Madrid Masters Tennis Picks 2022 (May 1st)

A difficult start on Saturday was replaced with three consecutive winners for the Tennis Picks and it has kept the week totals ticking along nicely.

The WTA event will have reached the Third Round in Madrid by the time the Sunday action is concluded, but the ATP First Round begins on the same day, while the tournaments in Estoril and Munich conclude with both Finals set to be played.

I will update the season totals in the Tuesday Tennis Picks thread, but for now you can read my selections from the Sunday schedule below.

Marta Kostyuk v Emma Raducanu: Two very young players are meeting on the clay courts in the WTA Madrid Second Round and I have little doubt that Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu know all about the other. It is Marta Kostyuk who is the slightly older of the two and she has been a pro for longer, but Emma Raducanu has raised her own stock ever since winning the US Open.

A first competitive season playing on the clay is something of a learning experience for Raducanu, but she was a solid enough winner in the First Round. It is the second time she has beaten Tereza Martincova on the clay courts, while Emma Raducanu is feeling pretty comfortable on the surface, despite the heavy loss to Marketa Vondrousova in the Billy Jean King Cup.

The numbers back that up, but this is a match against a pretty strong clay courter in Marta Kostyuk who reached the French Open Fourth Round last year. We haven't seen a lot of Kostyuk on the clay courts in 2022 as she continues to worry about the situation in Ukraine, her home, but she was a strong winner over Clara Tauson in the First Round.

In her early career, Marta Kostyuk has shown a liking to playing on the clay courts and I do think that experience could stand her in good stead against her British opponent.

Over the last twelve months, Marta Kostyuk has shown she has a pretty effective serve on this surface and she has been able to back that up with strong returning displays. We don't have a very big sample of numbers from Emma Raducanu, but it does feel like her second serve is pretty attackable on the clay and that is where Kostyuk could come out on top in this match.

Both players will feel they can have success when they are returning, but I do have a touch more faith in the Marta Kostyuk serve in what is a pick 'em match set by the layers.

These two did meet on a hard court at the back end of 2021 and it was Marta Kostyuk who crushed Emma Raducanu for the loss of three games. The British player did struggle with the weight of expectation following the US Open success, but Emma Raducanu saw her serve attacked over and over again and I think Marta Kostyuk will be the player moving through to the Third Round thanks to her superior clay court successes.

MY PICKS: Marta Kostyuk @ 1.91 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

John Isner - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Lorenzo Sonego - 3.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Holger Rune - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Sebastian Baez - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 8-4, + 6 Units (24 Units Staked, + 25% Yield)

Madrid Update: 6-2, + 6.94 Units (16 Units Staked, + 43.38% Yield)

Madrid Masters Tennis Picks 2022 (April 30th)

It has been a quiet week for the Tennis Picks, but Friday was one of the busier days with the WTA Madrid tournament firmly underway.

I really could not have asked for a better day with the Tennis Picks going 7-2, although I did benefit from the inches going my way on the day. A couple of those selections could have easily ended up on the wrong side of the fine margins, although Alejandro Davidovich Fokina's late collapse prevented the day from being even better.

Still, a strong winning day has to be appreciated and it gives me something to build upon as I look for this week to end positively. The Madrid Masters will be played through to next weekend with the ATP event beginning on Monday and there will be some big matches coming up that could have an impact on the way the French Open is played out.

Simona Halep v Paula Badosa: The WTA Madrid tournament is one of the big events left before the French Open gets underway in May and the field that has come together means there are very few easy matches for players.

Even the top names have been given some early challenges and the Second Round match between Simona Halep and Paula Badosa would headline most events.

Injury and a decision to move ahead without a Coach has meant we have not seen much of Simona Halep in recent weeks, but she was a very comfortable winner in the First Round. For a long time Simona Halep has been one of the top players on the clay courts on the WTA Tour, but there look to be other players out there that are more likely to win the French Open.

That feeling will change depending on how Simona Halep is able to perform here in Madrid and in Rome before the second Grand Slam of the season gets underway. It was actually injury that cost Simona Halep a strong clay court season in 2021, but the numbers have remained pretty strong on the surface and I do think Halep is very happy on this surface, even if the conditions in Madrid can be difficult.

