Tennis Picks 2016 (October 21st)

The first few days of this week had been very difficult for the picks, but things have turned around after a very good Thursday which saw they daily picks go 5-2 to put this week back into the black. There are still a couple of days left of the week and I am hoping to build on the momentum from Thursday.

The WTA Finals is fast approaching and the top eight places have almost been completely set, but Svetlana Kuznetsova has reached the Semi Final in Moscow and needs two more wins to finish above Johanna Konta in the Race for Singapore. Kuznetsova has a big Semi Final on Friday to play as she looks to win the tournament in Moscow for a second season in a row, while the ATP tournaments this week have all reached the Quarter Final Round.


Fabio Fognini - 2.5 games v Albert Ramos-Vinolas: There are some matches on the tennis Tour that seem to suit players and you have to think Fabio Fognini is very confident he can get the better of Albert Ramos-Vinolas in this Quarter Final. This is going to be the ninth time they have met on the professional Tour, but it is Fognini who has won the previous eight which includes a straight sets win in Shanghai earlier this month.

The recent form suggest Ramos-Vinolas might be able to make this a more competitive match against Fognini, but the Italian is the better player in the rallies and makes a big difference when neither player possesses a huge serve.

Fognini has a couple of solid wins behind him this week in Moscow and that should give him more confidence to deal with Ramos-Vinolas yet again. You simply cannot escape the fact that Ramos-Vinolas is going to have to overcome some real mental obstacles with the eight match losing run against Fognini and his lefty serve is clearly not an issue for Fognini to work to break point and subsequent breaks.

The Italian has covered this number of games in seven of the previous eight matches with Ramos-Vinolas and Fognini is playing well enough to find a way to do that again.


Juan Martin Del Potro - 2.5 games v Ivo Karlovic: Everyone knows that Ivo Karlovic is capable of bringing some big serving to the court every time he steps up to the line to serve. That makes him dangerous, but Karlovic has not been as strong in this department this season and the hot form of a couple of months ago has definitely cooled down now.

Karlovic will always be dangerous with the serve he possesses, but Juan Martin Del Potro faced John Isner already this week and so should have his eye in for what he will be seeing coming from the other side of the court. Del Potro is not a small man either and his levers should give him a chance to get enough balls back in play and some with considerable speed which will make it difficult for Karlovic to control his volleys.

The Argentinian is moving up the World Rankings and the key for him is to make sure he looks after his own service games and then tries to get involved in Karlovic's. I don't think Del Potro will have a lot of chances, but he showed in the win over Isner that he can take the few chances he does create against a huge server.

The difference between Isner and Karlovic is the need of the latter to get into the net and make volleys, but even that will be difficult after the second or third shot against Del Potro and I think the former US Open Champion wins this one 76, 64.


Richard Gasquet - 3.5 games v Jan-Lennard Struff: The indoor hard courts have seen the best performances from Jan-Lennard Struff through his career and he has reached the Quarter Final in Antwerp. However he has had some trouble along the way and the match with Richard Gasquet is another step up from his previous opponents.

The win over Gilles Simon was impressive, but I am not sure how much Simon had left in the tank after a long and gruelling week in Shanghai which had ended just a few days ago. Travelling all the way back to Europe and playing in this tournament doesn't sound the most appealing of schedules but Simon still had enough chances to win that match with Struff.

Gasquet should be the best server that Struff has faced this week and that has to be a concern when you think he has given up 28 break points in just two matches. Struff should be full of confidence having won a Challenger event on this circuit recently but he is scheduled to be at the Vienna Qualifying this weekend and I wonder if he will have the fight to dig in if he does get behind by a set.

It hasn't been the most productive few weeks for Gasquet, but he was an easy winner in the Second Round and has plenty of indoor hard court experience too. If he can use that effectively I think the Frenchman can come through with a 64, 64 win and a place in the Semi Final to come on Saturday.


Pablo Cuevas - 1.5 games v Diego Sebastian Schwartzman: There is no doubting that Pablo Cuevas as a Seed in a hard court event is very vulnerable and his best tennis is restricted to the clay courts. He has been very good on the clay this season which has seen him move up to Number 22 in the World Rankings and likely a Seed for the Australian Open, but that means I tend to stick away from him when it comes to being a favourite on the hard courts.

