was beaten by Ons Jabeur having had so many chances to win the match in straight sets.

It wasn't just bad luck though, I have no idea why I wanted to ever back Victor Troicki to win a match considering he has been on my blacklist for a long time now. That is on me, but I won't be making that mistake again.

Friday is a big day for Tennis fans as the third Grand Slam draw will be released in the morning. Wimbledon Qualifiers have been completed on Thursday and the Seeds were released on Wednesday as the excitement for the latest tournament in SW19 continues to build.

The weather looks pretty stunning over the next few days so we should get to see plenty of Tennis being played, but it looks like it is going to be tough going for the players with the heat that is expected to hit London. That's part of the challenges of getting into a position to win a Grand Slam title and I am looking forward to seeing things get underway at Wimbledon in a couple of days time.


On Friday we are down to the Semi Final matches at the three tournaments being played this week. A poor Thursday likely means it is going to be a losing week, but overall the grass court season has provided a positive before Wimbledon begins.


Angelique Kerber - 5.5 games v Ons Jabeur: You can't take anything away from Ons Jabeur and the run she has had so far this week, although the ankle she turned at the end of her Quarter Final win over Alize Cornet has to be a concern for a player in the best tournament of her career. Fortune has most definitely been on Jabeur's side so far this week with not one, but two matches being won in which she has won fewer points than her opponent.

That really is something that doesn't happen too often and certainly not twice in the same week, but the Tunisian is taking full advantage of the way things have fallen for her. The absence of Ashleigh Barty meant this quarter of the draw looked very open, although Jabeur needs to be given more credit for helping keep it open by beating Johanna Konta.

This is a big step up for her though as she gets set to take on Angelique Kerber in the Semi Final in Eastbourne. The defending Wimbledon Champion thumped Simona Halep in a very easy Quarter Final on Thursday and Kerber looks to be very comfortable back on the grass after a difficult clay court portion of the 2019 season.

Angelique Kerber is looking healthy and she has been serving very well in Eastbourne while backing it up with some decent returning. This has been one surface on which Kerber has tended to produce her best serving efforts and I do think that is going to put pressure on Jabeur who will find it tough to break the defences of her German opponent.

She did struggle on the return against Cornet in the Quarter Final and I think Kerber's style is similar while being more effective with what she does. You have to respect the fact that Jabeur seems to be playing with a lot of belief which has enabled her to come through matches when she has looked second best, but doing that against Kerber will be far from easy.

Even though Jabeur has put up four wins in a row in Eastbourne, I would have to point out the three sets she has dropped have been by 6-1, 6-2 and 6-1 scores. All of those have been the first set played and I think it will be a very long road back against Kerber if Jabeur starts off as slowly as she has in three of the four matches played this week.

Angelique Kerber is serving well enough to put Ons Jabeur in a tough spot in this match and I think she should win the match. I also think Kerber will cover if all things are equal on the day and Jabeur is not able to save multiple break points at tough times as she did in her wins over Evgeniya Rodina and Alize Cornet so far in Eastbourne.


Sam Querrey - 3.5 games v Thomas Fabbiano: An injury meant Sam Querrey missed the vast majority of the clay court season, but I don't think that has ever been a particularly positive time of the year for him. The American has looked like he has never been away from the Tour this week in Eastbourne where he will be competing in the Semi Final against a surprise player reaching the last four in Thomas Fabbiano.

You may think Fabbiano would be player that is more likely to favour the clay courts than the grass courts being from Italy, but he has had some very good performances on the surface over recent years. In this tournament Fabbiano has come through the Qualifiers to take his place in the main draw and overcome a couple of difficult moments to reach the Semi Final.

The main reason for his success so far this week has to be how well Fabbiano has been able to look after his serve with 65% of points won behind that shot. That is a vast improvement on how things went for the Italian in 2018 and in the four matches he played on the grass prior to Eastbourne and it has also allowed him to hold closer to 80% of the service games he has played on the grass this week.

He has always been a surprisingly effective returner on the grass courts, but Thomas Fabbiano is going to be tested by Sam Querrey who has held 93% of his service games played in the tournament. It is going to be hard to break the Querrey serve if he continues to win 77% of the points played behind that shot and it is a big reason he has been able to come back and produce three wins on his return to competitive action.

Backing that up is Querrey's returning which matches up to what Thomas Fabbiano has produced this week. Both players are winning 41% of points against the opponent's serve, and that has led to Fabbiano breaking in 30% of return games and Querrey in 28%.

Their one previous match came on the grass courts of Wimbledon and on that day Querrey was able to hold 87% of his service games played and restrict Fabbiano to 69%. That came in 2017 when Thomas Fabbiano produced similar serving numbers as he has been in this tournament and I think Sam Querrey is going to get the better of him again.

