Shanghai Tennis Picks 2016 (October 14th)

The last couple of days have begun to turn this week into the one I wanted with plenty of winning picks meaning a positive week is in the offing.

There is still three days left of the week though so nothing has been decided yet and I have seen plenty of times in the 2016 season when it has looked liked a strong week was about to be put together only to end up with a poor few days to blow those chances.

I just want to stay focused and keeping making the picks as I have and hope the week can be a positive one as I try to end the 2016 season with some momentum to take into the 2017 season which will begin six weeks after this one comes to a close.


Roberto Bautista Agut + 2.5 games v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: Any worries about the Jo-Wilfried Tsonga health this week in Shanghai have been put to rest with the way the Frenchman has worked his way through the draw. Coming from behind to beat the in-form Alexander Zverev is an impressive performance from Tsonga and he is favoured to beat Roberto Bautista Agut in this first Quarter Final of the day.

Tsonga will be playing Bautista Agut for the third time in 2016 but he has failed to get over the hump in two defeats that have both gone the distance. Both matches have seen Bautista Agut come close to losing before managing to turn the match in his favour and I think something similar might happen here.

You would give Tsonga a significant advantage on the serve, but Bautista Agut's strength is making sure he makes as many balls back as possible and that can see him work into the weaker Tsonga backhand. The Tsonga return is also not as good as some of the better players on the Tour and that means Bautista Agut can look after his weaker serve for the most part.

I hate backing against Tsonga when he is in the form he is in, but Bautista Agut has enjoyed the challenge of facing the powerhouse from France and I will take the games in a match that Bautista Agut could potentially win outright.


Andy Murray - 5.5 games v David Goffin: Both Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have reached the Quarter Final in Shanghai as they continue their duel for the Number 1 spot in the World Rankings. Djokovic is still firmly in the driving seat and with a relatively straight forward looking Quarter Final to come, especially compared with Murray who is facing David Goffin, a player chasing a spot in the ATP World Tour Finals.

However I think Murray is quite clearly the superior player in this match and I expect he is going to be able to show that over the course of ninety minutes on the court.

You know what you're going to get with Goffin- he will work hard and play some quality points, but he does lack the power and the serve to really bother the very best players. Murray is most certainly one of the best players on the Tour and his strong return game should mean he is putting the pressure on Goffin consistently and this has proven to be part of the reason Murray has won all four previous matches.

The British player also has the superior serve in terms of getting some cheap points from it and I think Murray is able to dictate more rallies than not. I am not that surprised that Murray has yet to drop a set to Goffin and many of those have seen him break down the Belgian Number 1 with double breaks of serve not uncommon. I think that will happen here in the form Murray has been in and I think he can wear down Goffin in a 75, 62 win and cover a big looking number.


Angelique Kerber - 4.5 games v Daria Gavrilova: This has been a tough road through to the Quarter Final in Hong Kong for the World Number 1 Angelique Kerber including having to win her Second Round match over two days thanks to the rain in the area. She has made it through to the Quarter Final though and will know she needs to improve her level if Kerber is going to find a way past Daria Gavrilova.

Past matches have gone in favour of Kerber as she has shown her movement and defensive skills will give her a chance to weather the Gavrilova storm. The latter can produce a very high level of tennis at times, but Kerber will know if she can stay with her during those moments that the level will drop and turn this match in her favour.

The consistent level that Kerber has produced is going to be tough for Gavrilova to match over two hours and their previous matches has seen the German prove too good even if she has to bide her time for the errors to come. I can see something similar happening in this Quarter Final with the Australian perhaps taking the lead, but Kerber to eventually start wearing her down physically and mentally by producing enough strong defensive moments to force Gavrilova to go closer and closer to the lines.

That should extract errors from the Gavrilova game and eventually I think Kerber will start breaking down her serve. As long as Kerber can protect her serve from being broken more than three times, I think she can come through this match and get over this number.


Carla Suarez Navarro - 4.5 games v Denisa Allertova: I will admit that I am not always keen to back Carla Suarez Navarro when it comes to big numbers like this for her to cover. While the Spaniard has found a way to win matches, her serve can be attacked and that makes it hard to trust her to win matches by a margin to cover this number of games.