A player like Paula Badosa may feel happier with the faster conditions that tend to be the case in Madrid, and she did reach the Semi Final here last season. With Iga Swiatek out of the event, it feels like a very open tournament and a player like Paula Badosa will believe in her ability to take the title on home soil.

Paula Badosa already has one Quarter Final run and one Semi Final run on the clay courts under her belt and she was a dominant First Round winner too. She reached the French Open Quarter Final last year and the World Number 2 is a much improved player on all surfaces.

I expect this to be a close match considering the kind of numbers that both of these players can produce on the clay courts. The Spaniard has the edge on the service numbers, but Simona Halep is a player that can be very strong when it comes to the return and her own serve is one that can be productive enough to earn a win in this big match.

The lack of recent tennis is a concern when backing Simona Halep, but I still think she is amongst the top three clay courters on the WTA Tour. Paula Badosa may soon crack that level herself, but I still think Halep may be the slightly better player on this surface and can make odds against quotes count.

MY PICKS: Simona Halep @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)

Belinda Bencic - 4.5 Games @ 2.20 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Yulia Putintseva + 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Miomir Kecmanovic - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Sebastian Baez - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 7-3, + 6.18 Units (20 Units Staked, + 30.90% Yield)

Madrid Update: 4-1, + 4.92 Units (10 Units Staked, + 49.20% Yield)

Madrid Masters Tennis Picks 2022 (April 29th)

I had a few matches on my shortlist for the Thursday play, but ultimately there were enough doubts around those which meant waiting for another day.

That is fairly surprising considering how many matches were heading to the courts as the Madrid Masters WTA event begun First Round action along with the two ATP tournaments being played this week. However, I was simply not comfortable enough to back any of those that made it down my list and I have to accept the results as they are.

Hopefully there are plenty of winners still to find over the first of the two big Masters events played on the clay courts before the French Open begins in a little under a month from now. Players will be looking to round into some form, but it should be noted that the conditions in Madrid have long been very different to those faced in Rome and Paris and so there are a few more upsets that can occur at this event compared with the others.

It has been a good week for the Tennis Picks so far, but I am looking for more as selections from Estoril and Munich are also going to be in this thread.

I will then update results for the 'Weekly Update' and a separate results tally for the Madrid Masters with that event going through to a week on Sunday.

Friday looks to be a busy day for the Picks with plenty of matches passing the tests I've set to try and put a winning season in the books.

Emma Raducanu - 3.5 games v Tereza Martincova: Another Coaching change has been made by Emma Raducanu and the young player has very little experience on the clay courts, but she can play with some freedom over the coming month with all that in mind. The early form on the surface has been decent and Raducanu gave Iga Swiatek a tough battle in Stuttgart on this unfamiliar surface, although the conditions in Madrid will be somewhat different to what she will be facing in other clay court tournaments.

At least she will know what to expect when facing Tereza Martincova having beaten her in a Billie Jean King Cup match earlier this month. It was a tough match, but Emma Raducanu looked the stronger player for much of the time spent on court and I do think the British player can frank that form with a win in the First Round here.

It has been a mixed year on the Tour for Tereza Martincova, but she has reached a career best World Ranking in February and that will offer some encouragement.

However, the Czech player has never been the most consistent on the clay courts and she has lost both matches played on this surface in 2022. Tereza Martincova will usually get plenty of first serves into play, but it isn't much more than a rally starter in the main part and that will allow aggressive players like Emma Raducanu the chance to play first strike tennis and put her opponent under pressure.

The Tereza Martincova return also has room for improvement on the clay courts and the early form of the Emma Raducanu serve on this surface offers some encouragement. I do think there will be players with the clay court specialism that will cause Raducanu problems and there are some top clay courters on the Tour, but this is a match that should be one in which the British player is comfortable by what she is seeing in front of her.

When these two met in the Billie Jean King Cup, Emma Raducanu was the slightly stronger return player throughout the match and that helped her win in straight sets. There will be some rallies that see both players taking control of the points, but Emma Raducanu served well in Stuttgart on an indoor clay court and the faster conditions we tend to find in Madrid can suit her game a little more than it will Tereza Martincova's.

She may still be a work in progress overall, but this is a match that Emma Raducanu should be winning and I think she can move through to the Second Round.