It won't be an easy handicap to cover, but the American looks to be in fine nick and I think his serving makes the difference on the day. Thomas Fabbiano is still guilty of one or two really sloppy service games per match and Sam Querrey is returning well enough to take advantage while also restricting the chances that the Italian is able to generate.


Kyle Edmund - 1.5 games v Taylor Fritz: Having taken over from Andy Murray as the British Number 1 over the last twelve months, Kyle Edmund has been busy underlining that position this week in Eastbourne. Wins over Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans, the British Number 2 and Number 3 respectively, have seen Edmund reach the Semi Final of the tournament as he looks for the first real success on the grass courts.

This is far from an easy Semi Final as Edmund gets ready to take on Taylor Fritz who is considered one of the bright hopes of American Tennis. There is no doubt that Fritz has some room for improvement to really fulfil the potential he has, but he could be about to reach a new career high World Ranking at the end of this tournament.

Taylor Fritz has won three matches while dropping one set to reach the Semi Final and his numbers have looked strong. The American possesses a serve that is always going to give him a chance on the grass courts and he has won 88% of his service games so far this week while securing 67% of the points behind the serve.

The key for Fritz so far this week is the level of returning which is far above the numbers he has produced on the grass courts in his career so far. In recent years on the grass courts Fritz has never surpassed winning 34% of return points during a season on the surface, but in this tournament he is up at 40% which is setting up more breaks of serve.

It will be a challenge to get into the Edmund service games when you think the British Number 1 has won 70% of the points played behind that shot. Kyle Edmund is holding 85% of his service games too, and like Fritz he is winning a lot more points on the return of serve than he has previously been able to do on the grass courts.

There are some real similarities with the way Edmund and Fritz have played on the grass courts and I do think this is going to be a close match. However it is Edmund who has been able to produce a little more consistently of the two players and I think that is going to be the factor that determines the outcome of this match even if we do potentially need three sets to separate them.

Taylor Fritz is improving and a real threat with the confidence he has, but Kyle Edmund might be the slightly more effective returner. With both possessing strong serves, that slight difference on the return could be a key to the outcome of the match and I will back the British player to give the home crowd something to smile about by reaching the Final in Eastbourne days before Wimbledon gets underway.

MY PICKS: Angelique Kerber - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Sam Querrey - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Kyle Edmund - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 8-8, - 2.12 Units (32 Units Staked, - 6.63% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2019 (June 27th)

With just four days to go before Wimbledon gets underway the Seedings have been released, not without controversy, and the draws will be made on Friday morning.

Those players involved in the tournaments played in Antalya and Eastbourne will be focusing on finishing this week with a title as we are down to the Quarter Final matches at all of those events. The WTA event in Eastbourne is of particular importance as it could lay a marker for Wimbledon, while there are important Ranking points on offer in the two ATP events being played even if none of the players in the last eight are really expected to have a big showing in SW19 over the next couple of weeks.

Wednesday ended up being a successful day with two of the three completed Tennis Picks coming back as winners. I did have some fortune when Jelena Ostapenko retired after her early struggles, but the hope is that the Latvian is going to recover in time for Wimbledon and she only pulled out as a precaution after looking like she was struggling with her movement.

It has been a decent week so far, but I am looking to push on with the end of the tournaments before the full concentration can shift to Wimbledon. The first two Grand Slam events have provided positive numbers, but keeping that going will be the goal through another tournament.


Alize Cornet v Ons Jabeur: This is not the Quarter Final anyone would have expected when the draw was made last week, but both Alize Cornet and Ons Jabeur have deserved their spot in the last eight. The decision made by Ashleigh Barty to withdraw from the tournament has helped both of these players, but both have also beaten Seeded players and that should mean there is a real confidence in the play.

In each of the first three matches here so far this week, Ons Jabeur has been showing improvement and she comfortably dismissed an out of sorts Johanna Konta in the Third Round.

The serve has been working pretty effectively so far this week and Jabeur has also shown a little more impact on the return in Eastbourne. However the general numbers in 2019 on the grass courts have not been that impressive and I do wonder if Jabeur can keep up the standard she is at right now.

Like her opponent in this Quarter Final, Jabeur has not had a lot of grass court pedigree in recent years, but this is usually over a small sample of matches. Alize Cornet had also been struggling on the surface, but she has looked very good in Eastbourne and I do believe she is going to have the narrow edge.

The Frenchwoman has gotten more out of the first serve than Jabeur and she has also been returning more effectively with over 50% of return points being won. That number is significantly higher than Jabeur's 44% in Eastbourne, but the Tunisian has had the edge when it comes to the second serve and I do think that is going to make her very competitive.

However I think Cornet's performances should have seen her go into this Quarter Final as a stronger favourite than she is. I do have some reservations about backing Cornet because of her recent past of having a lack of success on the grass courts, but she has looked the better player this week and it has to be noted that Jabeur has also been exceeding her usual levels on this surface.

It might need three sets to separate them, but I will back Cornet to come out on top in this one.


