The outright picks all gave us a good run for our money last week, with Agnieska Radwanska fighting through a shoulder issue to win the tournament in San Diego.
John Isner reached the last 4 and Marcos Baghdatis reached the last 8, but I can't help feel that it could have been an even bigger week if they had performed slightly better.
The daily picks were in decent shape, but I made a couple of plays to cover my outright picks towards the end of the tournament.
DAILY PICKS WEEKLY TOTAL: - 6.31 Units
OUTRIGHT PICKS: + 8 Units
OVERALL WEEKLY PROFIT/LOSS: + 1.69 Units
OVERALL SEASON UPDATE: + 55.81 Units
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Showing posts with label San Diego. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Diego. Show all posts
Monday, 8 August 2011
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Tennis Picks August 7th Washington and San Diego
Agnieska Radwanska reached the Final so we have a 9.00 pick running on her today to win the tournament against Vera Zvonareva.
John Isner just failed to get through to the Final in Washington as he lost a final set tie break to Gael Monfils but fortunately we covered the outright pick by taking Monfils yesterday.
I only have a couple of Picks today, and one of those is a cover:
Vera Zvonareva vs Agnieska Radwanska: I would only recommend taking this if you were on Radwanska outright at the start of the week. We have already covered our stake with the Polish player reaching the Final, but I am going to play 4 Units on Zvonareva to take away some of the profit on a Radwanska win.
Zvonareva has a strong head to head record against Radwanska and I have a feeling she will win today and at least this way we can earn some profit from the match regardless of the outcome.
Gael Monfils - 3 games vs Radek Stepanek: As I said yesterday, whoever won the match between Monfils and John Isner was bound to be the favourite in this Final and I do believe Monfils will go on and win the tournament.
He has been serving well and is used to playing the awkward style of Radek Stepanek so there should not be any surprises for him here. Stepanek is playing well himself this week, but this is by far the biggest test he will face and I can see Monfils' speed grinding him down in straight sets.
Monfils has won the last two matches between the players in straight sets and holds a 5-2 overall record. I imagine that will be 6-2 after the Final.
MY PICKS: Vera Zvonareva @ 1.53 Pinnacle (4 Units)
Gael Monfils - 3 games @ 2.18 Pinnacle (2 Units)
WEEKLY UPDATE WASHINGTON/SAN DIEGO: - 2.1 Units
John Isner just failed to get through to the Final in Washington as he lost a final set tie break to Gael Monfils but fortunately we covered the outright pick by taking Monfils yesterday.
I only have a couple of Picks today, and one of those is a cover:
Vera Zvonareva vs Agnieska Radwanska: I would only recommend taking this if you were on Radwanska outright at the start of the week. We have already covered our stake with the Polish player reaching the Final, but I am going to play 4 Units on Zvonareva to take away some of the profit on a Radwanska win.
Zvonareva has a strong head to head record against Radwanska and I have a feeling she will win today and at least this way we can earn some profit from the match regardless of the outcome.
Gael Monfils - 3 games vs Radek Stepanek: As I said yesterday, whoever won the match between Monfils and John Isner was bound to be the favourite in this Final and I do believe Monfils will go on and win the tournament.
He has been serving well and is used to playing the awkward style of Radek Stepanek so there should not be any surprises for him here. Stepanek is playing well himself this week, but this is by far the biggest test he will face and I can see Monfils' speed grinding him down in straight sets.
Monfils has won the last two matches between the players in straight sets and holds a 5-2 overall record. I imagine that will be 6-2 after the Final.
MY PICKS: Vera Zvonareva @ 1.53 Pinnacle (4 Units)
Gael Monfils - 3 games @ 2.18 Pinnacle (2 Units)
WEEKLY UPDATE WASHINGTON/SAN DIEGO: - 2.1 Units
Saturday, 6 August 2011
Tennis Picks August 6th Washington and San Diego
One down, two to go- that is how the outright picks are going as we get down to the Final 4 in both of these tournaments this week.
Marcos Baghdatis was a huge disappointment yesterday as he fell in straight sets to Donald Young. I warned myself that it could be one of those weeks for Young, but did not heed that advice and still fancied Baghdatis to get the job done. He had 3 set points in the 2nd set but failed to convert- more disappointing was the fact he failed to get the ball in play on any of those points before falling in the tie break.
It was more frustrating considering he faced Radek Stepanek in the Semi Final if he had got through and he could have really boosted the coffers as a 19.00 shot outright at the start of the week.
Now we have John Isner and Agnieska Radwanska left in the outright as the tournaments come to a close.
The Picks:
Andrea Petkovic vs Agnieska Radwanska: Anyone who followed my outrights at the start of the week know we will win 4 units if Radwanska makes it through to the Final, but the Polish player had called for a trainer in her last match with Daniela Hantuchova and has since admitted that she considered pulling out of the match.
Petkovic has become a popular figure in the stands as she follows victories with the 'Petko Dance' that became famous when she did it for a joke last year. She has been solid on the hard courts and has had a routine path through to the Semi Final, but generally has faltered when coming up against the better players on the tour with losses to Maria Sharapova, Na Li and Marion Bartoli on the hard courts this year.
