WTA Finals Tennis Picks 2019 (October 30th)

This might not have been exactly the kind of season that Naomi Osaka would have wanted, but she did win another Grand Slam title and made the WTA Finals. Unfortunately Osaka has not been able to conclude her season with a maiden success at the Finals having pulled out of the tournament prior to her second match at the tournament.

Kiki Bertens stepped in to beat Ashleigh Barty in her stead and that does mean that all four players competing in this Group can still earn their place in the final four. Belinda Bencic recovered from dropping the second set to beat Petra Kvitova meaning the top three players all have one win each and the Czech southpaw has lost both matches.

Petra Kvitova will take on Bertens on Thursday and Ashleigh Barty and Belinda Bencic will meet in the other Group match which will determine one of the Semi Finalists.


On Wednesday we have the second set of matches to be played in the Purple Group as the two winners and two losing players from Monday's matches face each other. As was the case on Tuesday, you have to feel that the winner of the Elina Svitolina versus Simona Halep match will be through to the Semi Final while both Bianca Andreescu and Karolina Pliskova are looking to bounce back from losses.


Elina Svitolina v Simona Halep: There has been a similar level of form that both Elina Svitolina and Simona Halep have displayed since the beginning of the US Open. Both players have perhaps not been as dominant as they would like, but both Svitolina and Halep have won their opening Group match which has put them in a strong position to move through to the Semi Final.

There is every chance of the winner of this match moving through to the Semi Final and so I expect to see everything put on the line in this one to avoid the stress of having a must win match later this week.

I have to give Svitolina a slight edge in the match considering the head to head between these two on the hard courts. Simona Halep won a tight match earlier this year in Dubai over Svitolina, but the Ukrainian was a touch unlucky on the day and the numbers between these players do favour Svitolina on the hard courts.

The layers are not finding it easy to separate the players, which is understandable, but I do think Elina Svitolina deserves to be a narrow favourite. Instead you can back her to win this match at odds against and that looks to be the play for me here.

MY PICKS: Elina Svitolina @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)

WTA Finals Update: 0-1, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

WTA Finals Tennis Picks 2019 (October 29th)

I've had a few weeks off from making the Tennis Picks as I tend to do once the US Open is completed, but there is a big run of tournaments over the next six weeks which will culminate with the conclusion of the season and the first running of the new look Davis Cup.

At the end of this month the WTA Finals are going to be played and then in mid-November we have the ATP Finals which are played in London for just two more editions of the tournament that will conclude a thirteen year stay at the O2 Arena before moving to Turin.


Since the last of the Tennis Picks at the US Open, Andy Murray is not only back in action, but has won his first Masters match since Madrid in 2017.

It is great to see Murray back on the Tour and also winning matches as he looks to make the retirement videos offered by the Australian Open back in January seem as premature as he thought they were when they were being played. Andy Murray is almost certainly going to be playing in Melbourne in January as long as he can get through the off-season and the next few weeks feeling as he has been and I do think Murray is going to find his way back into the top 20 within a few months if he can work his way back to full health. That might be underselling him somewhat with the chance of Murray returning to the top ten looking good with some of the performances he has found over the last few weeks.


The 2019 season has been a very strong one for the Tennis Picks even if the last couple of months have not been as positive as the majority of the season. Finishing up with a winning record at the US Open at least pushed the numbers back in the direction I would have wanted, but hopefully some momentum behind the selections in the next few weeks can put an exclamation point on 2019 which has followed up a solid 2018.

The WTA Finals are played this week and we are into the second round robin of Group matches. Also this week we have the Paris Masters as the battle for the year end Number 1 spot on the ATP Tour heats up ahead of the ATP Finals being played in London which begins in a little under two weeks time.

I have some selections from the matches to be played which can be read below. I have also updated the 2019 totals for the Tennis season.