Angelique Kerber-Simona Halep over 21.5 games: There is every chance a match like this one could be gracing Wimbledon at the business end of that tournament in two weeks time. Before we get to that, Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep will be looking to lay down a marker for the third Grand Slam of the season as they get set to face off in the Quarter Final in Eastbourne.

This is going to be the eleventh time Kerber and Halep are meeting on the Tour and the second time they are going to play each other on the grass courts. Matches between them have been very competitive and there really isn't a lot to separate them and half of their previous ten matches have needed to go the distance.

The sole meeting on grass took place at Wimbledon in 2016 and was won by Kerber in two tight sets as both players showed off their returning strength throughout that match. We could see more of the same on Thursday in this Quarter Final as both players are very comfortable on the return side of their game while perhaps not having the most telling of serves.

So far this week Angelique Kerber has had the edge when it comes to the serve as she has won plenty of points behind both first and second serves. Simona Halep has not had quite the same numbers, but she is serving well enough too and the Romanian will be looking at the 51% return points won compared to the 42% won by Kerber this week as being a potential difference maker in her favour.

Over the last couple of years I do think Kerber has been the superior grass court player of the two and she won the title at Wimbledon for the first time last season. The German is also a former Runner Up in SW19 and that does make her an appealing selection as the underdog in this match, although Halep has had the slight edge when it comes to the head to head and was a very close loser in their one previous grass court match.

My expectation is that we are going to see a close match and I would not be that surprised if a third set is needed to separate them as has been the case in half of their previous matches. Even two tight sets like they played at Wimbledon in 2016 will be enough to cover the total games line in this one and that is going to be my selection in this Quarter Final.


Kiki Bertens - 2.5 games v Aryna Sabalenka: There has been a vast improvement in the performances produced by Kiki Bertens on all surfaces over the last couple of years. She has reached a career high World Number 4 in the Rankings and Bertens has seemingly gotten over the real disappointment of having to pull out of the French Open in the Second Round in Paris.

The Dutchwoman had gone into the French Open as a real favourite to go on and win her first Grand Slam and it does feel like an opportunity was lost when you consider how that tournament panned out. But any lingering regrets have not been shown by Kiki Bertens as she reached the Final in Hertogenbosch and now the Quarter Final in Eastbourne on the grass courts.

This is a surface that has sometimes baffled Bertens, but she does have a game that you would think should translate onto it. A strong serve and an aggressive attitude is a good starting point for any player on the grass courts and it does feel like Bertens is beginning to put that together in the past three weeks.

Kiki Bertens has been in very good form in Eastbourne as she has won her two matches without too many worries and her numbers back that up. The first serve has been a potent weapon for her with plenty of points being won behind that shot both here and on the grass in general in 2019, but it is the 54% of return points won that have really propelled Bertens forward.

That side of her game is going to be tested by Aryna Sabalenka who reached the Final in Eastbourne last year. She was beaten by Caroline Wozniacki in the Final in 2018, but earned a measure of revenge by overcoming the Dane in the Third Round on Wednesday although I do think Sabalenka is going to need to be even better if she is going to reach the Semi Final.

So far this week Sabalenka has been serving very well too, but she has not been able to return quite as effectively as Bertens. The returning is more productive than it has been in the last couple of weeks when Sabalenka suffered early losses in back to back tournaments so she should be a threat to Bertens, but the head to head is 3-0 in favour of the Dutchwoman and I do think the favourite can win this match and cover the number.

When they have played each other, the Bertens serve has been the stronger of the two players and I do think that is likely going to happen here. With a better return being shown in Eastbourne, Kiki Bertens can win and I will back her to come through to a second Semi Final in a row on the grass courts.

MY PICKS: Alize Cornet @ 1.85 Betfair Sportsbook (2 Units)
Angelique Kerber-Simona Halep Over 21.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Kiki Bertens - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Karolina Pliskova - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Victor Troicki @ 2.10 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 7-4, + 3.88 Units (22 Units Staked, + 17.64% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2019 (June 26th)

The week before a Grand Slam is always an intense one and I am not surprised that a number of players have withdrawn from playing at the tournament in Eastbourne. Some of those have needed a rest after a strong showing last week, while others will not risk any health issues to take into Wimbledon.

However we still have some decent names reaching this stage of the tournaments being played this week and it is a chance for players to lay down a marker for the third Grand Slam of the season. As I mentioned earlier this week, the WTA Eastbourne event is certainly the most eye-catching thanks to the strength of the field they have been able to put together and there are players there who will believe they can ride the momentum from a strong run here into the first week at SW19.

Tuesday was not a very good day for the Tennis Picks which went 2-3 including the two matches that were completed after rain delays forced them to return to the courts after beginning matches on Monday. The good news is that it is still a positive week to now and I am looking to put a good number on the board before turning my attention to the next Slam of the season.