Radwanska is a solid hard court player herself and reached the Final here last year so obviously must like the conditions. She came back from a horror start against Daniela Hantuchova in the last Round by overturning a 0-6 first set to win in 3 sets. However, I am still concerned about her shoulder and whether she wants to fight through.
Radwanska also holds a 2-0 head to head over Petkovic, winning both matches on the hard courts of Tokyo in the last 2 seasons. Personally, I thought Radwanska would be the favourite, but the injury has me concerned and I will cover my outright here.
Vera Zvonareva - 3.5 games vs Ana Ivanovic: Ana Ivanovic is apparently still having a little bit of trouble with her wrist, and she now faces a real competitor in the form of Vera Zvonareva.
The Russian is in good form having won a hard court tournament in Azerbaijan a couple of weeks ago and her 3 set win over Sabine Lasicki is impressive, especially the focus she had in the match.
Ivanovic has won through in straight sets in every match this week, but she is still capable of throwing in a stinker and she will be under more pressure against a quality opponent today.
The head to head is 4-4, but it is Zvonareva that has won the last 2 meetings, although they have not played since March 2009. Zvonareva remains the stronger player and I think she will come through with a break in each set to record a straight sets victory.
Gael Monfils vs John Isner: This is another pick for those that followed the outright picks at the start of the week- we took Isner at 10.00 to win the tournament so will be due 4.5 Units if he makes it through to the Final.
I am going to put a couple of units on Monfils here to cover the outright as the Frenchman has played well this week and the lottery of tie breaks is not worth the stress. Whoever wins this match will be the big favourite to win the tournament on Sunday.
As for personal opinion, I think Monfils is overestimated in the match to win, especially the way Isner can serve in tie breaks. If I had no outrights running, I would suggest the value is on the American.
MY PICKS: Andrea Petkovic @ 1.72 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Vera Zvonareva - 3.5 games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Gael Monfils @ 1.66 Pinnacle (2 Units)
WEEKLY UPDATE WASHINGTON/SAN DIEGO: + 0.58 Units
Marcos Baghdatis was a huge disappointment yesterday as he fell in straight sets to Donald Young. I warned myself that it could be one of those weeks for Young, but did not heed that advice and still fancied Baghdatis to get the job done. He had 3 set points in the 2nd set but failed to convert- more disappointing was the fact he failed to get the ball in play on any of those points before falling in the tie break.
It was more frustrating considering he faced Radek Stepanek in the Semi Final if he had got through and he could have really boosted the coffers as a 19.00 shot outright at the start of the week.
Now we have John Isner and Agnieska Radwanska left in the outright as the tournaments come to a close.
The Picks:
Andrea Petkovic vs Agnieska Radwanska: Anyone who followed my outrights at the start of the week know we will win 4 units if Radwanska makes it through to the Final, but the Polish player had called for a trainer in her last match with Daniela Hantuchova and has since admitted that she considered pulling out of the match.
Petkovic has become a popular figure in the stands as she follows victories with the 'Petko Dance' that became famous when she did it for a joke last year. She has been solid on the hard courts and has had a routine path through to the Semi Final, but generally has faltered when coming up against the better players on the tour with losses to Maria Sharapova, Na Li and Marion Bartoli on the hard courts this year.
Radwanska is a solid hard court player herself and reached the Final here last year so obviously must like the conditions. She came back from a horror start against Daniela Hantuchova in the last Round by overturning a 0-6 first set to win in 3 sets. However, I am still concerned about her shoulder and whether she wants to fight through.
Radwanska also holds a 2-0 head to head over Petkovic, winning both matches on the hard courts of Tokyo in the last 2 seasons. Personally, I thought Radwanska would be the favourite, but the injury has me concerned and I will cover my outright here.
Vera Zvonareva - 3.5 games vs Ana Ivanovic: Ana Ivanovic is apparently still having a little bit of trouble with her wrist, and she now faces a real competitor in the form of Vera Zvonareva.
The Russian is in good form having won a hard court tournament in Azerbaijan a couple of weeks ago and her 3 set win over Sabine Lasicki is impressive, especially the focus she had in the match.
Ivanovic has won through in straight sets in every match this week, but she is still capable of throwing in a stinker and she will be under more pressure against a quality opponent today.
The head to head is 4-4, but it is Zvonareva that has won the last 2 meetings, although they have not played since March 2009. Zvonareva remains the stronger player and I think she will come through with a break in each set to record a straight sets victory.
Gael Monfils vs John Isner: This is another pick for those that followed the outright picks at the start of the week- we took Isner at 10.00 to win the tournament so will be due 4.5 Units if he makes it through to the Final.
I am going to put a couple of units on Monfils here to cover the outright as the Frenchman has played well this week and the lottery of tie breaks is not worth the stress. Whoever wins this match will be the big favourite to win the tournament on Sunday.
As for personal opinion, I think Monfils is overestimated in the match to win, especially the way Isner can serve in tie breaks. If I had no outrights running, I would suggest the value is on the American.