Maria Sakkari - 2.5 games v Madison Keys: A gastro illness was the reason given for Maria Sakkari's decision to withdraw from her match in Stuttgart, but I expect a much stronger player to arrive in Madrid.

The run to the Semi Final at the French Open last year was unexpected, but Maria Sakkari has long been a competent player on the clay courts. She looks to have the tennis that should be very effective on the surface, although Maria Sakkari has not always had the best time in Madrid.

However, Maria Sakkari will be pretty happy with the First Round match against Madison Keys, a player that is very much not at her best on the clay. The American is playing in her first European clay court event in 2022, but there has been very little time spent on the clay over the last couple of years from Madison Keys and this has been a tough match up for her too.

Last season Madison Keys finished up at 3-4 on the clay and that was largely down to the two wins secured at the French Open. Her numbers behind the first serve are relatively decent, but Keys has not really shown the patience to build points on the surface like you need to and that leaves her vulnerable in matches she plays on clay courts.

The big first serve will have to be given the respect it deserves, but Maria Sakkari will feel she gets plenty out of her own first serve to match the one Madison Keys brings to the court. However, the Greek player will expect her return to be a major difference maker on this surface, while the mental edge is also with Sakkari.

In their two previous matches, Maria Sakkari has not been bothered by being the lower Ranked player and has won all four sets they have played. Both of those matches were played on the hard courts and I think the clay gives Maria Sakkari even more of an edge, so I am expecting her to find the tennis to move through.

Maria Sakkari has dominated the second serve numbers in their two matches against one another and I think she can drag Madison Keys into some longer rallies to further the edge in her own direction. It is never easy to beat Keys, but Maria Sakkari should be able to serve well enough to keep her at arm's length in this First Round match.

MY PICKS: Emma Raducanu - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Maria Sakkari - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Petra Kvitova - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Bianca Andreescu - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Kaia Kanepi - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Albert Ramos-Vinolas - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Sebastian Baez - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Oscar Otte - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 4-2, + 2.76 Units (12 Units Staked, + 23% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (April 25th)

A busy weekend means the opening Tennis Picks from the tournaments to be played this week in Estoril and Munich are not going to have a full write up.

Later this week the Madrid Masters will begin and there is a suggestion the ATP and WTA Tours are going to come together and make a decision to not count any Ranking points from Wimbledon in light of the move the third Grand Slam of the season has made in relation to Belarusian and Russian players. While I don't think it will impact the arrival of players at an event that will offer significant prize money, it will still be a noted move by the Tours.

We will see how that shakes up later this week when the next really big clay court tournament begins. The ATP part of the Madrid Masters will begin early next week, but the main draw of the WTA side of the tournament should get underway on Thursday.

I should have a much fuller thread for the Tennis Picks on Tuesday.

MY PICKS: Soonwoo Kwon - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Federico Coria - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Holger Rune - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Emil Ruusuvuori - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Madrid Masters Tennis Picks 2021 (April 30th)

It was a mixed bag of results on Thursday, but so much is down to the awful collapse Elina Svitolina had in her eventual defeat to Jill Belen Teichmann.

After looking in control at 6-2, 2-0, 30/0, Svitolina blew the second set, but worse was to come.

She was then up 5-1 on serve in the final set and missed four Match Points on her way to failing to see out the match and eventually Elina Svitolina was beaten in the Tie-Breaker.

I need that kind of poor luck to be erased, but there really isn't much more I can do than the research and believe that I am making the right selections. You can't get much closer to covering without covering and the feeling is that eventually I am going to hit a really good patch of form.

I am hoping that begins on Friday as the First Round is completed at the WTA Madrid tournament, while the Quarter Final matches in Estoril and Munich are also set to be played. A busy day is in store and I am looking for some successes to lay the foundations for what is hopefully a much better few days leading into early May and the move to the Rome Masters.

Daria Kasatkina - 3.5 games v Irena-Camelia Begu: We haven't really seen Daria Kasatkina kick on in her career in the manner many would have expected of her and the next few weeks are going to be important to earn some solid World Ranking points. At almost 24 years old, I do think Daria Kasatkina should have been much higher than her current Number 37 World Ranking, especially as the Russian cracked the top ten back in October 2018.

This is only the second clay court tournament that Kasatkina is playing in 2021, but she has long been very comfortable on the surface where her return can be a huge weapon for her. The serve is a vulnerable one that can be attacked by opponents, but Daria Kasatkina may not be too worried about this match up with the Qualifier Irena-Camelia Begu.