Selections look difficult to make on Wednesday, but I have seen four matches that have fallen within the criteria I have set for the last couple of seasons.

Johanna Konta - 5.5 games v Ons Jabeur: From the outset you have to say that this is a huge number of games for anyone to cover once players have had a couple of matches under their belts, but there are a number of similar spreads in the WTA Eastbourne Third Round matches on Wednesday. The others do seem unappealing on paper, but I do think Johanna Konta has every chance of covering here while continuing her strong form in her home tournament.

It was a difficult match for Konta on Tuesday against Maria Sakkari, but she did enough to edge through in two sets and I do think this is a match a step down from the kind of opposition she faced last time out.

This time Johanna Konta faces Ons Jabeur who was forced to retire from her match last week in Mallorca. That has seemingly not been a lingering issue though as Jabeur has twice come from a set down to win matches this week in what has become an open portion of the draw since Ashleigh Barty withdraw from the tournament.

The Tunisian has regularly shown a solidity on the grass courts without being anything above that. Even her two wins this week have come in close fashion and none of the opponents Jabeur has beaten is anything near the level that Johanna Konta can produce on the grass courts.

This is only the sixth time Jabeur has played a top 50 Ranked opponent on the grass courts and she is 0-5 in those previous matches. The serve is a weapon that can keep Jabeur competitive, but she has struggled with her return of serve and that should be magnified when facing a server like Konta.

I do think it can be difficult to trust Konta to cover this kind of number when you think of the returning stats she produces on the grass courts. This week Konta has won 41% of return points in her two wins, but I do think she can improve on that mark against Jabeur especially if she is seeing plenty of second serves.

In their one sole match back in 2015 Johanna Konta crushed Ons Jabeur for the loss of just four games on a hard court. This one might be a touch closer than that, but Konta is strong enough on the grass to find the three or four breaks of serve she is going to need to cover this mark.

Karolina Pliskova - 3.5 games v Elise Mertens: The former Eastbourne Champion has tended to play her best grass court tennis at this tournament and Karolina Pliskova will be searching for another Quarter Final spot here on Wednesday. She will have been disappointed with the early exit in Birmingham last week, but that was a tough draw for Pliskova who was beaten by her twin sister in the Second Round.

A comfortable win in the Second Round here after a bye in the First Round will have given Karolina Pliskova some confidence to take into this match. However she is going to need more than belief to beat Elise Mertens who has had a good month on the grass leading into this match.

The Belgian has had plenty of success on the grass throughout her career, but it has been a much different story when she has faced top 50 Ranked opponents on the surface. In those matches Mertens is just 4-9 while her entire stats on serve and return have taken a significant hit in those matches as the competition ramps up.

That is certainly going to be the case for Mertens on Wednesday and it will be a really difficult match if Karolina Pliskova continues to serve as big as she has been. The first serve has been a huge weapon for the Czech player so far in her three matches on the grass with almost 80% of points being won behind the first serve.

We should see that number being tested by Mertens who is a strong returner and has the movement to make Pliskova play enough balls to extract mistakes from her game. However I also think that serve is going to make the difference between the players on the day and can help Pliskova win and cover the number.

The Pliskova return has not been the most effective on the grass courts which has to be a concern when asking her to find multiple breaks of serve to cover. My feeling is that she is going to have more joy returning the Mertens serve and Pliskova did win 45% of return points in her win over Margarita Gasparyan in he Second Round to believe in her ability to get the better of this opponent.

Jelena Ostapenko - 2.5 games v Ekaterina Alexandrova: We hadn't seen a lot of grass court pedigree from Ekaterina Alexandrova before the last month and the Russian might be in even stronger form this week than the previous two. Wins over Alja Tomljanovic and Belinda Bencic look very good and confidence has to be high.

Those wins have come behind some very strong serving which has helped Alexandrova put some serious pressure on opponents. She was broken three times by Bencic in the Second Round, but in general the numbers being produced by Alexandrova have to be impressing.

It will be interesting to see how she deals with Jelena Ostapenko who has made it clear she is very much enjoying being back on the grass courts after a difficult year. The results have been strong for the Latvian who has won 50% of her return points played so far this week which has helped make up for some of the loose serving Ostapenko has become known for.

The first serve hasn't been a big problem for Ostapenko, but the second serve can be vulnerable to the point where she pushes too hard and can produce a host of double faults. Giving up free points is not ideal the later you get into a tournament, but the aggressive play Ostapenko produces seems to be well suited to the grass courts and can give her the edge in this match.

As well as Alexandrova has played on the grass over the last couple of weeks, her return has not been as potent as Ostapenko's. The Russian has shown significant improvement on her return compared to previous seasons on the grass, but I think it could be a tough match for her against the Ostapenko first serve.