MY PICKS: Andrea Petkovic @ 1.72 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Vera Zvonareva - 3.5 games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Gael Monfils @ 1.66 Pinnacle (2 Units)
WEEKLY UPDATE WASHINGTON/SAN DIEGO: + 0.58 Units
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Tennis Picks August 3rd Washington and San Diego
I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in following the David Nalbandian loss to James Blake last night- Nalbandian was my favourite player in the early part of the last decade and one that I felt has not quite reached the heights that his talent has deserved, either through injury or not quite finishing the job at key times.
His biggest moment came in 2005 when he overturned a 2 set deficit against Roger Federer in the ATP End of Year Championships, a remarkable feat when considering where Federer was in his career.
Nalbandian remains the best player I have seen in my lifetime that failed to win a Grand Slam, which is a real disappointment considering how close he came in a couple of different tournaments.
He should have won the US Open in 2003 when leading Andy Roddick 2-0 in the Semi Final before the American fought through and went on to win his only Grand Slam title.
Nalbandian was also a Finalist at Wimbledon in 2002, perhaps a little too early in his career at that time, and in 2004 he was the big favourite to beat Gaston Gaudio in the Semi Final at the French Open before losing to the eventual winner.
Time looks to have passed Nalbandian by when it comes to a singles Grand Slam win, but I will be cheering on Argentina in the Davis Cup and hope he has one more big achievement left in him. Twice he has helped lead Argentina to the Final, but this year he will have the additional support of Juan Martin Del Potro.
He still remains an exceptional player to watch and I have been fortunate to see him in action live on a couple of occasions this year- hopefully he will be back in the UK for tournaments next season too.
Now on to the Picks:
Double; Radek Stepanek vs Wayne Odesnik and Jurgen Melzer vs Donald Young: There is a lot of choice today from the ATP tournament in Washington, but there were too many question marks for me to make too many picks.
This is one double I picked out from the coupon which I feel should come in- Radek Stepanek was serving very well in his 1st Round win over Philipp Petzschner and perhaps should have won the match in straight sets and he faces a player that has only returned to the tour in recent months and comes into the tournament as a 'Lucky Loser'.
Wayne Odesnik has recently won a Challenger event on the hard courts but was beaten in straight sets by Rajeev Ram in the qualifying here and Stepanek represents a significant step up of recent competition.
Stepanek is coming to the end of his career but he remains competitive and has had a good time on the hard courts in previous years. He also holds a winning record over Odesnik in the head to head and I think his chances have been underestimated by the layers.
Jurgen Melzer has not had a great season following last years exploits and he also had the additional problem of having to move from the clay to the hard courts. These first matches on a new surface can be tough, but I think Melzer can take down the underachieving Donald Young.
Young took advantage of an overmatched opponent in the 1st Round, but recent defeats to Michael Russell and Alex Bogdanovic do not really inspire confidence in him.
Melzer has also won both previous meetings with Young, one of those on a hard court, and I think the Austrian will be too strong here.
Ryan Harrison vs Victor Troicki: Ryan Harrison has played a lot of tennis, with success, in the last couple of weeks and was forced to go the distance in beating Mischa Zverev yesterday. However, he plays an opponent that has only played a couple of Davis Cup ties since Wimbledon and he could catch him cold.
Troicki is having a good season and it took Novak Djokovic to stop his runs at Miami and Indian Wells earlier this year. He didn't have a great Summer Swing here last year and was beaten in this Round in Washington when falling to Mardy Fish.
Harrison has not beaten someone of the level of Troicki over the last couple of weeks, but I will have a small interest that he can cause a surprise against an undercooked opponent.
Sofia Arvidsson vs Alberta Brianti: This is a pick for the minimum stakes but I think the wrong player has been set as the underdog in the match.
I think Alberta Brianti has been set as the favourite after she beat Flavia Pennetta in the last Round, but I actually think Sofia Arvidsson has the better hard court pedigree.
Brianti has lost matches against Sophie Ferguson, Heather Watson and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn on the hard courts this year and she was beaten in the 1st Round of a Challenger tournament in the Bronx last year, a tournament in which her opponent reached the Final.
Arvidsson has won both previous matches against Brianti in straight sets, and that includes a win on the hard courts in Miami last year.
Arvidsson is not someone to back with any kind of certainty but, as I said above, I think she should be the favourite in this match.
MY PICKS: Double; Radek Stepanek and Jurgen Melzer @ 1.94 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Ryan Harrison @ 2.75 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Sofia Arvidsson @ 2.18 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
WEEKLY UPDATE WASHINGTON/SAN DIEGO: + 2.5 Units
His biggest moment came in 2005 when he overturned a 2 set deficit against Roger Federer in the ATP End of Year Championships, a remarkable feat when considering where Federer was in his career.
Nalbandian remains the best player I have seen in my lifetime that failed to win a Grand Slam, which is a real disappointment considering how close he came in a couple of different tournaments.
He should have won the US Open in 2003 when leading Andy Roddick 2-0 in the Semi Final before the American fought through and went on to win his only Grand Slam title.
Nalbandian was also a Finalist at Wimbledon in 2002, perhaps a little too early in his career at that time, and in 2004 he was the big favourite to beat Gaston Gaudio in the Semi Final at the French Open before losing to the eventual winner.