Cuevas hasn't shown a lot of positive form since the Tour moved onto the last quarter of the season which is predominantly a hard court time of the year. I think it is also telling that he has not won back to back matches on this surface in the last twelve months and so it might come as a surprise that I am going to back him to win this Quarter Final.

That has much to do with the opponent he is facing as he meets fellow South American Diego Sebastian Schwartzman, another player who doesn't have a lot of hard court form behind him and who is much more comfortable on the slower surfaces. Schwartzman should be credited for winning two matches in Antwerp already, but he too had been struggling with the move back to the hard courts.

The match up should be one that Cuevas enjoys much more as it should be one that develops into the kind of rallies you would see on the slower surfaces. I do think Cuevas has the bigger serve, which could be key, although the doubt remains with his lack of results on the hard courts in the past. However, I think Cuevas won't have too many better chances to reach a Semi Final of an indoor hard court event and I think he battles through with a 64, 57, 64 win.


Julia Goerges + 2.5 games v Daria Gavrilova: A couple of years ago Julia Goerges might have been considered a player that would be making the next step in her career to challenge some of the better players on the Tour. That hasn't really happened for her on the Singles Tour, but she has performed better on the Doubles Tour which should see her competing at the WTA Finals next week.

For now she can concentrate on finishing her Singles season on a high as she gets set for this tough Semi Final with Daria Gavrilova. Both players have shown good form this week and I imagine Gavrilova will be going to Doubles partner Daria Kasatkina for tips having seen Goerges beat her handily in the Quarter Final.

I think Gavrilova has a little more power off the ground than Kasatkina at this stage of their careers though and that should give Goerges a few more things to think about. However Goerges has been setting up her play very well this week behind her serve and it should be able to keep her in this match and potentially win outright.

I really don't think there is as much between the players as the layers clearly believe. Both should have their moments and, unless Goerges is thinking about heading to Singapore for the Doubles event at the WTA Finals, I think both realise how much is on the line in terms of vital Ranking points they can earn this week.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if we need three sets to separate these players, but Goerges is the kind of streaky player that can be hard to stop when she is putting her tennis together like she has this week. Backing her with the games should be enough for the cover if this does go deep into a third set like I am anticipating, while I can't rule out Goerges winning this one straight up and at odds against I will back her with the start.


Kiki Bertens - 2.5 games v Monica Niculescu: It has been a miserable couple of months for Kiki Bertens, but 2016 has been a strong season for her and something to build upon in 2017. She is looking to end the season on a high having returned to winning ways in Luxembourg and Bertens has been good for my picks over the last couple of Rounds.

I am going to try and make it a hat-trick backing the in form Dutchwoman in this Semi Final although I think Monica Niculescu deserves a healthy respect with her ability to bamboozle opponents with her variation. She is not the kind of player you will see very often on the Tour and Bertens has to remain concentrated or this match could quickly slip away from her.

The power off the ground and from the serve is all with Bertens and she certainly has the tools to break down the Niculescu game. However it is the Romanian's movement around the court which forces players to hit closer and closer to the lines which extracts errors and can wear players down mentally which is a concern as Bertens has been doing a lot of losing before this week in Luxembourg.

The one benefit for Bertens is she has faced Niculescu before and even in a losing effort she should have learned something. If she concentrates on her own service games the pressure should build on Niculescu who doesn't have the same sort of power as Bertens and I think that can lead to a 63, 46, 64 win for the Number 3 Seed.

MY PICKS: Fabio Fognini - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 William Hill (2 Units)
Juan Martin Del Potro - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Richard Gasquet - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Boyle Sports (2 Units)
Pablo Cuevas - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Julia Goerges + 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Kiki Bertens - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 8-6, + 3.16 Units (28 Units Staked, + 11.29% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2016 (October 20th)

Now we have reached Thursday in another week on the Tour it is that time when there are plenty of matches to be scheduled in the various tournaments across the Tour.

Many players are now looking towards the end of the 2016 season and that means putting in one final big effort to end this season on a high and I think that brings in plenty of motivation for the players left in the tournaments. That is especially the case for those players on the WTA Tour which is effectively ending for most at the end of this week, while the ATP Tour still has a couple more weeks to go before they get to their World Tour Finals.

This has not been the greatest week so far for the picks, but there are a lot of matches of interest for me on Thursday and I am looking to get this turned around going into the weekend.