Naomi Osaka v Ashleigh Barty: Three of the first four matches played at the WTA Finals have ended in three sets including both played in this Group. Naomi Osaka just about edged out Petra Kvitova and Ashleigh Barty came from behind to beat Belinda Bencic which means the winner in this match can go a long way to securing a spot in the Semi Final this week.

Neither will be taking that win for granted and I anticipate another close match between these two players having seen that in Beijing when Osaka came from a set down to beat the Australian World Number 1.

That wins should give Osaka a mental edge in the match and I do think she is a worthy favourite to win this one. She has been looking like she is close to her best tennis since the US Open and the win over Kvitova was the eleventh in a row during which time Osaka has won two more titles.

Ashleigh Barty has been in good form too, but she has just found herself coming up short at the business end of tournaments. That includes the defeat mentioned to Osaka and I do think the superior returning that Osaka has been displaying will prove to be a key for her to come out on top in the contest.

Returning serve against Barty has not seen Naomi Osaka at her best so I would not be surprised if she needs three sets to get this done. However while Osaka has won 38% of return points played against Barty in their two previous hard court matches, her serve is the bigger weapon of the two players and I think that will be the outcome of this one too.

Simply backing Osaka to win looks the play here.

MY PICKS: Naomi Osaka @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Petra Kvitova - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Season 2019: + 97.43 Units (1615 Units Staked, + 6.03% Yield) 

Tennis Picks 2018 (September 28th)

The tournaments being played across Asia are coming to a close and we have reached at least the Quarter Final stage of all of those events.

The Asian swing in the back end of a season can be tough to read with tiredness a real factor to be considered, although there are plenty of players chasing a strong end to the season to set themselves up for 2019.

We also have the race for the WTA Finals and the ATP World Tour Finals to be completed as well as the season ending World Number 1 spots on both Tours which will begin to be cleared up in the month ahead.


For now let's get this week in the books with another busy day of Tennis on Friday, My selections for the day can be seen below.


MY PICKS: Qiang Wang - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Aryna Sabalenka - 1.5 Games @ 1.86 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Joao Sousa - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Alex De Minaur - 1.5 Games @ 1.83 Boyle Sports (2 Units)
Andy Murray - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 7-11, - 10 Units (36 Units Staked, - 27.78% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2018 (September 27th)

Wednesday could not have gone any worse for the Tennis Picks and it has made this a very poor week overall.

The season totals have been given a big dent too by the poor week, but I have been disappointed with the very little luck that has been on my side.

Every player on Wednesday started well but just could not take the opportunities they were creating which is frustrating to say the least.

On Thursday I do have some selections, but I need to have more luck to make sure the day is nothing like as poor as Wednesday turned out to be.


MY PICKS: Ashleigh Barty - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Qiang Wang - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Boyle Sports (2 Units)
Aryna Sabalenka - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Alex De Minaur - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 4-10, - 12.98 Units (28 Units Staked, - 46.36% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2018 (September 25th)

Monday proved to be a mixed day for the Tennis Picks, but it could have been a lot worse than it turned out even if I did end with a losing record for the day.

The first couple of days of a new tournament can see the matches spread out, but Tuesday is a very busy day this week with a host of matches scheduled in the WTA Wuhan tournament as well as the other three events being played this week.

I have been able to run through the matches at the tournaments this week and come up with a number of selections from the Tuesday offering. You can see those in the 'MY PICKS' section below as I look to get on a roll and back into a positive position after what has been a disappointing ten days following a strong US Open return.


MY PICKS: Elina Svitolina @ 1.95 Betfair Sportsbook (2 Units)
Angelique Kerber @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Kiki Bertens - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Petra Kvitova - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)
Karolina Pliskova - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Alex De Minaur - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Boyle Sports (2 Units)
Sam Querrey - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Ladbrokes (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 1-2, - 2.18 Units (6 Units Staked, - 36.33% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2017 (January 4th)

The tennis tournaments in Auckland, Brisbane, Chennai, Doha and Shenzhen continue in the opening week of the 2017 season and the Hopman Cup is also in action. These tournaments will feature the biggest names on the ATP and WTA Tour this week before most will decide to have a rest next week ahead of the Australian Open beginning on Monday 16th January.