Time looks to have passed Nalbandian by when it comes to a singles Grand Slam win, but I will be cheering on Argentina in the Davis Cup and hope he has one more big achievement left in him. Twice he has helped lead Argentina to the Final, but this year he will have the additional support of Juan Martin Del Potro.
He still remains an exceptional player to watch and I have been fortunate to see him in action live on a couple of occasions this year- hopefully he will be back in the UK for tournaments next season too.
Now on to the Picks:
Double; Radek Stepanek vs Wayne Odesnik and Jurgen Melzer vs Donald Young: There is a lot of choice today from the ATP tournament in Washington, but there were too many question marks for me to make too many picks.
This is one double I picked out from the coupon which I feel should come in- Radek Stepanek was serving very well in his 1st Round win over Philipp Petzschner and perhaps should have won the match in straight sets and he faces a player that has only returned to the tour in recent months and comes into the tournament as a 'Lucky Loser'.
Wayne Odesnik has recently won a Challenger event on the hard courts but was beaten in straight sets by Rajeev Ram in the qualifying here and Stepanek represents a significant step up of recent competition.
Stepanek is coming to the end of his career but he remains competitive and has had a good time on the hard courts in previous years. He also holds a winning record over Odesnik in the head to head and I think his chances have been underestimated by the layers.
Jurgen Melzer has not had a great season following last years exploits and he also had the additional problem of having to move from the clay to the hard courts. These first matches on a new surface can be tough, but I think Melzer can take down the underachieving Donald Young.
Young took advantage of an overmatched opponent in the 1st Round, but recent defeats to Michael Russell and Alex Bogdanovic do not really inspire confidence in him.
Melzer has also won both previous meetings with Young, one of those on a hard court, and I think the Austrian will be too strong here.
Ryan Harrison vs Victor Troicki: Ryan Harrison has played a lot of tennis, with success, in the last couple of weeks and was forced to go the distance in beating Mischa Zverev yesterday. However, he plays an opponent that has only played a couple of Davis Cup ties since Wimbledon and he could catch him cold.
Troicki is having a good season and it took Novak Djokovic to stop his runs at Miami and Indian Wells earlier this year. He didn't have a great Summer Swing here last year and was beaten in this Round in Washington when falling to Mardy Fish.
Harrison has not beaten someone of the level of Troicki over the last couple of weeks, but I will have a small interest that he can cause a surprise against an undercooked opponent.
Sofia Arvidsson vs Alberta Brianti: This is a pick for the minimum stakes but I think the wrong player has been set as the underdog in the match.
I think Alberta Brianti has been set as the favourite after she beat Flavia Pennetta in the last Round, but I actually think Sofia Arvidsson has the better hard court pedigree.
Brianti has lost matches against Sophie Ferguson, Heather Watson and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn on the hard courts this year and she was beaten in the 1st Round of a Challenger tournament in the Bronx last year, a tournament in which her opponent reached the Final.
Arvidsson has won both previous matches against Brianti in straight sets, and that includes a win on the hard courts in Miami last year.
Arvidsson is not someone to back with any kind of certainty but, as I said above, I think she should be the favourite in this match.
MY PICKS: Double; Radek Stepanek and Jurgen Melzer @ 1.94 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Ryan Harrison @ 2.75 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Sofia Arvidsson @ 2.18 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
WEEKLY UPDATE WASHINGTON/SAN DIEGO: + 2.5 Units
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Tennis Picks August 2nd Washington and San Diego
It has been an incredibly busy day today meaning I could not get on with my picks at a reasonable time so I am going to ignore the San Diego matches as they start very soon and I have not had time to look and analyse my picks.
On the other hand, we have a bit of time before the Washington tournament starts so I will make a couple of plays from there:
Ryan Sweeting vs Alex Bogomolov: It is hard picking through these early round matches as you get some untrustworthy players that are more likely to stress you out than give you an easy win.
In saying that, I am going to back Ryan Sweeting to beat his compatriot tonight even though Bogomolov has been in the better form when looking at his Semi Final appearance in Los Angeles last week.
Sweeting has not been playing that well in recent weeks but he did perform pretty well at Delray Beach and Indian Wells earlier this season and the hard courts in the US should be his best surface. He also has decent course form by reaching the 3rd Round here in Washington last year.
Bogomolov has had a couple of strong tournaments on the hard courts this year with the Semi Final from last week backed up by a 3rd Round appearance in Miami. He is perhaps more notable on this side of the pond for beating Andy Murray earlier this year.
Ryan Sweeting has also won 4 of the 7 matches they have played- in fact he is 3-1 in the last 4 matches that have taken place over the last 18 months and he also beat Bogomolov in the qualifiers here last year.
James Blake vs David Nalbandian: This could be a terrible pick at around 2am British time, but I think James Blake has a chance in surprising David Nalbandian here.
Blake has played some decent tennis over the last month on the hard courts so he should be mostly comfortable on the surface. It has taken the likes of John Isner and Juan Martin Del Potro to stop his runs and the American must be disappointed to be handed this tough 2nd Round match.
However, Nalbandian has not played a match since Wimbledon as injury and then lack of entry to tournaments has given him an extended time off. He is the reigning Champion here so motivation should be high with points to defend, but it is a tough test on little competitive tennis.