However on this occasion I do think Suarez Navarro can cover against Denisa Allertova even though the Czech player has produced two very good wins this week. Allertova does have some strong qualities and I have watched her play at times and really respected what she can do, but I am not sure she has the consistency to stick with Suarez Navarro in this one.

Allertova's recent losses have come against players who can make plenty of balls and to players who don't have the biggest serves on the Tour either. I think this suggests that Suarez Navarro will be able to outmanoeuvre her in this Quarter Final as long as she mentally doesn't check out of the sets.

The recent form displayed by Suarez Navarro is not very encouraging, but she has played well in Linz as she tries to keep alive her hopes of making it to Singapore. Her two wins have come by comfortable margins and I think she will come through a tough first set before pulling away with a 75, 63 win and move into the Semi Final on Saturday.


Madison Keys - 5.5 games v Oceane Dodin: This has been a good week to back Madison Keys who has covered for me in both of her matches in Linz ahead of this Quarter Final. I am looking for Keys to make it a hat-trick of wins when she takes on Oceane Dodin although the Frenchwoman is someone who I feel is destined for a solid career on the WTA Tour.

Unfortunately I think there is still some developing for Dodin to do before she can really match some of the better players on the Tour. The recent form does make Dodin dangerous as she will have built up plenty of confidence, but she won't have faced the kind of firepower that Keys brings to the court too often in that run.

Once again the Keys serve is going to be so important in this match as that shot inspires the rest of her game. She will certainly also look to attack the Dodin second serve and I think trying to deal with that power is going to be eye opening for the Frenchwoman who will be able to get away with some shots at the level she has been competing in but not able to do the same against Keys.

I do think it will take Keys a bit of time to assess what Dodin brings to the court so the first set could be tight. If Keys continues to serve as well as she has in the last couple of Rounds, I do think she will put the pressure on Dodin and eventually wear her down in this one and come through with a 64, 62 win.


Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova + 3.5 games v Dominika Cibulkova: The chase for a spot in the WTA Finals has clearly motivated Dominika Cibulkova who has won both of her matches very easily so far this week. This might be the biggest challenge she has faced though against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova who is the defending Champion in Linz and has played her best tennis in weeks here.

Matches between these players have been very competitive in the past and I am anticipating another one on Friday. You can see that they match up well with each other but Cibulkova's edge in terms of her movement around the court should prove to be the decisive factor in the match.

In saying that, I don't think it is going to be straight forward for Cibulkova with both players possessing plenty of power on the groundstrokes and the first strike being extremely important. If Cibulkova gives Pavlyuchenkova too many second serves to look at, I think she could be put in big trouble off the return, while generally Cibulkova's serve is not as effective as the Russian's can be.

I just don't know if Pavlyuchenkova is going to have the consistency to continue finding the big winners over two hours that these players are likely to spend on court. Winning a set should still give Pavlyuchenkova a chance to cover this number though and I am expecting her to do that, although ultimately her defence of the title her might come up short as Cibulkova battles to a 36, 63, 64 win.

MY PICKS: Roberto Bautista Agut + 2.5 Games @ 1.85 Sporting Bet (2 Units)
Andy Murray - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 William Hill (2 Units)
Angelique Kerber - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Carla Suarez Navarro - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Madison Keys - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova + 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 14-9, + 7.60 Units (46 Units Staked, + 16.52% Yield)

Shanghai Masters Tennis Picks 2015 (October 17th)

Semi Final time in the four tournaments being played on the ATP and WTA Tours this week and it looks like a very good one for the ladies who were chasing a place in the WTA Tour Finals in Singapore. The likes of Agnieszka Radwanska, Venus Williams and Angelique Kerber have all reached the Semi Finals and will be favoured to move into the Final, but Karolina Pliskova will also have something to say when she plays Radwanska in a huge game for both players.

The Shanghai Masters also promised a very good end to the Masters tournament there with all four players left in the draw showing some strong form.

It would be silly of me to go on without mentioning the impressive nature of Rafael Nadal's win over Stan Wawrinka. I didn't see too much of the match because of the time it came onto the court, but the highlights show the Spaniard is definitely looking in a much stronger place mentally and his confidence has improved no end.