The Second Round matches will be either completed or begun on Wednesday as we reach the middle of the first week of the 2017 season and I will have picks from the various events being played.


Angelique Kerber - 5.5 games v Ashleigh Barty: The Ashleigh Barty story is a very interesting one with the player leaving what looked a promising tennis career to become a cricket player. She returned to the WTA Tour after a two year break and is still only 20 years old with a chance to make an impact on the Tour.

It does have to be mentioned that the majority of her early successes came on the Doubles Tour and Barty might actually be a better team player than a Singles one. That is not disparaging the young Australian, but I do worry about her ability to cover the court on the Singles Tour especially when up against the very best players on the Tour.

Barty will be playing the very best player in the Second Round in Brisbane as Angelique Kerber makes her first appearance of the 2017 season. 2016 will always be a memorable one for the German who will be entering the Australian Open as the World Number 1 in a Grand Slam event for the first time, as well as trying to defend the title she won twelve months ago.

The movement Kerber produces around the court has proved to be a real difference maker and I think she is going to put Barty into some tough positions while also making the youngster hit one more ball than she perhaps expects to when it comes to winning points. That is going to lead to errors and Kerber also has the quality to turn defence into attack very quickly which has helped her reach the top of the women's game.

I think that is going to be a key in this match and help Kerber come through with a fairly comfortable win after weathering the Barty storm. There will be some strong moments for Barty, but I believe Kerber will be able to wear her down and come through with a 64, 62 win and a place in to the Quarter Finals.


Kristyna Pliskova v Kai-Chen Chang: Seeing twin sister Karolina Pliskova take another step in a positive direction at the end of the 2016 season has to inspire Kristyna Pliskova in a bid to improve her Number 60 position in the World Rankings. She has a serve to rival Karolina's and it is coming from a lefty which makes Kristyna very dangerous, but she has yet to find the consistency on the ground to really make big leaps up the World Rankings.

This is going to be anything but an easy match against Kai-Chen Chang who had some strong results to finish up the 2016 season. That looks to have given Chang some confidence having already won three matches in Shenzhen and it makes her a big test for Pliskova.

These players met a few months ago and it was a tight match won by Pliskova. This looks like another that potentially goes the distance and it has to be said that the Pliskova first serve could be the difference maker in the match as it will allow her to earn a couple of cheaper points.

That eases the pressure at big moments and I think it could help Pliskova to narrowly find a way past Chang in this one. The latter will have to work hard for all she gets on the court and I believe that ultimately sees her come up short and I will back Pliskova in this pick 'em contest.


David Ferrer - 4.5 games v Jordan Thompson: A couple of seasons ago David Ferrer would be a big favourite to win a match like this, but the last few months have seen a regression from the Spaniard. There is clearly some fire left in the belly of the veteran after making a coaching change to perhaps reverse the natural arc of a career, and Ferrer did have an impressive First Round win over Bernard Tomic here in Brisbane.

Ferrer faces another Australian in the Second Round when meeting Jordan Thompson who put together some solid results at the back end of 2016 albeit at a lower level than the ATP Tour.

He had a solid First Round win and Thompson has some good shots in his locker which can give Ferrer trouble. The serve is important for Thompson to try and keep Ferrer on the back foot in this one but he has to make sure a high enough percentage of first serves in play to stop Ferrer from being able to step forward and attack him immediately.

The regression in the Ferrer play has to be a concern for the Spaniard and his fans going into the season, but I think he is still good enough to win matches like this. He served very well in his first match and I think Ferrer is capable of forcing Thompson to dig deep and try and win the longer rallies even if the unforced errors come a little more frequently from Ferrer these days.