Blake also won their only previous meeting and could cause problems if he is hitting the ball well- the problem these days is the lack of consistency that Blake has and Nalbandian basically won this tournament last year with little tennis coming in.
As I said, it might look silly at 2am this morning, but I will back the underdog here too.
MY PICKS: Ryan Sweeting @ 2.10 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
James Blake @ 2.20 Stan James (1 Unit)
WEEKLY UPDATE WASHINGTON/SAN DIEGO: + 0.2 Units
On the other hand, we have a bit of time before the Washington tournament starts so I will make a couple of plays from there:
Ryan Sweeting vs Alex Bogomolov: It is hard picking through these early round matches as you get some untrustworthy players that are more likely to stress you out than give you an easy win.
In saying that, I am going to back Ryan Sweeting to beat his compatriot tonight even though Bogomolov has been in the better form when looking at his Semi Final appearance in Los Angeles last week.
Sweeting has not been playing that well in recent weeks but he did perform pretty well at Delray Beach and Indian Wells earlier this season and the hard courts in the US should be his best surface. He also has decent course form by reaching the 3rd Round here in Washington last year.
Bogomolov has had a couple of strong tournaments on the hard courts this year with the Semi Final from last week backed up by a 3rd Round appearance in Miami. He is perhaps more notable on this side of the pond for beating Andy Murray earlier this year.
Ryan Sweeting has also won 4 of the 7 matches they have played- in fact he is 3-1 in the last 4 matches that have taken place over the last 18 months and he also beat Bogomolov in the qualifiers here last year.
James Blake vs David Nalbandian: This could be a terrible pick at around 2am British time, but I think James Blake has a chance in surprising David Nalbandian here.
Blake has played some decent tennis over the last month on the hard courts so he should be mostly comfortable on the surface. It has taken the likes of John Isner and Juan Martin Del Potro to stop his runs and the American must be disappointed to be handed this tough 2nd Round match.
However, Nalbandian has not played a match since Wimbledon as injury and then lack of entry to tournaments has given him an extended time off. He is the reigning Champion here so motivation should be high with points to defend, but it is a tough test on little competitive tennis.
Blake also won their only previous meeting and could cause problems if he is hitting the ball well- the problem these days is the lack of consistency that Blake has and Nalbandian basically won this tournament last year with little tennis coming in.
As I said, it might look silly at 2am this morning, but I will back the underdog here too.
MY PICKS: Ryan Sweeting @ 2.10 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
James Blake @ 2.20 Stan James (1 Unit)
WEEKLY UPDATE WASHINGTON/SAN DIEGO: + 0.2 Units
Monday, 1 August 2011
Tennis Picks 1st August Washington and San Diego
With matches taking place on 2 continents again this week, I will once again divide the tennis picks into two sections and then combine the profit/loss at the end of the week.
I didn't really have any fancies from the tournament in Austria, either outright or on day 1, and so I gave it a miss. The tournaments in Washington and San Diego consist of bigger fields meaning we are given more opportunities at this early stage and I have got a few picks for later today:
Double: Ekaterina Makarova vs Alexa Glatch and Elena Baltacha vs Melanie Oudin: Both of these favourites are not the most reliable players on the tour, but I do expect them to have too much for their young American opponents tonight.
Ekaterina Makarova is ranked at Number 42 in the World, but it says something about the WTA Tour that she only has a 27-35 record on the main tour over the last 2 seasons. However, I have picked her to come through as the majority of her success has come on the hard courts this season and it took the likes of Marion Bartoli and Victoria Azarenka to stop her earlier runs in Miami and Indian Wells respectively.
Alexa Glatch is another of the young American players trying to break through but her best performances have come in the levels below the main tour matches and she was beaten in the qualifiers at Stanford last week.
The other part of my double is picking the British Number 1, Elena Baltacha, to come through. I am not a fan of picking the British players (except Andy Murray) as they just dont seem to be able to compete with the top players in the game. However, Baltacha has improved her tennis over the last couple of years and must be able to dispose of a completely out of sorts Melanie Oudin.
Oudin made her breakthrough for the general public at the US Open when she reached the Quarter Final while beating Elena Dementieva and Maria Sharapova along the way. Since then she has struggled with her performances and this season has been incredibly tough for her.
She has a 7-20 record on the main tour and has lost 6 of her last 7 matches and it has got me wondering if she is mentally in a good place. Oudin also struggled at this time of the season last year when she finished with a 3-6 record during the hard court Summer swing.
Personally I would not want to watch this match as I can imagine there are a lot of breaks of serves and I think the quality of tennis may be a little disappointing.
Double; Donald Young vs Artem Sitak and Rajeev Ram vs Matthew Ebden: As I said for the pick above, these two favourites cannot be relied upon when it comes down to the crunch but they face opponents that they should be able to take advantage of.
Donald Young was a child prodigy, being so good that John McEnroe offered to be his coach before he had even turned professional- to say his career has been a disappointment so far is an understatement.
I am actually backing him to beat Artem Sitak as he has a 2-0 head to head record against him, both wins coming on the hard courts, and his opponent has barely played on the lower level tours this season.