There were signs of that at the US Open, but the last two weeks have seen a real improvement and picking up the kind of momentum that could see Nadal better 2015 considerably when the 2016 season rolls around. Wins over Ivo Karlovic and Milos Raonic have to be respected this week, but the total dismantling of Stan Wawrinka was so unexpected and Nadal will now look to get to the Final and have second crack at Novak Djokovic in the space of seven days, assuming the World Number 1 beats Andy Murray in the second Semi Final too.


Rafael Nadal - 2.5 games v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: There is no doubting what a fantastic week this potentially is going to be for Rafael Nadal, perhaps the one that people will point back to in the 2016 season as where the former World Number 1 began to return to the top of the Tour. Consistency is still going to be the key for Nadal, but his three wins this week have been fantastic, none more so than the one over Stan Wawrinka when he dropped just three games.

That was a mighty impressive Quarter Final performance from Nadal and he will have to go to the well again when he faces Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who is also having a strong tournament.

A win over Kevin Anderson has given Tsonga's chances of reaching the World Tour Finals a shot in the arm, while he also won the title in Metz following the US Open. He still needs to keep winning his matches if he is going to sneak into the top eight in the Race for London, but Tsonga has had the more difficult path through to this Semi Final.

With the confidence that Rafael Nadal is clearly feeling at the moment which is producing so much better length on his groundstrokes, I think he will get the better of Tsonga. The Frenchman can hope to serve massively to give himself a fighting chance, but the backhand wing will likely be exposed by the heavy Nadal forehand and I expect the latter breaks him down with a 75, 64 win.


Novak Djokovic - 3.5 games v Andy Murray: Whenever Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray meet on a tennis court, you can guarantee it will be a close match for at least the first couple of sets. Andy Murray has certainly been getting closer to get over the final hurdle before his win over Djokovic at the Canadian Masters Final.

It will take something special for Murray to make it two in a row against Djokovic considering how well the latter has been playing over the last two weeks. Granted the majority of those players he beat were not to the level that Andy Murray can produce, but no one had won more than three games in a single set until Bernard Tomic got to a tie-breaker.

The Australian lost that set and then was beaten 6-1 in the second set and I think Djokovic has his confidence at an extremely high level. He always has to battle hard to knock off Murray, and the British player has been in very strong form himself this week, but it is hard to disregard how dominant Djokovic has been.

I imagine the first set will be closely contested but I do think Djokovic will manage to battle through it and then move away from Murray. It looks a great Semi Final for the neutrals to watch too, but Djokovic continuing his fine form by being too good in a 75, 64 win is my pick.


Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova - 3.5 games v Kirsten Flipkens: There has been some good late season form shown by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and she has to be the favourite to go on and win the title in Linz. She hasn't dropped a set this week but now she faces an opponent in Kirsten Flipkens who also is yet to drop a set and looks in decent form herself.

However, Pavlyuchenkova has the bigger serve and the power from the back of the court to see off Flipkens as long as she is able to deal with the variation the Belgian player brings.

That hasn't proved to be a problem for her in the past as Pavlyuchenkova has won the two previous matches between these players. That includes a crushing win in Baku just a couple of months ago and I think she has produced the better tennis of the two players recently which should help the Russian move through to the Final.

I expect Pavlyuchenkova to create the break point chances to win the match and I am expecting her to do that in straight sets. A 64, 64 win for Pavlyuchenkova would see her through comfortably enough and looks the most likely scoreline to come out of the match.


Agnieszka Radwanska - 4.5 games v Karolina Pliskova: Two players chasing a place in the WTA Finals meet in a big Semi Final with just a couple of weeks until that tournament begins. Out of the two players, I am finding it hard to look past Agnieszka Radwanska to beat Karolina Pliskova on the recent form that both players have been producing.

She has dominated the head to head with Pliskova having won all four previous matches including one in Tokyo just a couple of weeks ago. All eight sets they have competed have gone to Radwanska who has won the title in Tokyo and made the Semi Final in Beijing which has given her a chance to finish in a top eight position and a place in the Tour Finals.

You can't argue with what Pliskova has produced this week and she has won titles this year, but her failures in the Grand Slams has to be a big disappointment. The serve is effective, but Pliskova plays with such little margin for error that she can suddenly move into a 'cold streak' and fall away in matches.