Grigor Dimitrov - 5.5 games v Jurgen Zopp: There have been signs Grigor Dimitrov is getting back to something close to his best and he is looking to finish 2016 in a manner that will give him confidence to take into 2017. Getting used to the conditions in Stockholm might take Dimitrov a little time, but I expect he will be too good for Jurgen Zopp.

I do have to say that I have seen Zopp produce some big serving days in his career and he has won every set to come through the Qualifiers and First Round in Stockholm this week. Zopp has been in tremendously poor form before the last couple of weeks when he has put some wins on the board as he had lost 10 matches in a row while a number of those losses have come in very one-sided fashion.

There is no doubt that Zopp is a dangerous player on the indoor hard courts if he is serving up to the standard he can reach. However there haven't been enough signs of that in recent months and Zopp is facing a player in Dimitrov who is significantly stronger than the players he has been playing in that time excluding a pretty impressive win over Sam Querrey earlier this week.

Even Querrey isn't quite as good as Dimitrov when he is producing something near his best tennis and I think the latter is going to win the majority of rallies. The key will be getting enough balls back in play, but I think Dimitrov will be able to start reading the serve and that can see him come through with a 75, 62 win and a place in the Quarter Final.


Juan Martin Del Potro - 4.5 games v Nicolas Almagro: I was wondering if Juan Martin Del Potro had a lot left in the tank after his exertions over the last few months on his return to the Tour, but he looked solid in a win over John Isner in the First Round. That won't have sapped too much energy from a physical standpoint and I think Del Potro is going to get the better of Nicolas Almagro in the Second Round.

The Spaniard had to battle from a set down to move through to the Second Round, but Almagro has struggled to find his best tennis on the hard courts, be it indoor or outdoor, over the last couple of seasons. You might expect better from Almagro who has a decent serve and heavy groundstrokes, but I think he prefers having a little more time to wind up his shots and that is not likely to be forthcoming in this Second Round match.

Instead Almagro will likely have the ball moving quickly through the court from the power that Del Potro has and I also think he will have some difficulty dealing with the big Argentinian serve.

That serve should build the pressure on Almagro and I do think he doesn't protect his serve as well as he should on this surface. I feel that is going to be a key to this entire handicap and I can see Almagro throwing in around three terrible service games which is going to lead to Del Potro coming through with a 63, 64 win as he continues earning the points to move back up the World Rankings.


Gael Monfils - 5.5 games v Gastao Elias: There are still two really big weeks on the ATP Tour to come so Gael Monfils knows there is still work to do if he is going to make it to London for the World Tour Finals. This is a chance for him to put some additional points in the bank in a week where the majority of his main rivals for a top eight place are not in action and that should be motivation enough for the Frenchman.

Monfils has played a fair amount of tennis over the last three weeks but he has mainly been producing some very good results on the Tour. He has certainly looked stronger than his opponent Gastao Elias who snapped a run of six straight losses before beating Ivan Dodig in the First Round.

Elias' three previous losses before the win over Dodig have come in one sided fashion and I think his serve is very vulnerable on the hard courts. There won't be a lot of cheap points won by Elias which means having to out-rally better players consistently and I simply don't see the Portuguese player being able to do that against Monfils on Thursday.

On the other hand the Monfils serve can be a big weapon for the top ten player and I think that will help build the pressure in this match. His strong movement around the court should give Monfils enough time to wear down Elias over the course of this match and I think he will produce a 64, 62 win in this Second Round match.


Svetlana Kuznetsova - 3.5 games v Timea Babos: Svetlana Kuznetsova is the defending Champion in Moscow and winning the title again will give the Russian a place at the WTA Finals which are due to begin in Singapore next week. She battled past Alize Cornet in the Second Round, but the matches are only going to get tougher for Kuznetsova with the pressure of also trying to reach the WTA Finals likely to be on her mind.

The Russian has tried to play down the fact she might be looking too far ahead and instead is looking to take this week one match at a time. Kuznetsova faces Timea Babos in the Quarter Final after the latter got the better of Kristina Mladenovic, but this is a much more difficult match for her.

I think Babos has been underrated for much of the season with plenty of matches against the big names on the Tour being very competitive. However before this week Babos had just been having some difficulties on the Singles Tour and that might have something to do with her qualifying for the WTA Finals Doubles tournament.