It feels like it will be a match with a few breaks of serve shared out, but Jelena Ostapenko can continue her strong form shown over the last couple of weeks. Ekaterina Alexandrova has to be respected in her current form, but I am looking for the Ostapenko return to prove to be the key to her success in this match and I will back her to cover.

MY PICKS: Johanna Konta - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Karolina Pliskova - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Jelena Ostapenko - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Dan Evans - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 5-3, + 2.28 Units (16 Units Staked, + 14.25% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2019 (June 25th)

After a very good week that came to an end on Sunday, this week has started in a positive way for the Tennis Picks.

Two more winners were put on the board on Monday, although I was very fortunate with the one involving Jelena Ostapenko. Anastasija Sevastova pulled out of her match with Daria Gavrilova, but the other two selections both were affected by the rain and will have to be completed on Tuesday.

I will say it is going to need something special from Elina Svitolina to turn around her position against Alize Cornet and that is simply to win the match. It is unlikely that she will cover and thus being the first losing selection of this week, while Nicolas Jarry and Pablo Cuevas will begin their match having just missed out on taking to the court on Monday.


Some of the players in the WTA tournament are going to have to play twice on Tuesday to keep the event in Eastbourne on track for a Saturday conclusion, but the weather doesn't look great in the morning and matches are likely going to be pushed back to Wednesday. We should still see enough tennis to ensure the majority of those scheduled for Tuesday are completed, but it is looking a very busy day with a delayed start very likely.

I am adding some selections from the matches to be played in Eastbourne on Tuesday here and I will be hoping those are all able to be completed on the day.


Johanna Konta - 3.5 games v Maria Sakkari: This is going to be the third time Maria Sakkari and Johanna Konta are going to face each other in 2019 and the previous two matches have both needed three sets to determine a winner. However the previous two matches have been on a hard court (Konta won) and on a clay court (Sakkari won) and this time they play on the grass where the British Number 1 should be the more comfortable of the two players.

Back in 2015 Johanna Konta made her first really memorable impact on the Tour when she put a run of wins together in Eastbourne. Her home tournament has been one that Konta has enjoyed over the years and she does tend to produce much better results than when she plays in Birmingham in the lead up to Wimbledon.

Last week Konta suffered another relatively early loss in Birmingham, but she was a strong winner in the First Round here on Sunday. The British player is one of the best grass court players on the Tour and Konta gets a huge amount out of her serve that can put any opponent under pressure.

She faces Maria Sakkari who also had a strong win in the First Round and who came close to beating then World Number 1 Naomi Osaka in Birmingham last week. The Greek player does not have the stand out numbers, but she has the mentality to come through difficult moments and win matches she perhaps shouldn't be and that makes Sakkari dangerous here, especially with the way she has challenged Konta in their two previous matches in 2019.

Maria Sakkari does not get as much out of her serve on the grass as Johanna Konta does, but she is someone who can be very effective once she builds some momentum. The serve is decent enough to cause problems for Konta who has to show some better returning if she is going to win Wimbledon over the next three weeks, but I also think Johanna Konta is going to run through some of her service games.

It does have the making of a kind of match that will see some twists and turns, but the key difference is that I believe Johanna Konta is someone who can win a set with a double break of serve compared with Maria Sakkari. The latter has played well in her two matches with Konta this season, but I think the grass gives the British player a distinct advantage and I will look for her to win and cover the number.


Simona Halep - 2.5 games v Su-Wei Hsieh: It was not the kind of clay court season that Simona Halep would have wanted and she failed to defend the title she won at the French Open in 2018. The Romanian has also dropped down to World Number 7 in the latest Rankings, but revenge is going to be a motivating factor for her on Tuesday when she faces Su-Wei Hsieh.

Last year at Wimbledon Simona Halep created 23 break points against Su-Wei Hsieh but she was not able to take the chances as well as she would have liked and it was Hsieh who earned the upset. For a first match on the grass courts this is a difficult one for Halep who will know she is not going to get the rhythm she will like, but instead Halep is going to have to deal with the slice and dice game Hsieh brings to the table.

The Hsieh return on the grass courts has been a key factor for her successes in recent years as a Singles player. With the slice the ball stays low and it can be very difficult for players to dig those balls out when Hsieh is willing to get to the net and put away volleys.

In her two matches with Halep, Hsieh has also created plenty of opportunity on the return of serve too so this is a match that is expected to feature a lot of break points between the two players. As I have said above, a first match on the grass is a difficult prospect for anyone and Halep is coming in off a disappointing clay court portion of the season when she is expected to be at her best.

However I will also add that Halep is very comfortable on the grass courts and has had some strong results on the surface before. The Romanian has one of the strongest returns on the WTA Tour and I do think Simona Halep will win out when it comes to the number of break points being created.

It does make the handicap mark perhaps a little harder to get a grip of, but I think Halep can cover even in a three set win. Su-Wei Hsieh is a player that can frustrate anyone she plays when at her best and I hate opposing her with big spreads, but this is not one of those numbers and I will look for Halep to win and cover.