I think the Radwanska serve gives her a chance to stay competitive in this one, but she will still eventually go down 75, 63 and I will back the Pole to cover.

MY PICKS: Rafael Nadal - 2.5 Games @ 1.73 Bet365 (2 Units)
Novak Djokovic - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova - 3.5 Games @ 1.73 Sporting Bet (2 Units)
Agnieszka Radwanska - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 8-8, - 3 Units (32 Units Staked, - 9.38% Yield)

Shanghai Masters Tennis Picks 2015 (October 16th)

The Quarter Finals have come around at the four tournaments being played across Europe and Asia and there are some top matches for the neutrals to enjoy, particularly those at the Shanghai Masters.

That looks like being a quality ending to the penultimate Masters of the season, although I think you will do very well to look past Novak Djokovic who has not just been winning matches, but dominating opponents over the last couple of weeks.

Precious Ranking points have been earned already by those chasing the World Tour Finals places and it will be the winner of the Kevin Anderson and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Quarter Final that is the most likely challenger for one of the top eight spots. That makes that match even more important than simply getting to a Masters Semi Final and looks a close one to call.

The picks went 3-2 on Thursday, but it was somewhat disappointing that it wasn't a better day with two poor picks that never looked like covering.


Rafael Nadal-Stan Wawrinka Over 23.5 Total Games: This should be a very close match on Thursday between two players who have both produced some very good tennis at testing times this week. Stan Wawrinka might have lost twelve of his fourteen matches against Rafael Nadal, but he has won the two most recent ones and will be confident he can be the player to snap Novak Djokovic's run of form.

However, there is no doubting that Nadal has picked up some confidence from his run to the Final in Beijing and followed that up with two solid wins here. He has played two big servers so this is a completely different test for Nadal against an opponent who is capable of out-hitting anyone from the back of the court when he is on his game.

Both Nadal and Wawrinka had long weeks last week and I do wonder if fatigue is a potential factor and if there will be enough in the tank to come back from a set down regardless of who loses it. On the other hand, my feeling is that this is a big match for both players who are still looking to prove something to the other big names out on Tour and so I expect both to battle very much to the end.

Stan Wawrinka has won five of the last six sets these players have played against one another so I am surprised he is the slight underdog in this one. I considered backing him to win the match but I do think Nadal is playing very well at the moment and it wouldn't surprise me at all if we have to see a decider between them.


Andy Murray - 2.5 games v Tomas Berdych: Despite both of these players spending as much time in the top five of the World Rankings as they have, this will only be the third time that Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych have met this season. It is Andy Murray who leads 2-0 to level up his career head to head against Berdych and the decision of the Czech man to appoint Dani Vallverdu, Murray's former coach, hasn't worked out for him in this head to head.

Any time you reach the Quarter Finals of a Masters tournament, it does mean you have likely won some good matches in the week and that can be said for both Murray and Berdych. Andy Murray hasn't been on Tour since guiding Great Britain to the Davis Cup Final while Tomas Berdych was a tournament winner in Shenzhen, but I like Murray's chances to win this Quarter Final.

He was returning John Isner's return effectively on Thursday and so the Berdych serve won't really bother Murray and he also knows exactly what Berdych is expecting through Vallverdu. That appointment has given Murray extra motivation in this kind of match and he is usually a better player for it.

Murray has won five sets in a row against Berdych and I think he will prove too good for him again and earn another shot at trying to take down Novak Djokovic.


Venus Williams - 4.5 games v Alize Cornet: She survived her First Round match in Hong Kong by the skin of her teeth, but Venus Williams was in decent nick last time out and can pick up a big boost for her 'Race to Singapore' for the WTA Tour Finals.

Matches against Alize Cornet have been dominated by Venus Williams in the past and she has won all eight previous sets and most of those have come very comfortably. Only one of those sets have seen Cornet win as many as four games and I think the Frenchwoman has taken advantage of her draw to get to the Quarter Final.

She had been in poor form prior to this week in Hong Kong and I think it will be tough for Cornet to manage Venus Williams if the latter brings her best tennis to the court. Venus Williams does struggle for consistency these days though and so Cornet will have a chance in this one, but I like the motivation Venus is playing with as she looks to ensure a Williams sister is representing in Singapore later this month.