Babos will need to serve well if she is going to get the better of Kuznetsova as it feels much of her confidence is based on that shot. However I think Kuznetsova is an aggressive returner who can challenge that serve and she should be the better player in the rallies with the power forcing Babos backwards. I expect that will help Kuznetsova win two tight sets and have just enough to cover this number.


Kiki Bertens - 2.5 games v Denisa Allertova: The poor form of the last few months has been forgotten this week by Kiki Bertens who has managed to win her first two matches in Luxembourg very easily. The matches do get tougher for her going into the Quarter Final in this tournament, but I think Bertens can get the better of Denisa Allertova in this match.

Allertova has had to come from a set down twice already this week and I do wonder if that will have taken something from her physically. She has been in good form over the last couple of weeks with a Semi Final and Quarter Final to her name and she plays with plenty of aggression which will give Bertens some issues.

However I think Bertens has the slight edge when it comes to the serve and she has plenty power of her own. Getting in the first strike in this tennis match will be important for both players and I think it will be a competitive match that might need a deciding set to separate the players.

With the ease of her progress I think Bertens can batten down the hatches in the final set and she can eventually see off Allertova with a 63, 36, 63 win and move through to the Semi Final here in Luxembourg.


Petra Kvitova - 5.5 games v Johanna Larsson: The WTA Finals are out of reach for Petra Kvitova but she will be heading to the WTA Elite tournament which is played a week after that event. The form has most definitely improved in the final weeks of the season which included a title win in Wuhan and Kvitova showed her mental strength by coming through her Second Round match after dropping the first set.

This is a tough Quarter Final for Kvitova against Johanna Larsson who has a decent serve and that can pose problems.

The Swede has a great kicker, but Larsson can struggle to deal with the power that comes back and Kvitova has plenty of that for this match. They did play a tight match in Indian Wells earlier this season which was won by Kvitova in three sets, but it perhaps should have been easier as Kvitova had more than double the break points and won 44% of the points against the Larsson serve.

Similar numbers will make it difficult for Larsson to stay with Kvitova who looks to be in much stronger form now than she was back in March. While this does look a lot of games on the face of things, Kvitova has been dominating opponents in wins over the last month and I think she can wear down Larsson and record a 63, 63 win for a place in the Semi Final.


Caroline Wozniacki - 4.5 games v Monica Niculescu: Any talk of an impending retirement have been put to the back burner by Caroline Wozniacki's recent form which has taken her back inside the top 20 in the World Rankings. The former World Number 1 is ending the 2016 with the kind of momentum that should give her confidence to take into the 2017 season and I think she looks strong for a position in the Semi Final in Luxembourg.

The Quarter Final match up against Monica Niculescu should be one that Wozniacki enjoys having beaten her in all seven previous matches on the main Tour. Wozniacki hasn't dropped a set in those matches and she would have covered this number in all seven matches too as she can handle the variation that Niculescu brings to the court.

There are enough areas on the court where Niculescu will struggle to hurt Wozniacki and that has proven to be the case in the past. Even in defensive positions Wozniacki knows she can go to the forehand and it will almost neutralise her position and give her a chance to get back into the rally.

That is so important and Wozniacki should have enough success through this match to move through with a relatively straight-forward 63, 63 win. I thought the layers would have asked for Wozniacki to cover at least another game especially as Wozniacki is in very good form including winning the title in Hong Kong last week. I don't mind though and will take the Danish player to cover on Thursday.


Andrea Petkovic - 2.5 games v Lauren Davis: The last few months have been filled with injury issues and some poor performances from Andrea Petkovic, but she has won two matches here and that should give her some confidence. She is not going to have things easy against Lauren Davis who works hard on the court, but Petkovic should have enough of an edge when it comes to the power behind the groundstrokes to break down the American in this Quarter Final.

The Petkovic serve should provide a few more easy points than Davis' who has to work hard to win her games, but the form is certainly behind the latter.

Davis has already won five matches in Luxembourg to get to the Quarter Final and she had to battle hard to come through her Second Round match in three sets. That is a lot of tennis to be played but Davis has shown a couple of times over the last three months that she can be difficult to stop once she has built up some momentum. That has led to reaching the Final in Washington and Quebec City before falling short and it makes Davis a dangerous opponent for Petkovic in this Quarter Final.