Extracting errors from Thompson and making the Australian look to hit winners quicker than he may want to should lead to Ferrer being able to match the margin of victory that he had against Tomic in the First Round. I will back the veteran to come through with a cover in this Second Round match.


Stan Wawrinka - 3.5 games v Victor Troicki: The first match after a long lay off is always a challenge for the players beginning their return to the Tour and Stan Wawrinka could have hoped for an easier Second Round match. He does have a very strong record against Victor Troicki which will give Wawrinka the mental edge in this match, but he will have to produce something like his best tennis to win.

His opponent has a win under his belt from the First Round, and Troicki also won the title in Sydney at this time of the season in 2016. That was one of the successful tournaments that helped the Serbian move inside the top 30 in the World Rankings and Troicki will be Seeded at the Australian Open.

Troicki serves well and it does have to be said that Wawrinka can be a little passive when it comes to the return which will give Troicki a chance to dictate rallies. However Troicki never seems that far away from a mental collapse when playing some of the better players on the Tour and that has been the case when he has played Wawrinka.

Those problems against the top 10 players is shown up in Troicki's 9-60 career record against them, and he would have been 2-4 covering this number of games in a best of three set match against top 10 opponents in 2016. Stan Wawrinka was one of those players who wore down Troicki and I expect him to do the same in his opening match in Brisbane and come through with a 76, 63 win.


Philipp Kohlschreiber - 2.5 games v Nicolas Almagro: The head to head sees Nicolas Almagro leading Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4 and it was the Spaniard who won the sole match between these veterans in 2016. That did take place on the clay courts at the French Open and that surface would be giving Almagro the edge.

I am not sure that is the case on the hard courts though and I think Kohlschreiber will have the advantage on a surface on which Almagro has really struggled over the last twelve months.

Even his win over Paolo Lorenzi saw Almagro come through some difficult moments and I think he just finds it a little tougher to find his rhythm on the faster surfaces. Almagro is just 9-11 on the hard courts since the 2014 season and that has to be a concern considering he should have the serve and the forehand to have success on the surface.

Kohlschreiber is definitely on the slide in his own career too, and he didn't exactly produce a strong set of results on the hard courts himself in the 2016 season. He doesn't match up that well with Almagro on the face of things, but half of his four wins over Almagro have come on the hard courts.

I just feel the German has still got a little more in the tank on this surface than Almagro and I expect that to make a difference between two well matched opponents. Kohlschreiber has to make sure he doesn't allow Almagro to dictate too many of the rallies by offering up too many second serves, but I think he can do that and I believe he can win this match in a 63, 46, 64 win.


Jiri Vesely + 3.5 games v Tomas Berdych: The first time I am taking the games in the 2017 season comes from a Second Round match in Doha when I will back Jiri Vesely to keep things competitive against Tomas Berdych. It does have to be said that Vesely has yet to come close to fulfilling the potential he has, but he has pushed Berdych in their last two matches and can give his compatriot something to think about in this one.

Vesely is a big man and a lefty, but he needs to get more out of the first serve in 2017 if he wants to show real improvement on the court. The younger player should be well rested having had his First Round match a couple of days ago, and I do think he can expose some of the movement in the Berdych game by serving big and following it up with some big groundstrokes.

The length also means Vesely can get a few more balls back in play on the return of serve which has given Berdych problems in their two matches in 2016. Both went the distance at Wimbledon and Shenzhen and Vesely can certainly push him into a deciding set in this one.

A key to the number is Vesely serving well and making sure he takes the chances when they are presented on the return of serve. There is little doubt in my mind that Berdych remains the superior player at this moment of time and also has the mental edge having won all three previous matches against his compatriot. However I think this is a decent match up for Vesely if he is limiting his unforced errors and I will take the games and look for a close match.