Williams can get the better of Cornet with her superior power but has to keep her unforced errors under control to help her move into the Semi Final behind a 63, 64 win.

MY PICKS: Rafael Nadal-Stan Wawrinka Over 23.5 Total Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Andy Murray - 2.5 Games @ 1.73 Sporting Bet (2 Units)
Venus Williams - 4.5 Games @ 1.73 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 6-7, - 3.92 Units (26 Units Staked, - 15.08 % Yield)

Shanghai Masters Tennis Picks 2015 (October 14th)

The tennis season might be winding down, but that doesn't mean there isn't time for more surprising results and not many would surprise more than Albert Ramos beating Roger Federer in the Second Round in Shanghai.

Federer was the defending Champion coming into the tournament and would have wanted a deep run to try and earn back his World Number 2 Ranking, but that looks unlikely now with Andy Murray only defending a Third Round run here and likely to build a big enough lead to maintain his position going into the 2016 season.

That will be of importance when it comes to the Australian Open draw in January as Federer could now be forced to play Novak Djokovic in the Semi Final rather than having the chance to meet him in the Final as he has in the last two Grand Slam events. I don't think it is a particular worry for Federer who will likely be at his best in the second half of the season as he was this year as he looks to add another Grand Slam title to the seventeen he has previously won.

At this stage of his career, the World Ranking will look after itself and Federer doesn't really pay as much attention to that as he does in trying to win a Slam.

It is a disappointing loss for Federer, but the players chasing their place in London for the World Tour Finals have all moved through and remain alive in Shanghai. Marin Cilic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga hold the edge with their places in the Third Round secured, but Richard Gasquet, John Isner, Milos Raonic, Kevin Anderson and Gilles Simon will all be hoping to join them on Wednesday.

Nick Kyrgios + 3.5 games v Kei Nishikori: Nick Kyrgios is a controversial figure on the ATP Tour at the moment, but you can't deny that he brings in the crowds who want to see what he is going to do next. He still has to harness the talent he clearly has in the correct way to really push on as a true contender for the big titles on the Tour and there is no doubting how tough this Second Round match against Kei Nishikori will be.

Consistency and speed around the court are the big attributes that Nishikori has, while he can also be a decent enough returner to give Kyrgios something to think about. Both players are off disappointing three set losses to the same player, Benoit Paire, in Tokyo, but both have also shown some decent form which makes this a very interesting opening match in Shanghai.

Kyrgios had a very impressive First Round win which means he should be very aware of the kind of conditions in Shanghai this year, while his serve does give him a chance to run through some service games very quickly. He can sometimes play the low percentage shot that will get him into trouble against someone like Nishikori who will thrive on keeping the ball in play and wearing down opponents.

However, I also think Kyrgios is flashy enough to hit a few winners off the return of serve and earn his break point chances in this one too. As long as Kyrgios remains mentally focused, which is certainly not always the case, I think he can win at least a set in this one and that might make this number of games being received too appealing to ignore.

David Ferrer - 3.5 games v Bernard Tomic: I like one Australian youngster to make a match of it on Wednesday, but I think the other in action will have a more difficult day in the office. Bernard Tomic might have beaten David Ferrer when they last met earlier in the season, but the latter has looked in very good form of late and has to be favoured.

Ferrer might be coming off a 62, 63 loss to Novak Djokovic, but no other player won more games than him against the World Number 1 in Beijing and Ferrer had also won the title in Kuala Lumper the week before. After missing a large chunk of the season with an injury, the fact that the Spaniard is still one of the favourites to book a place at the World Tour Finals shows how well he has done when actually out on court.

The defeat to Djokovic is understandable and Ferrer has been a pretty convincing winner in the other matches he has played the last couple of weeks. When Ferrer is in this kind of form, someone like Bernard Tomic can have a difficult task in front of them to slow him down.

I think Tomic is talented, but he gets too comfortable becoming involved in rallies and I can't say I could favour him to win enough of those against Ferrer. Tomic also doesn't make full use of his height when it comes to the serve and I like Ferrer's chances of getting involved in rallies and eventually taking charge of those which will result in a 75, 64 kind of win for him and another step towards the World Tour Finals.