Winning two matches to earn a spot in the main draw will give Begu some confidence, especially in what has been a mixed season for her as she has fallen down to Number 75 in the World Rankings. Irena-Camelia Begu has long favoured playing on the clay courts which makes her a test, but the head to head with Daria Kasatkina is one that will have the Romanian a little nervy despite the two wins produced in Madrid.

The faster clay court may actually benefit Irena-Camelia Begu too, which is encouraging, but she has lost seven of eight matches against this opponent and that includes six in a row with just a single set won in that stretch. It has been a couple of years since these two met on the red dirt in Rome, but Daria Kasatkina has won the last three matches between them on the clay courts and Begu has not really been able to get into the return games as well as she would have liked.

I have to say that Irena-Camelia Begu is a pretty steady clay court player and any off day from Daria Kasatkina will be punished. However, the level that Kasatkina is able to produce on this surface may be too much for Begu to stick with and in their head to heads that has tended to be the case as I look for the Russian player to come through with a cover of a wide enough spread mark.

Anett Kontaveit - 4.5 games v Nina Stojanovic: Qualifiers can be very dangerous in the early Rounds of any tournament they enter the main draw and Nina Stojanovic has to be respected with two wins behind her in Madrid. This is the first clay court tournament she will have played this season, but it has been a good year in general which saw Stojanovic reach a career best World Ranking last month.

The 24 year old was in good form in her two Qualifying wins and that will make Stojanovic dangerous in this First Round match and especially if Anett Kontaveit is not as focused as she should be. That is one of the main complaints about Kontaveit who can blow hot and cold within matches and tournaments, but a good week in Stuttgart has been put in the books and the Estonian is comfortable on the clay courts.

One of the areas that continues to let Kontaveit down is the return of serve and she has to find a way to put more pressure on Nina Stojanovic if she is going to break down her lower Ranked opponent. There were positive signs out of Anett Kontaveit in Stuttgart, but she needs to build on that if she is going to have the kind of clay court campaign she would like to put in the books.

Anything less than a strong returning day will put Anett Kontaveit under pressure and her opponent does have previous having produced a 5-3 career record against top 100 Ranked players on the clay courts. The second serve has been a weakness for Stojanovic in those matches though and I think that is where Kontaveit has to make sure she is aggressive, but not wasteful when she sees that serve.

On this surface I do think Anett Kontaveit can find the break points to eventually crack through Nina Stojanovic and it may come with enough time to win and cover. Their sole previous meeting is largely irrelevant as it came back in 2017 when Nina Stojanovic was much younger and inexperienced, but even at this stage of their careers I do think Anett Kontaveit may have a touch too much for Nina Stojanovic.

Simona Halep - 5.5 games v Sara Sorribes Tormo: This has already been a memorable season for Sara Sorribes Tormo who reached a career best Singles World Ranking earlier this week, and it could potentially only get better for the Spaniard. She has long seen the clay courts as her best surface and can pile up the World Ranking points over the next month, although I think Sorribes Tormo will be the first to admit she would prefer a kinder draw than the one she has been given in the First Round in Madrid.

It is a home tournament and that is going to provide plenty of motivation for Sara Sorribes Tormo, but Simona Halep will be heading into the French Open as one of the favourites to win that title again.

A Semi Final run in Stuttgart will have shown that Simona Halep is feeling in pretty good form and she is a former winner in Madrid so the faster conditions at this tournament is not a major concern. In recent years you could argue that Halep has been the most consistent clay courter on the WTA side of the Tour and her numbers have been very impressive, especially on the return of serve.

I think that return of serve is going to be key in this match against an opponent whose returning game is much stronger than her serving one. However, I think it would be wrong to suggest that Simona Halep has as weak a serve as the one Sara Sorribes Tormo will be bringing to the court and that is where the top ten Ranked player will likely dominate the rallies.

If Sorribes Tormo is not able to get enough first serves in play it could be a really tough First Round match for her and she was beaten pretty handily by Simona Halep when these two played on the clay courts last season. That was played at the French Open and Halep created more than double the amount of break points than Sorribes Tormo and I do think she is more likely to be in that position again.