Sitak's recent defeats to Wayne Odesnik and Tim Smyczek show what is to be expected and I still think Young is a bit better than those players so should be able to come through.
Rajeev Ram relies on his serve to come through matches and he might just be able to confirm the form over Matthew Ebden after recently beating him in the qualifiers for Atlanta and then reaching the Quarter Finals.
I actually saw Ebden play up close and personal at Queens this year and he has a decent game although he is a little inconsistent off the ground. If he serves well he can cause problems, but he can lose concentration and will give up chances that Ram may take capitalise on.
Marinko Matosevic vs Richard Berankis: This is a pick more against Berankis than it is backing Matosevic.
Berankis has had a back injury that forced him to miss the middle part of the season and has lost both matches since returning although against tough opponents Nicolas Mahut and Ryan Harrison.
Matosevic has already got a couple of qualifying wins under his belt here in Washington and that means he could have more of an edge being familiar with the conditions. The Australian failed to qualify for Los Angeles last week, but a win over Igor Kunitsyn in Atlanta shows he is playing fairly well.
Berankis beat Matosevic in straight sets at the Australian Open, but I will have a small interest that the head to head is levelled up here as Berankis returns from an injury.
Michael Russell vs Ivo Karlovic: I am backing yet another underdog here for the sole reason that I want to back against the favourite.
Ivo Karlovic still has a couple of runs in tournaments left in him, but it is clear in my mind that he has lost half a step on the court which makes his serve-volley game a little more erratic than it used to be. He still serves from a tree, but I think he is half a step short on returns making it easier for his opponents to get a second shot after the initial volley.
He did reach the Quarter Final in Miami this year, but he has lost in the 1st Round in 10 of the 15 tournaments he has entered. Karlovic has gone 1-6 since losing in the Semi Final in Houston in April.
Michael Russell is definitely come towards the end of his career, but he will enjoy the home support here and is still capable of spring a surprise as shown by his win over Dmitry Tursunov last week. The hard courts remain Russell's favourite surface so I do think he has a genuine chance to cause a mini-shock here.
They share a 1-1 head to head record, but it was Michael Russell who won their most recent meeting on the indoor hard courts of Memphis earlier this season.
MY PICKS: Double; Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Baltacha @ 2.21 William Hill (1 Unit)
Double; Donald Young and Rajeev Ram @ 2.01 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Marinko Matosevic @ 2.10 BetFred (1 Unit)
Michael Russell @ 2.10 Stan James (1 Unit)
I didn't really have any fancies from the tournament in Austria, either outright or on day 1, and so I gave it a miss. The tournaments in Washington and San Diego consist of bigger fields meaning we are given more opportunities at this early stage and I have got a few picks for later today:
Double: Ekaterina Makarova vs Alexa Glatch and Elena Baltacha vs Melanie Oudin: Both of these favourites are not the most reliable players on the tour, but I do expect them to have too much for their young American opponents tonight.
Ekaterina Makarova is ranked at Number 42 in the World, but it says something about the WTA Tour that she only has a 27-35 record on the main tour over the last 2 seasons. However, I have picked her to come through as the majority of her success has come on the hard courts this season and it took the likes of Marion Bartoli and Victoria Azarenka to stop her earlier runs in Miami and Indian Wells respectively.
Alexa Glatch is another of the young American players trying to break through but her best performances have come in the levels below the main tour matches and she was beaten in the qualifiers at Stanford last week.
The other part of my double is picking the British Number 1, Elena Baltacha, to come through. I am not a fan of picking the British players (except Andy Murray) as they just dont seem to be able to compete with the top players in the game. However, Baltacha has improved her tennis over the last couple of years and must be able to dispose of a completely out of sorts Melanie Oudin.
Oudin made her breakthrough for the general public at the US Open when she reached the Quarter Final while beating Elena Dementieva and Maria Sharapova along the way. Since then she has struggled with her performances and this season has been incredibly tough for her.
She has a 7-20 record on the main tour and has lost 6 of her last 7 matches and it has got me wondering if she is mentally in a good place. Oudin also struggled at this time of the season last year when she finished with a 3-6 record during the hard court Summer swing.
Personally I would not want to watch this match as I can imagine there are a lot of breaks of serves and I think the quality of tennis may be a little disappointing.
Double; Donald Young vs Artem Sitak and Rajeev Ram vs Matthew Ebden: As I said for the pick above, these two favourites cannot be relied upon when it comes down to the crunch but they face opponents that they should be able to take advantage of.
Donald Young was a child prodigy, being so good that John McEnroe offered to be his coach before he had even turned professional- to say his career has been a disappointment so far is an understatement.
I am actually backing him to beat Artem Sitak as he has a 2-0 head to head record against him, both wins coming on the hard courts, and his opponent has barely played on the lower level tours this season.
Sitak's recent defeats to Wayne Odesnik and Tim Smyczek show what is to be expected and I still think Young is a bit better than those players so should be able to come through.
Rajeev Ram relies on his serve to come through matches and he might just be able to confirm the form over Matthew Ebden after recently beating him in the qualifiers for Atlanta and then reaching the Quarter Finals.