Caroline Wozniacki - 4.5 games v Andrea Petkovic: Injury issues have affected Caroline Wozniacki's 2019 season on the court, but she comes to Eastbourne as the defending Champion. She will be very happy being back in the surroundings where she picked up a title, but Wozniacki will also be beaming having recent tied the knot with NBA player David Lee.

A comfortable win over Kirsten Flipkens will be a boost for Wozniacki who had suffered a First Round loss at the French Open. Being back at an event where she won the title will help her get build on the win over Flipkens, although I am a little concerned about the overall health of Wozniacki.

There is room for improvement for Wozniacki who did not win as many points behind her first serve as she would have liked in the First Round, but she did protect the second serve and returned very effectively. Caroline Wozniacki is going to need to show she can step up another level when she takes on Andrea Petkovic who has upset Daria Kasatkina in the First Round.

The German has long had to battle against her health which has seen her drop to Number 70 in the World Ranking having previously reached the top ten. Andrea Petkovic has simply not been as comfortable on the clay courts as Caroline Wozniacki and her second serve has been a serious vulnerability that can keep Petkovic under real pressure.

These two players haven't met since 2015 so I am not sure you can read too much into the head to head, although the fact that Wozniacki has won the last five matches can't be completely set aside. One of those was on the grass courts and I do think Wozniacki is the superior player on this surface as long as she isn't suffering from playing on Monday and being asked to come back out twenty-four hours later.

On the day the difference could be how well each player does on the second serve and I think that is an area where Wozniacki can edge the key points. This is a very big spread when you think of how Wozniacki has been struggling to put the wins together in 2019, but she is the better grass courter and I think her style of play will break down Andrea Petkovic over the course of a couple of sets.


Feliciano Lopez v Pierre-Hugues Herbert: The career looked to be on the downward spiral that would have had Feliciano Lopez contemplating retirement as he slipped outside of the top 100 of the World Rankings. However he will have a completely different mindset after winning the title in Queens for the second time in three years and that has actually seen him rise 60 odd places to Number 53 in the World Rankings.

He was also partnering Andy Murray in the Doubles last week and Lopez picked up another title in that format of the game too. It does mean he has played a lot of tennis over the last seven days and that is perhaps why he is such an underdog in this First Round match in Eastbourne which is played on Tuesday afternoon.

At 37 years old it will have taken a toll on Lopez, but he is facing an opponent in Pierre-Hugues Herbert who reached the Semi Final in Halle last week. The Frenchman is also someone who participates in the Doubles and will be partnering Andy Murray at Wimbledon, but his Quarter Final defeat in that format of the sport last week means he has not been taxed with as much tennis as Lopez has had to play.

In saying that I do think Lopez is someone I want to continue to back having had as much success getting behind the Spaniard last week. In recent years he has been able to back up strong runs to produce another on the grass courts n back to back years.

Feliciano Lopez reached the Final at Queens in 2014 and then won the title in Eastbourne the following week. In 2017 he won the title at Queens after reaching the Final in Stuttgart in the previous week and I do think the grass courts give Lopez the chance to run through his service games without expending as much energy as he would have to on other surfaces.

Over the last couple of weeks Lopez has held just under 95% of the service games he has played compared with Herbert's 82% mark. The Spaniard has also had a slightly superior return game and in recent years we have yet to see the best of Herbert on this surface as a Singles player.

This has also been a difficult match up for Herbert who has broken in just under 3% of return games played against Lopez across three previous matches against him. At the same time Lopez has broken in 10% of return games and i want to back the underdog who has had the superior grass court pedigree of the two player as well as the advantages on the numbers against each other.

I am not ignoring the amount of tennis Lopez had to play last week, but I think that is factored into this price and I will back the Spaniard to win the match.

MY PICKS: Johanna Konta - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Simona Halep - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)
Caroline Wozniacki - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Feliciano Lopez @ 2.37 William Hill (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 3-0, + 5.14 Units (6 Units Staked, + 85.67% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2019 (June 24th)

Two winners from the three Tennis Picks made from the Finals that were played on Sunday ensured a strong week on the Tour and a bounce back from a disappointing first week of Picks from matches on the grass courts.

To be fair it was more than a bounce back with a very strong return to add to the season totals and this new week has started off well with Johanna Konta comfortably winning her first match in Eastbourne on Sunday too.

Eastbourne has brought together a very strong field from the WTA and this is a tournament that can give someone a lot of momentum to take into Wimbledon which begins in seven days time. The two ATP events being played this week are perhaps lacking some of the star power, but it could be an important week for those taking part. Earning some Ranking points could bode well for tournaments down the line, but none of those player in the two ATP events are really expected to be making an impact at the business end of the next Grand Slam of 2019.


I will be looking to keep the momentum going for the Picks into Wimbledon and pick up from where I left off on Sunday.