MY PICKS: Angelique Kerber - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Sporting Bet (2 Units)
Kristyna Pliskova @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)
David Ferrer - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)
Stan Wawrinka - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Philipp Kohlschreiber - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Jiri Vesely + 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units) Match from Tuesday

Weekly Update: 4-3, + 1.34 Units (14 Units Staked, + 9.57% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2017 (January 2nd)

And just like that the 2017 tennis season is upon us with plenty of big stories ready to be written over the next eleven months. There is no doubting it is an incredibly short off-season for the players, although the big names do manage their schedules well enough to earn rest through the year to be ready for the big Grand Slam events.

There are questions on both the ATP and WTA Tours at the very top with players like Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams going into the new season with things to prove. It will be interesting to see which of the younger players can consistently produce their best tennis to move amongst the best players in the world, while Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber look to fight off their challengers for the Number 1 World Ranking.

Both of those players head to the first Grand Slam of the season at the Australian Open as the top Seeds for the first time in their careers and it will be interesting to see how they handle that responsibility and media attention. I don't particularly worry for either Murray or Kerber to be honest and I think they will be arguably the favourites in each of the Grand Slam events even if the prices don't always represent that.


The one real big piece of news that springs to mind about the off-season is a the totally disgusting event that Petra Kvitova had to go through- someone intended to rob her house without realising it was Kvitova's place or that she was the one answering the door and in the struggle damaged her left hand.

It means 2017 might be a write off for Kvitova on the Tour, but more worrying is that she may not ever be able to play tennis again which is absolutely a crazy turn of events. I wish her all the best and hope Kvitova not only gets back onto the Tour, but reaches the levels she has prior.


2016 began miserably for the picks in what had been a terrible twelve months which heavily influenced the negative numbers for the last two seasons. However the last five months of the season were positive enough to believe I can take that momentum into the 2017 season and have a much more positive beginning to the season. I missed much of the clay court season last year due to that being the time of the year I was getting ready for my wedding, but hopefully this will help turn around the numbers and get back into the winning runs as I had prior to 2015.


Roberta Vinci v Lesia Tsurenko: Players are much better conditioned these days to play longer than their tennis predecessors did in the past, but Roberta Vinci is now six weeks out from her 34th birthday and I do wonder how much is left in the Italian's tank. However the last few seasons have arguably been the best of her Singles career and Vinci continues to put up the wins in 2016 and looks like a tough competitor at least early in 2017.

The hard courts are actually where Vinci produces her better results which is a surprise because on first glance you would assume an Italian player would prefer the clay courts. However Vinci has had some strong runs on this surface and reached the Quarter Final in Brisbane last season.

I do think she can get the better of Lesia Tsurenko who has been a little more than a journeywoman on the Tour. Tsurenko had a couple of solid, if unspectacular, seasons behind her, but Vinci got the better of this opponent twice in 2016 and both of those wins came on the hard courts.

The form in the latter stages of the 2016 season does make Tsurenko a dangerous First Round opponent for Vinci especially off the long rest and what that can do to the rhythm. Even with that in mind though, I am surprised Vinci is seen at such a big price to win this match and I think she can frustrate Tsurenko while using an under-rated first serve to move through to the Second Round in Brisbane again.


Simona Halep - 4.5 games v Jelena Jankovic: 2016 looked to be a season with significant regression for Jelena Jankovic as a Singles player, but some positive results in the latter half of the season at least put a decent gloss on things. It doesn't hide from the fact that she won the fewest matches on Tour since 2003 and I think Jankovic will do well to turn things around and not follow compatriot Ana Ivanovic into retirement at the end of the 2017 season.

This is an early test for Jankovic to see where she is with her game as she gets set to face Simona Halep in the First Round in Shenzhen. This is not exactly the kind of opening match Halep would have wanted as she finally looks to break her duck at the Grand Slam level and win a title that will move her up from her current level.

Halep is a very good player, but she can be a little erratic protecting serve which makes her vulnerable against some of the best players on the Tour. However I think her movement is now quite clearly much stronger than Jankovic's and that can expose the difference between the players on the court.