Tomas Berdych - 3.5 games v Jack Sock: A strong week in Shanghai will likely be enough for Tomas Berdych to earn his place in the World Tour Finals and I don't think an early exit in Beijing is too much to worry about. Just two days prior to that loss, Tomas Berdych was winning a delayed Final in Shenzhen so it wasn't a big surprise he was off his game against Pablo Cuevas.

There are no such excuses this week as Berdych would have had plenty of time to recover his energy levels after the early defeat in Beijing. He has been in solid form having won Shenzhen without dropping a set, but early defeats have been something that Berdych has had to deal with in the two tournaments around that title win.

He will have to be on his game if he is going to beat Jack Sock, a player that is perhaps still flying under the radar for casual fans. The serve and big forehand combination is a dangerous one, but Sock's backhand is still a liability at times and that is where the consistent Berdych will have his joy in this match.

Both players will rely on a big serve to set up their service games, but I think Berdych will have enough in the locker to force rallies to go towards the Sock backhand and I like him to find a couple of breaks in a 64, 64 win.

Milos Raonic - 2.5 games v Roberto Bautista Agut: It was a disappointing loss for Milos Raonic in Beijing last week which might be the fatal blow to his chances of reaching the World Tour Finals. However, Raonic knows there is still a chance for him if he can have three strong tournaments to finish the season beginning with this one in Shanghai.

The Masters events means there is very rarely an 'easy' opening match for the Seeds as they receive a bye into the Second Round. That means they play an opponent who is ready to compete in the conditions and Roberto Bautista Agut is consistent enough to give any player off their game trouble on the court.

However, Bautista Agut is a fairly simple player and that is usually not enough to beat the very best players on the Tour. He has lost his two previous matches against Milos Raonic including a 62, 76 defeat in St Petersburg last month and it is tough for the Spaniard who has to work hard to hold serve compared with Raonic.

That scoreboard pressure builds up and I think Raonic will find a way to earn break points and eventually get through the Spaniard here 76, 64.

Dominic Thiem v Feliciano Lopez: I am a big fan of Dominic Thiem and I am expecting him to push on up the World Rankings next year after a successful 2015 season. He does need to improve on some surfaces, particularly grass, but Thiem has the all court game that certainly looks like producing a top ten player on the Tour and perhaps even more.

He has a big Second Round match against Feliciano Lopez who reached the Quarter Final at the US Open and then the Final in Kuala Lumper so clearly a player in form. However, it is Thiem who has won the three previous matches between the players including both in 2015 and I think he can produce enough quality tennis to maintain that run of wins.

Consistency is still an issue for Thiem who has perhaps lost to some opponents that I might not consider he should be at this stage of his career. I don't think Lopez is a definitely a player he should be beating, but Thiem likes to raise his level against the better players too and I do think he can come through this one in three sets.

Lopez has been in some good form and can be a very dangerous opponent when he is serving well, but Thiem has enjoyed this match up and I'll back him to make it through to the Third Round.


Sam Stosur - 4.5 games v Monica Puig: It hasn't been the most productive part of the season for Sam Stosur, but I still think the veteran Australian can prove too good for Monica Puig in this Second Round match in Hong Kong.

This has regularly been a good match up for Stosur who has beaten Puig three times since the beginning of the 2014 season and she has never lost more than four games in a match in those wins. The strengths of the Stosur game are clear to everyone, but it clearly is a tough proposition for Puig whose defence isn't really good enough on the court.

When she gets on the front foot, Puig is a dangerous player, but Stosur's serve makes it tough for her to get forward on that shot. Puig's game is also very low percentage and that means she is more likely to make mistakes that Stosur can then thrive upon and consolidate with her own serve.

The numbers don't lie when these players meet and the fact is that Puig has won just 2 breaks of serve in her three matches against Stosur. The Australian has won at least 54% of the points on the Puig serve in all of those matches, while Puig has failed to surpass 35% against the Stosur serve.

Neither player can really point to having much more confidence than the other on recent form and I think it might end up being similar to previous matches with Stosur winning this one comfortably enough.

MY PICKS: Nick Kyrgios + 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

David Ferrer - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Tomas Berdych - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Milos Raonic - 2.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Dominic Thiem @ 1.85 Sporting Bet (2 Units)
Sam Stosur - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 2-0, + 3.42 Units (4 Units Staked, + 85.5% Yield)