However I think Petkovic is the stronger player and her two wins this week will have given her some confidence. She should have enough of an edge behind the serve to battle through this match and win 63, 57, 64 for a place in the Semi Final.

MY PICKS: Grigor Dimitrov - 5.5 Games @ 2.20 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Juan Martin Del Potro - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
Gael Monfils - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Svetlana Kuznetsova - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Kiki Bertens - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Petra Kvitova - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Caroline Wozniacki - 4.5 Games @ 1.73 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Andrea Petkovic - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 3-4, - 2.70 Units (14 Units Staked, - 19.29% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2016 (October 19th)

It is the middle of the week for the tournaments that have been set for the week and that means there are plenty of matches scheduled for the day.

Yesterday the picks went a disappointing 1-1, but I am looking for the Wednesday matches to really get this week going.


John Isner + 2.5 games v Juan Martin Del Potro: There should be plenty of big serving on display in this match between John Isner and Juan Martin Del Potro but I am a little surprised the latter is such a strong favourite. He did win the first four matches played between them, but it is John Isner who has managed to battle through in the last two matches.

There hasn't been too many sightings of Isner on the Tour since the US Open and his sole match since then was a one sided loss to Alexander Zverev. 2016 has perhaps not been as productive a season as Isner would have liked, but I do wonder if his opponent Del Potro has much left in the tank after playing as many matches as he has on his return from injury.

He looked a little tired in his defeat in Shanghai last week, but Del Potro will at least know he won't be involved in long rallies in this one that might sap energy. Instead he has to show his mental strength in a match where John Isner is going to be tough to break even if his serving has been below par in the last six weeks.

Tie-breakers look to be the order of the day with Isner and Del Potro in the match and I do think the American might have the mental edge having won the last two times these players have met on the Tour. I am a little bothered that Isner has barely played any tennis since early September, but Del Potro might already be looking towards 2017 and being able to recover both physically and mentally from a tough 2016. I'll take the games with Isner in this one and look for him to keep it competitive if not win outright.


Carla Suarez Navarro - 2.5 games v Daria Gavrilova: With Serena Williams pulling out of the WTA Finals and Johanna Konta injured and not playing this week, there might be room for Carla Suarez Navarro to earn a place in Singapore next week. The task is simple for Suarez Navarro this week and that is she needs to win the tournament in Moscow which will be good enough to move above Konta in the Number 8 spot.

That puts some pressure on the Spaniard and it will be far from easy to win a tournament which is loaded with plenty of talent. Straight away Suarez Navarro will play against Daria Gavrilova who has had her best year on the Tour and will be looking to kick on in 2017 which opens up with plenty of events in Australia, Gavrilova's new home.

There is plenty to like about Gavrilova's game and she has the power to give Suarez Navarro something to think about, especially when it comes to returning what is a limited second serve. Even the first serve is not particularly intimidating and I do think Gavrilova will have her chances to break serve.

However I think Gavrilova will also be under pressure from Suarez Navarro who has the consistency to break her down when the rallies develop. While there will be times Gavrilova will hit through the court and penetrate the Suarez Navarro defences, I do think she can be worn down mentally and that can see the Spaniard prevail 64, 46, 63.


Elina Svitolina - 3.5 games v Yulia Putintseva: It was a big week for Elina Svitolina who reached the Semi Final in Beijing as she looks to end 2016 with another strong showing. She was in fine form in Beijing but Svitolina is still to show the consistency that can see her make the business end of tournaments on a regular basis and prove she more than belongs inside the top 20 of the World Rankings.

The match with Yulia Putintseva is going to be a difficult one for Svitolina because she will be asked to make plenty of balls from the feisty player she is facing. That can see her struggle off the ground at times but I think Svitolina has the edge when it comes to the serve and that can be a big difference maker.

Instead of having to rely on winning rally after rally, Svitolina should have a chance to play plenty of first strike tennis behind her first serve, while she will also have the time to attack the Putintseva serve. I think that has played a big part in Svitolina winning the last three matches against Putintseva after initially losing the first two matches and this should be the key to having success in this match.

I do have to say that there are times when Svitolina can lose focus mentally, but she looked very good in Beijing and I look for her to keep the momentum going in a 64, 64 win.