Below you can see my selections from the Monday tennis and I have updated the season totals as well as the weekly totals from the two venues running tournaments this week. The Johanna Konta pick that was a winner on Sunday will go down in the weekly totals for the events being run in Antalya and Eastbourne this week.


Jelena Ostapenko - 3.5 games v Mihaela Buzarnescu: Both Jelena Ostapenko and Mihaela Buzarnescu have had difficult twelve months on the Tour which means neither is going to head to Wimbledon as a Seeded player. Things may change if players ahead of them can't compete in SW19, but both players will be looking at their last year and believing there is plenty of room for improvement.

Jelena Ostapenko showed some very strong signs in Birmingham last week as she prepares to defend her Semi Final run at Wimbledon from 2018. A strong run will at least prevent a significant drop down the World Rankings and wins over Iga Swiatek and Johanna Konta will make her feel better about her game.

It is one that should work well on the grass courts, although there are still some big inconsistencies that need ironing out if Ostapenko is going to fulfil the potential she clearly has. Two years ago she won a Grand Slam title at the French Open so some will say she is more than potential, but for me the Latvian has not kicked on as you would imagine and she is still playing the kind of tennis that has very little margin for error.

She will know all about the difficulties Mihaela Buzarnescu will pose having split four matches two apiece in the last eighteen months. However the one sole meeting on the grass between Ostapenko and Buzarnescu ended with a very routine win for the former last year here in Eastbourne.

It was during a time when Buzarnescu was playing some of the best tennis of her career, but she has struggled to find those levels throughout 2019. The Romanian is playing only her second grass court match of the season after going down to a one-sided defeat to Karolina Pliskova last week in Birmingham, and she is going to have to be a lot more convincing on the return if she is going to win this match.

I do think it will be a closer match because Ostapenko's serve is one that can be vulnerable when she is not feeling at her best. With that in mind Mihaela Buzarnescu should have some successes on the return which she did not manage last week, but I would also expect Ostapenko's aggression to be a deciding factor in the match and she can work her way to a solid looking win.

Covering the handicap won't be straight-forward, but I will look for Ostapenko to do that with the confidence she should have earned from her run in Birmingham. I think she will have the superior return on the day and the Latvian has had more success on the grass than Buzarnescu which should translate to a place in the Second Round.


Anastasija Sevastova - 4.5 games v Daria Gavrilova: Tennis is one of those sports where players can quickly sink down the World Rankings if they hit a poor run of form and that is what has happened to Daria Gavrilova. The Australian has been inspired by the performance of compatriot Ashleigh Barty who is the newest Grand Slam Champion and World Number 1, but Gavrilova needs to dig in if she is going to reverse the form of the last twelve months.

This week Gavrilova has got into the main draw of Eastbourne as a 'Lucky Loser', while the draw could have been much kinder to her.

In recent years Daria Gavrilova has struggled on the grass courts anyway so this is perhaps not the perfect time of the season for her to try and turn around her form. She was a dominant winner in the first Qualifier here, but Gavrilova won just three games in the second Qualifier and the second serve is massively vulnerable on the surface.

The opponent in front of her looks a difficult one too as I look to get behind Anastasija Sevastova who had a decent run to the Semi Final in Mallorca last week. It has to be said that Sevastova has tended to play her best grass court tennis in Mallorca and her results away from that tournament have been far less impressive, but I do think she may match up well with Gavrilova in this First Round match.

Her serve is also one that can be attacked on the grass courts, but I think she has the edge over Gavrilova when it comes to the second serve and the way Sevastova is able to protect that shot. It is a big difference maker within a match when you can get away with a few more second serves than your opponent and I also think the Latvian has the kind of aggression on the return that also gives her the advantage.

Daria Gavrilova did reach the Quarter Final in Eastbourne as a Lucky Loser in 2015 and that has to be respected. But her recent results have not been productive enough to believe she can keep this match as competitive as the layers believe and I will back Anastasija Sevastova to show the superior second serving and returning to work her way to the breaks needed to cover.


Elina Svitolina - 2.5 games v Alize Cornet: A poor loss in Birmingham last week after a disappointing clay court portion of the season has to be a concern for Elina Svitolina fans as we approach the third Grand Slam of the 2019 year. Her health has been in question, but I think this is the kind of match that Svitolina will be looking at as a good chance to get her season turned back around.

A 14-10 record in 2019 is not what anyone expected of Svitolina after she won the WTA Championship Finals for the first time at the end of 2018. Now she is looking to put some wins on the board during a month on the grass courts despite Svitolina not really having the impact she would have wanted at this time of the season in recent years.

The numbers in general from Svitolina have hardly been that impressive, but you can see she has her most difficulty putting things together on the grass. The Ukrainian would love to get more joy from the serve to really start becoming a threat on the surface, while her returning is significantly poorer than on either the clay or the hard courts.