The Spaniard has been in very good form in 2021 and she has to be respected, but Simona Halep should find the breaks of serve to get into a position to cover this spread. It won't be easy if Sara Sorribes Tormo is able to dig in as much as she has throughout 2021, but Simona Halep is one of the top clay courters on the Tour and I think the match up is one that should be appealing to her.

Victoria Azarenka - 2.5 games v Ekaterina Alexandrova: The last twelve months have been important for Victoria Azarenka who needed a Special Entry to play in the clay court tournaments in 2020, but who is back inside the top 20 of the World Rankings now. We haven't seen her since the Miami Masters that began at the end of March, but Victoria Azarenka is someone who has been pretty comfortable on the clay courts.

She will need to find her form pretty quickly as Azarenka has been drawn against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the First Round in Madrid. Last week the Russian won a couple of matches in the tough Stuttgart draw before coming up short against Simona Halep in the Quarter Final, but Alexandrova has been inconsistent on the clay courts throughout her career and we will see how much she has picked up from those wins in Stuttgart.

The return has been an area where Ekaterina Alexandrova has struggled in her clay court matches, but she was serving well last week and that may be important in trying to keep tabs with Victoria Azarenka.

The latter does have a really vulnerable second serve and that is where Alexandrova is going to have to try and take advantage, but Victoria Azarenka is a very good returner on this surface and I think that is where the difference is made on the day. If Azarenka can get enough first serves in play she will likely feel that she has enough to get on top of the rallies and control them.

Both players should have their moments in the match, but Victoria Azarenka is the stronger clay court player even if this is her first match on the surface in 2021. It may take a set to really get her feet underneath her, but Victoria Azarenka should begin to take control against Ekaterina Alexandrova who is not as comfortable on the surface.

I expect the Belarusian's return of serve to prove to be the most important factor in this First Round encounter and it should be enough to see Victoria Azarenka win and get past this spread too.

MY PICKS: Daria Kasatkina - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Anett Kontaveit - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Simona Halep - 5.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Victoria Azarenka - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Saisai Zheng @ 2.05 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Karolina Pliskova - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Filip Krajinovic - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Casper Ruud - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Cristian Garin - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Albert Ramos - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Madrid Update: 2-2, - 0.74 Units (8 Units Staked - 9.25% Yield)

Madrid Masters Tennis Picks 2021 (April 29th)

I needed a few days off from the Tennis Picks and wrote that I would be back when the Madrid Masters comes around.

Frustration was getting the better of me with so many selections seemingly ending on the wrong end of every bit of bad luck I could think of. That was only made worse because those were the good selections and I wasn't getting any luck by getting away with the bad selections.

That adds up in a negative spiral and that is when taking a step back and looking for things to be reset is the best policy and especially in a long Tennis season.

The WTA side of the Madrid Masters begins on Thursday and I am looking for a positive start to the tournament which can give me something to build upon.

2021 has not been a very good season to this point, but things can turn around quickly and I am just looking for a touch more fortune behind the Tennis Picks.

I will update the Season Totals and place that down in either the Friday or the Saturday thread for the Tennis Picks, but hopefully there will be some positive signs immediately out of this tournament.

Elina Svitolina - 4.5 games v Jill Belen Teichmann: A tight loss in the Stuttgart Semi Final will have offered Elina Svitolina encouragement having played pretty well in a loaded tournament. The clay courts may not be her favourite surface, but the Ukrainian is pretty effective on all surfaces and she will be looking for a strong run in Madrid.

The clay courts in this City tend to play pretty fast compared with the ones we will see in Rome and Paris in the next few weeks and that is much to do with the altitude which sees players hit through the courts. That may be a problem for Elina Svitolina, but she should still have too much for Jill Belen Teichmann who is playing her first clay court match of the season.

Jill Belen Teichmann has been comfortable on the clay courts in the past so she is one player that can't be dismissed easily. However, the last time we saw Teichmann she was withdrawing from a match with an injury and it was a difficult match up for her against Elina Svitolina when these two met on the clay courts in Strasbourg in 2020.

Now she is going up against an Elina Svitolina who has been serving pretty well in her limited time on the clay and one who can exert plenty of pressure with her return. That side of her game looked in good shape in Stuttgart and was the key in Svitolina's wins over Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova and this is a match that is largely a step down from that kind of level.