Kristina Mladenovic v Timea Babos: I am a little surprised that Timea Babos has been set as the favourite in this Second Round match in Moscow. She did produce a tough First Round win, but Babos has not been in the best form of late and it would be easy for her to look ahead at next week when she will be playing in the WTA Finals in the Doubles event.

The same could be said of Kristina Mladenovic who is likely to be partnering Caroline Garcia as the top Seed in the Doubles event at the WTA Finals. However the Frenchwoman has shown more form than Babos by reaching the Final at the tournament in Hong Kong last week although the obvious concern is tiredness setting in during a second long week on the Tour.

Mladenovic beat an overmatched opponent in the First Round but Babos is a much more difficult test for her. On the other hand, Mladenovic will have a real mental edge having won four of the five previous matches between these players although only one of those matches was played this season and that came on the clay courts at Roland Garros where Mladenovic would have received massive support.

Both players have decent serves, but can be guilty of silly errors when trying to back that up. I am anticipating quite a close contest, but I would have had Mladenovic as the slight favourite so I will back the underdog in this one to come through and beat Babos in three sets for a place in another Quarter Final.


Jelena Jankovic + 2.5 games v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova: I have very little doubt that Jelena Jankovic is on the downward slope of her career and that has been highlighted by the fact she is likely to have her fewest wins on the Tour since 2003. The movement around the court is not as good as it used to be, but Jankovic has found some form over the last six weeks since the US Open and I think she can pose some problems for home favourite Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

The season is coming to an end for Pavlyuchenkova and Jankovic, but the Russian should have plenty of motivation playing in Moscow where she has won the tournament in 2014 and then finished Runner Up in defence of that title in 2015.

I think that is part of the reason why she is considered such a strong favourite in this match because Pavlyuchenkova has not produced too many wins since the US Open. She did play well in Linz last week before coming up short in the Quarter Final and Pavlyuchenkova has the superior serve in this match that can provide some cheap points and keep Jankovic under pressure.

In the past it has been the movement of Jankovic and forcing Pavlyuchenkova to hit extra balls that has kept the former World Number 1 competitive in matches. While I do think she has lost that half a step around the court, the recent form suggests Jankovic can trouble Pavlyuchenkova again and perhaps make these games count in a tight match.

Since the US Open Jankovic has been much more competitive and I think she can steal a set which will make it difficult for Pavlyuchenkova to cover this number.


Kiki Bertens - 3.5 games v Anna Schmiedlova: Neither Kiki Bertens or Anna Schmiedlova will be pointing to any great form in the closing stages of 2016 as they battle each other for the right to reach the Quarter Final in Luxembourg. However this has been a season that Bertens will look back on much more fondly than Schmiedlova who has won just 5/27 matches on the main Tour a year after finishing 2015 with 37 match wins.

Unsurprisingly Schmiedlova has dropped outside the top 100 of the World Rankings and the mental block of all those losses has seen her lose other matches from very strong winning positions. The win over Yanina Wickmayer was impressive, but Schmiedlova will have to raise her game again if Bertens has recovered some of the lost form of recent weeks.

Bertens had lost seven matches in a row before beating Annika Beck in the First Round and she has been a little overrated behind a very strong clay court season when she surpassed most expectations. I don't think she has been fully healthy, which is a concern too, but she looked a little better in beating Beck in the First Round and the Dutchwoman will be Seeded going into the Australian Open in January.

Her record on the hard courts is a concern when backing her in this match, but I do think she is in a superior place mentally than Schmiedlova who probably wants to draw a line under the 2016 season. Bertens crushed her on the clay courts when they met earlier this season, but I anticipate this will be closer on the indoor hard courts, although ultimately I like Bertens to cover in a 75, 64 win after a few breaks of serve are shared out.

MY PICKS: John Isner + 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Carla Suarez Navarro - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Elina Svitolina - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Kristina Mladenovic @ 2.20 Coral (2 Units)
Jelena Jankovic + 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Kiki Bertens - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 1-1, - 0.34 Units (4 Units Staked, - 8.5% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2015 (October 23rd)

The WTA Tour Finals final eight was set on Thursday and that event will begin in Singapore on Sunday, although the official confirmation of the players that will take part will likely come in the next couple of days.