However I do think Svitolina can be backed in this Second Round match when she takes on Alize Cornet who has also not been able to find her best tennis on the grass courts. She did have a solid win over Heather Watson in the First Round, but I think that has as much to do with the poor form Watson has been displaying for twelve months as it has about Cornet suddenly finding form on the surface.

Elina Svitolina has won the last four matches between these players and she also holds a win over Alize Cornet on the grass in Birmingham in 2018. Those four matches have seen Svitolina dominate the returning numbers and she can certainly do that here having played well enough on that side of her game in Birmingham last week.

Much will depend on how much success Svitolina can have on the second serve in this one- if she can get enough first serves in play it shouldn't matter so much, but I do think the Ukrainian can capitalise on the returns off the second serve more than Cornet.

The layers have their doubts about Svitolina which means we are getting a decent spread in this match. While it is a risky play considering the recent performances of Elina Svitolina, I will back her to win this one.


Steve Johnson-Reilly Opelka over 10.5 first set games: We haven't seen Reilly Opelka since the French Open, but the improvements he has made over the last twelve months means he will be entering Wimbledon thanks to his Number 61 World Ranking.

He didn't play any grass court tennis in 2018, but the 'new John Isner' should be someone who can cause problems for whoever he faces on the surface. Two years ago Opelka held 90% of the service games he played on the grass as he compiled a 3-3 record, but the American's numbers are heavily leaning towards his serving.

Back in 2017 he broke in only 8% of return games on the grass, while Opelka is at 11% when you look at his numbers across the last twelve months on all surfaces. At 6'11 in height it is no surprise that his return is as potent as it is and I would expect Opelka to give Steve Johnson plenty to think about in this First Round match at Eastbourne, although the lack of grass court tennis in the last two years is a concern.

Steve Johnson has become very familiar on the surface, although he has had a difficult last two weeks with some tough draws to face. Losses to Gael Monfils and Alexander Zverev around a win over Philipp Kohlschreiber is a difficult run for Johnson to have negotiated and his numbers have been dented by the tough matches he has had.

Both the service and return numbers are someway down on 2018 when Johnson had some real success on the grass, but I do think the higher Ranked American in this First Round match can enjoy better success in this one. I do think Johnson will be able to run through some service games to improve the numbers produced in 2019, but I think Johnson is going to struggle when it comes to the return and that has led me to my pick.

With the way both Johnson and Opelka can serve, I would expect break points to be at a premium in this match. Early on you would think both players are going to have too much pop on the serve to give too many opportunities to the other and I do think we are going to come very close to a tie-breaker to separate them in the first set.

The very opening of the match is perhaps when someone will be caught out cold and I am not anticipating a lot of breaks of serve in this one. With both capable of serving effectively and neither being a particularly productive returner I will look for this match to reach at least 5-5 in the first set.


Nicolas Jarry - 1.5 games v Pablo Cuevas: When you think of players that are going to be looking forward to the grass court season you probably wouldn't think of either Nicolas Jarry or Pablo Cuevas. At least over the last twelve months Jarry has decided to give himself a chance of securing some solid grass court tennis compared with Cuevas who played at Wimbledon without any warm up tennis twelve months ago.

Nicolas Jarry has shown he can produce some effective grass court tennis in 2018 and 2019 and his win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Hertogenbosch has to be respected. He failed to Qualify for the main draw in London last week, but both losses Jarry has had on the grass over the last couple of weeks have been in tight matches.

That does bode well for him as he heads to Eastbourne for this final warm up tournament before Wimbledon gets underway. The Chilean has won at least 66% of his service points on the grass in 2018 and 2019, while he has held 82% and 83% of service games played in those years respectively.

You have to respect the serving that Pablo Cuevas has been able to produce n the grass courts in recent years, but he has struggled significantly on the return of serve. No one is going to confuse Jarry with an exceptional returner, but he has produced better numbers than Cuevas when you compare them in recent years, although both have small samples at play.

In 2016 Pablo Cuevas did surprise his way to a run to the Final in Nottingham which was then the tournament played before Wimbledon begun. However the Uruguayan was only breaking in 12% of return games on the surface in that season and I do think Nicolas Jarry can edge him out in what could be a match in which the serves dominate.

I do think one or two pivotal moments could swing this match, but Nicolas Jarry's motivation to play on the grass could be higher and make all the difference on the day. Both players will be looking to rely on their serve and I do give the narrow edge to Nicolas Jarry on both serving and returning and enough to want to back him to get through this match.

MY PICKS: Jelena Ostapenko - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Anastasija Sevastova - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Elina Svitolina - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Steve Johnson-Reilly Opelka Over 10.5 First Set Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Nicolas Jarry - 1.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 1-0 , + 1.66 Units (2 Units Staked, + 83% Yield)

Season 2019: + 91.97 Units (1104 Units Staked, + 8.33% Yield)