When these two played in Strasbourg, it was Elina Svitolina who more than doubled the amount of break points created than Jill Belen Teichmann. I expect it is going to be a key part of this First Round match in Madrid too and I think Svitolina can get the better of things which will give her every chance to cover what looks a big mark.

It can be hard to trust Elina Svitolina who can play hot and cold within a match, but her World Ranking has largely come about thanks to her ability to win matches like this one. I would expect Jill Belen Teichmann to have her moments, but a lack of recent competitive tennis could go against her in this opener in Madrid.

Laura Siegemund - 3.5 games v Kateryna Kozlova: Two Qualifiers have the chance to pick up some vital World Ranking points when they meet in the First Round in Madrid and both Laura Siegemund and Kateryna Kozlova have to be confident in their chances. Both were pretty dominant winners in their opening two matches in Madrid, although Kozlova came through with consecutive straight sets wins compared with Siegemund who needed three sets in her Second Qualifying Round match.

That extra set meant Laura Siegemund had to spend an extra thirty minutes on the court winning that match, but I don't expect it will be too much of an issue with this First Round match scheduled for the afternoon. It should mean there is enough recovery time for a player who has been confident on the clay courts throughout her career and who will be expecting to put up plenty of wins in the weeks ahead.

Laura Siegemund was beaten by Ashleigh Barty in the Second Round in Stuttgart, a tournament she has won before, but that is not a loss that will hurt the confidence. The German should also take heart from the fact that Barty went on and won the tournament and Siegemund is someone who has consistently had decent numbers on the clay.

That consistency was on display in her two Qualifying wins, while Kateryna Kozlova has only recently returned to competitive action having been off the Tour since the French Open last September. Unsurprisingly it has been a relatively low-key return to the Tour for the Ukrainian, but Kozlova has previously reached the Third Round in Madrid having Qualified for the tournament when doing that in 2019.

However, it should be noted that Kateryna Kozlova has not shown nearly the same kind of level on the clay courts on a consistent basis as Laura Siegemund has.

Laura Siegemund has also won the last three matches between these players and two of those were on clay courts as the former dominated the break point chances and eventually secured two easy looking wins on the scoreboard. The faster clay courts should make Kateryna Kozlova a little more dangerous, but Siegemund has enjoyed the match up and I think she is looking in good enough nick to find a win and a cover.

Ana Bogdan + 2.5 games v Anastasija Sevastova: Two more Qualifiers are perhaps feeling happy with a draw that sees them take on another Qualifier and the chance to put some World Ranking points on the board they may not have otherwise earned. The time that Ana Bogdan has spent on the court compared with Anastasija Sevastova might be a concern, but the younger player has a winning record against Sevastova and Ana Bogdan has always made life difficult for her too.

They have twice met on the clay courts and split those matches 1-1, while a couple of months ago Ana Bogdan beat Anastasija Sevastova on the hard courts in Australia in preparation for the first Grand Slam of the 2021 season. The first of the clay court matches was dominated by Bogdan, but the more recent one saw Sevastova come through a tough three setter and I believe this one is going to be another competitive First Round match.

Over the last couple of years Ana Bogdan has shown she has all of the tennis needed to be a solid clay court player and she had a good run in Istanbul already this season. The numbers have backed that up, although Bogdan would love to get a little more out of the serve so her return can really take over matches.

Anastasija Sevastova is a solid clay courter in her own right and she is a former Madrid Semi Finalist which has to be respected, but her form over the last year has been inconsistent to say the least. Two Qualifier wins will have given Sevastova confidence, but the Latvian has been beaten by Caty Mcnally on the surface this season and I do think she is a vulnerable favourite here.

The serve has been a touch more reliable than Ana Bogdan's serve and that may be important, although I do think the latter is the better returner. The four matches played by Sevastova this season has seen her return looking in good shape, but it is a small sample and I do think Ana Bogdan has shown more consistency on that side of her game.

This one going three sets will not be a big surprise, but I do think Ana Bogdan can edge past her higher Ranked opponent. She should hold the mental edge and I think Bogdan might just be the superior clay courter of the two at this stage of their careers.

MY PICKS: Elina Svitolina - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Laura Siegemund - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Ana Bogdan + 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Jan-Lennard Struff - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Cristian Garin - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)