The race for the ATP World Tour Finals will continue on Friday, but Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was unable to back up his huge week at the Shanghai Masters. It does mean the likes of David Ferrer, Richard Gasquet and Kevin Anderson can take advantage of that slip and promote their own chances to earn a place in London although there is still a few tournaments left to play after this week to do that.


Kevin Anderson - 2.5 games v Steve Johnson: This is a big week for Kevin Anderson if he wants to make a move towards the World Tour Finals and he is favoured to win this Quarter Final against Steve Johnson.

Both players have had to battle through two matches to get into the Quarter Final, although it has to be said that neither would have expected to lose the matches they have played. The difference between the players might be that Kevin Anderson has been playing at a higher level more consistently than Steve Johnson who generally finds the very top players too much to overcome.

I can see both players having success with their serve in this one, but Johnson's can be a little more inconsistent and I think that is a big reason Anderson has won their last four matches. Anderson himself admits his serve is the biggest weapon he has and he has won all three matches against Johnson in 2015 and the majority of them have seen him come through and cover this number.

There will likely be a tie-breaker at some point in this match and I can see Anderson coming through that before being able to find a break of serve to ensure he moves into the Semi Final 76, 64.


Gael Monfils - 3.5 games v Lukas Rosol: I was a little concerned with how much Gael Monfils would be able to raise his game this week having come through an injury before taking his place in the draw.

So far it has been pretty good for Monfils who has won four sets in a row to move into the Quarter Finals and I do wonder if he will ever fulfil the potential he clearly has. It has always been about entertaining the crowds for Monfils more than about winning, but he has made some coaching changes to perhaps balance that out a little more.

He is facing a dangerous opponent in Lukas Rosol who is capable of bringing some exceptional tennis to the court. Unfortunately there is a lot of average stuff thrown in too although Rosol will have some confidence having knocked off one Frenchman in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Second Round.

Backing up that kind of win will be difficult for Rosol who has lost his last two matches against Monfils whose athleticism forces Rosol to play too many balls. That extracts errors from the Rosol game and I think it might be something similar on Friday in this Quarter Final as Monfils takes the chances that come his way and moves through 75, 64.


Richard Gasquet - 3.5 games v Jeremy Chardy: When Jeremy Chardy serves well, he can be a real handful for any player to face him, but facing a compatriot like Richard Gasquet also means overcoming mental issues. There is a hierarchy in tennis that can be difficult to ignore and Richard Gasquet has won his last two matches against Jeremy Chardy fairly comfortably.

They haven't played this season though and Chardy has played well during the course of the year although he has struggled in recent weeks. His week so far in Stockholm has been a solid one so far and Richard Gasquet could easily be a little undercooked having been offered a pass through to the Quarter Final when Steve Darcis retired.

It has been difficult for Gasquet since the US Open as he was just 2-2 before the tournament in Stockholm began, but he could easily challenge for a place at the World Tour Finals. With Jo-Wilfried Tsonga out, Gasquet is in line to take over 9th place in the Race for London and perhaps even start closing the gap to David Ferrer in the coming couple of weeks.

This is going to be a battle for Gasquet, but I think he has enough quality from the back of the court to see off Chardy in a close match. A couple of late breaks of serve might be enough in this one for Gasquet to come through 64, 64.


Jelena Jankovic - 5.5 games v Misaki Doi: She won the title in Hong Kong and Jelena Jankovic looks primed to end this 2015 season with perhaps another title to add to her collection. Jankovic was an impressive winner in Hong Kong and she has picked up from where she left off there in Luxembourg where her first two wins have come by a comfortable margin.

I think Jankovic will have too much quality for Misaki Doi who has performed well to come through two matches in Luxembourg which has also ended a run of five consecutive losses.

For the most part Doi can struggle against the very top players as her serve can be a weakness and finding herself having a hard time to hold that serve means mentally she is under pressure in a lot of her matches.

That is especially the case against someone like Jankovic who is a very capable returner and I think the Serb is able to come through this one by a fairly comfortable margin. The last time these players met saw Doi take three games, but I think she will have a couple more this time although still not enough to get within this number.

MY PICKS: Kevin Anderson - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Gael Monfils - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Richard Gasquet - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Jelena Jankovic - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 4-4, - 1.08 Units (16 Units Staked, - 6.75% Yield)