I actually saw Ebden play up close and personal at Queens this year and he has a decent game although he is a little inconsistent off the ground. If he serves well he can cause problems, but he can lose concentration and will give up chances that Ram may take capitalise on.
Marinko Matosevic vs Richard Berankis: This is a pick more against Berankis than it is backing Matosevic.
Berankis has had a back injury that forced him to miss the middle part of the season and has lost both matches since returning although against tough opponents Nicolas Mahut and Ryan Harrison.
Matosevic has already got a couple of qualifying wins under his belt here in Washington and that means he could have more of an edge being familiar with the conditions. The Australian failed to qualify for Los Angeles last week, but a win over Igor Kunitsyn in Atlanta shows he is playing fairly well.
Berankis beat Matosevic in straight sets at the Australian Open, but I will have a small interest that the head to head is levelled up here as Berankis returns from an injury.
Michael Russell vs Ivo Karlovic: I am backing yet another underdog here for the sole reason that I want to back against the favourite.
Ivo Karlovic still has a couple of runs in tournaments left in him, but it is clear in my mind that he has lost half a step on the court which makes his serve-volley game a little more erratic than it used to be. He still serves from a tree, but I think he is half a step short on returns making it easier for his opponents to get a second shot after the initial volley.
He did reach the Quarter Final in Miami this year, but he has lost in the 1st Round in 10 of the 15 tournaments he has entered. Karlovic has gone 1-6 since losing in the Semi Final in Houston in April.
Michael Russell is definitely come towards the end of his career, but he will enjoy the home support here and is still capable of spring a surprise as shown by his win over Dmitry Tursunov last week. The hard courts remain Russell's favourite surface so I do think he has a genuine chance to cause a mini-shock here.
They share a 1-1 head to head record, but it was Michael Russell who won their most recent meeting on the indoor hard courts of Memphis earlier this season.
MY PICKS: Double; Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Baltacha @ 2.21 William Hill (1 Unit)
Double; Donald Young and Rajeev Ram @ 2.01 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Marinko Matosevic @ 2.10 BetFred (1 Unit)
Michael Russell @ 2.10 Stan James (1 Unit)
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Tennis Outright Picks August 1st-7th
The US Open series continues this week with the ATP 500 Event in Washington and the WTA Tour moves to San Diego, while over in Europe the last of the clay events following Wimbledon begins in Austria.
We still await the big players on the ATP tour to make their first appearances in the Summer, but with the Montreal Masters beginning next week, we can be sure their preparations are going strong.
ATP Washington
With most of the top 10 MIA for this tournament, it leaves it wide open for a few players to make a run at a tournament worth quite a few ranking points. The favourite for the tournament is unsurprisingly Mardy Fish, a player that has recently won in Atlanta and is in the Final in Los Angeles tonight.
I won't be backing the Number 1 American this week simply because of the amount of tennis he has played this week and I am not sure if he will even travel the length on the country with bigger fish (pardon the pun) to fry in the next few weeks.
Still, just because I won't be backing Fish this week does not mean I will be finding someone in his section to back instead. The likes of Fernando Verdasco, Nikolay Davydenko and Jarkko Nieminen are all seeded in this section and make their hard court debuts this Summer yet none of those can be trusted on recent form.
One player who may make the most of the Fish half of the draw is the Number 7 seeded Marcos Baghdatis although he is yet another player that has a few question marks surrounding him. Baghdatis was knocked out in his first match last week in LA to Yen-Hsun Lu and has been an early loser in previous matches in the States this season at Miami and Indian Wells.
Baghdatis has course form here in Washington as he finished Runner Up last season and he might be able to make hay if he can get through a potential 2nd Round meeting with Somdev Devvarman, a player that beat Baghdatis in straight sets at Indian Wells.
The route through to the Semi Final would see him face Thomaz Bellucci in the 3rd Round and a potential Quarter Final with either Xavier Malisse or Jurgen Melzer.
On the other half of the draw, there doesn't seem like a lot of choices to be had with the best players all seeming to have been placed in the bottom section.
There we have John Isner, another former player that has reached the Final here in Washington before although he does have a tough looking draw in the early Rounds.
Isner is seeded to avoid Round 1, and then faces a very winnable match. The 3rd Round is where the potential problems arise as he is down to meet either last years Champion, David Nalbandian, or the in-form James Blake. The former will present more problems for Isner with his superior returning game, but has not played any tennis since Wimbledon, while Blake and Isner had a tight match in Atlanta recently that was won by Isner in 3 sets.
It is slightly concerning that Isner had a few issues with his shoulder in Atlanta, but he has had a few days off and will have a couple more before his 2nd Round match.
Overall, this looks like a tough tournament to pick outright, but I will back those two players I have mentioned and hope one of those can give us a run.
WTA San Diego
This is quite a solid field this week fresh off Stanford and there are a number of players that will feel they can have a big week.
The market is being dominated by a few single priced favourites and I am going to pick one of those as an each way shout.
My pick is in what I consider to be the weaker 2nd half of the draw and is going to be Agnieska Radwanska, last years beaten Finalist.
Radwanska is the Number 3 seed here this week and was a Quarter Finalist in Stanford last week before being beaten by Sabine Lisicki in 3 sets.
The Polish player should be able to negotiate the 2nd and 3rd Rounds of the tournament without too many issues before a potential Quarter Final with Daniela Hantuchova- again Radwanska should have the edge over a player she has beaten 3 of the last 4 times they have met and she also holds a win over Hantuchova from this tournament last year.
The potential Semi Final opponent is less clear as that is a tough section to pick from, and whoever she meets could have had to play a lot of tennis up to that point in hot weather.
The other side of the draw provides some big threats in the forms of Vera Zvonareva, a recent winner in Baku, Sabine Lisicki, a Semi Finalist last week in Stanford, and Dominika Cibulkova. All 3 of those players are in a section meaning only 1 will make the Semi Final and it looks like a tough section to predict again.
In saying that, the odds on Zvonareva and Lisicki look plenty short considering their opposition and I would rather be on Radwanska at the same odds in what looks like a clearer path through.
MY OUTRIGHT PICKS: Marcos Baghdatis @ 19.00 Bet365 (1 Unit E/W)
John Isner @ 10.00 Stan James (1 Unit E/W)
Agnieska Radwanska @ 9.00 Stan James (1 Unit E/W)
We still await the big players on the ATP tour to make their first appearances in the Summer, but with the Montreal Masters beginning next week, we can be sure their preparations are going strong.
ATP Washington
With most of the top 10 MIA for this tournament, it leaves it wide open for a few players to make a run at a tournament worth quite a few ranking points. The favourite for the tournament is unsurprisingly Mardy Fish, a player that has recently won in Atlanta and is in the Final in Los Angeles tonight.
I won't be backing the Number 1 American this week simply because of the amount of tennis he has played this week and I am not sure if he will even travel the length on the country with bigger fish (pardon the pun) to fry in the next few weeks.
Still, just because I won't be backing Fish this week does not mean I will be finding someone in his section to back instead. The likes of Fernando Verdasco, Nikolay Davydenko and Jarkko Nieminen are all seeded in this section and make their hard court debuts this Summer yet none of those can be trusted on recent form.
One player who may make the most of the Fish half of the draw is the Number 7 seeded Marcos Baghdatis although he is yet another player that has a few question marks surrounding him. Baghdatis was knocked out in his first match last week in LA to Yen-Hsun Lu and has been an early loser in previous matches in the States this season at Miami and Indian Wells.
Baghdatis has course form here in Washington as he finished Runner Up last season and he might be able to make hay if he can get through a potential 2nd Round meeting with Somdev Devvarman, a player that beat Baghdatis in straight sets at Indian Wells.
The route through to the Semi Final would see him face Thomaz Bellucci in the 3rd Round and a potential Quarter Final with either Xavier Malisse or Jurgen Melzer.
On the other half of the draw, there doesn't seem like a lot of choices to be had with the best players all seeming to have been placed in the bottom section.
There we have John Isner, another former player that has reached the Final here in Washington before although he does have a tough looking draw in the early Rounds.
Isner is seeded to avoid Round 1, and then faces a very winnable match. The 3rd Round is where the potential problems arise as he is down to meet either last years Champion, David Nalbandian, or the in-form James Blake. The former will present more problems for Isner with his superior returning game, but has not played any tennis since Wimbledon, while Blake and Isner had a tight match in Atlanta recently that was won by Isner in 3 sets.
It is slightly concerning that Isner had a few issues with his shoulder in Atlanta, but he has had a few days off and will have a couple more before his 2nd Round match.
Overall, this looks like a tough tournament to pick outright, but I will back those two players I have mentioned and hope one of those can give us a run.
WTA San Diego
This is quite a solid field this week fresh off Stanford and there are a number of players that will feel they can have a big week.
The market is being dominated by a few single priced favourites and I am going to pick one of those as an each way shout.
My pick is in what I consider to be the weaker 2nd half of the draw and is going to be Agnieska Radwanska, last years beaten Finalist.
Radwanska is the Number 3 seed here this week and was a Quarter Finalist in Stanford last week before being beaten by Sabine Lisicki in 3 sets.
The Polish player should be able to negotiate the 2nd and 3rd Rounds of the tournament without too many issues before a potential Quarter Final with Daniela Hantuchova- again Radwanska should have the edge over a player she has beaten 3 of the last 4 times they have met and she also holds a win over Hantuchova from this tournament last year.
The potential Semi Final opponent is less clear as that is a tough section to pick from, and whoever she meets could have had to play a lot of tennis up to that point in hot weather.
The other side of the draw provides some big threats in the forms of Vera Zvonareva, a recent winner in Baku, Sabine Lisicki, a Semi Finalist last week in Stanford, and Dominika Cibulkova. All 3 of those players are in a section meaning only 1 will make the Semi Final and it looks like a tough section to predict again.
In saying that, the odds on Zvonareva and Lisicki look plenty short considering their opposition and I would rather be on Radwanska at the same odds in what looks like a clearer path through.
MY OUTRIGHT PICKS: Marcos Baghdatis @ 19.00 Bet365 (1 Unit E/W)
John Isner @ 10.00 Stan James (1 Unit E/W)
Agnieska Radwanska @ 9.00 Stan James (1 Unit E/W)
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