These two haven't played one another since Cincinnati in 2015 around eighteen months ago, but Halep had begun to not only get the better of Jankovic, but she had also won the last two matches quite comfortably. I think it might take a little time for Halep to find her rhythm in this opening match, but I do believe her superior movement will offer up more chances to break serve and Halep can win this one 75, 63 to cover the number.


Kyle Edmund - 3.5 games v Ernesto Escobedo: Seeing Andy Murray knighted having achieved all of his goals on the tennis court has to inspire the next generation of British players and it is Kyle Edmund who is leading the way. This is going to be a big season for Edmund to show he can take the next step in his development and I think he can open the season with a win over Qualifier Ernesto Escobedo.

The young American had a couple of impressive wins in the Qualifiers against a couple of veterans of the Tour, but he was beaten by Edmund at the US Open and there looked to be some gap between them. While Escobedo has gone back to the Challenger level for his best results since the US Open, Edmund reached the Fourth Round at Flushing Meadows which led into a solid ending to the 2016 season.

He has worked with Murray in the off season in the past so I fully expect Edmund will have put in the hard graft over the last few weeks to get ready for the 2017 season. He has the superior serve and the harder groundstrokes in this First Round match and I do think he can put that together to good effect against Escobedo.

The fact that Escobedo has a couple of Qualifiers under his belt should mean he can settle quicker than Edmund, but I do think the latter will find his range. At that point he should have the majority of the break point opportunities and also dictate the rallies and I expect Edmund to pull through with a 75, 64 win.


Grigor Dimitrov - 3.5 games v Steve Johnson: Over the last twelve months you would have to say that Steve Johnson overachieved considerably and Grigor Dimitrov underachieved as he struggled with his form. However a smaller sample of the last six months suggests the players are now going in opposite directions with Dimitrov showing signs of improvement and Johnson perhaps regressing.

Matches between these players have been close as Dimitrov has had some difficulties getting a read on the Johnson serve and has simply not protected his own service games as well as he should have. They have met five times in a little over eighteen months and all of those matches have been competitive with Dimitrov only just having the edge 3-2.

I think the form to end 2016 should have given Dimitrov some confidence that he can have a big 2017 season and I think he has previously played well at this stage of the season in Australia. He will be put under pressure if Johnson is serving well, but I do think the American has struggled to back up the first serve as well as he did in the early part of 2016.

Johnson had been very good at the big moments early in the season which saw him move up the World Rankings, but I think that was always going to be difficult to maintain. The latter half of the season saw Johnson just struggle at those break point moments and I think Dimitrov will get the better of him here with a 76, 63 win.


Nicolas Almagro v Paolo Lorenzi: There are only four places between Paolo Lorenzi and Nicolas Almagro in the World Rankings and both players are much better on the clay courts than the other surfaces on the Tour. In previous years Almagro wasn't a bad hard court player, but he struggled on the surface last season although I think the Spaniard can get the better of Lorenzi in this First Round encounter in Doha.

Like Almagro, Lorenzi didn't have a very good season when moving onto the hard courts in 2016, but the difference between the players is that Lorenzi has never really shown too much on that surface. His serve is not the biggest meaning he has to work for every point and Lorenzi also doesn't have the groundstrokes to always penetrate defences.

I think he will have more success in this one because of Almagro's movement being a little slower around the court, while some of the consistency on the Spaniard's side of the court is no longer at the level it was. However Lorenzi will have to find a way to stay with Almagro when the latter unleashes his bigger forehand and solid enough first serve and I think that is where Almagro is able to dominate a little more.

Anything but a tight match would be a surprise, but I do think Almagro is perhaps a little under-rated considering the opponent. He has beaten Lorenzi all four times they have met previously, but each of those has been on the clay courts. There is no doubt Almagro is not the player he was, but I consider him the better hard court player and I expect him to move through to the Second Round.

MY PICKS: Roberta Vinci @ 1.80 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Simona Halep - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Kyle Edmund - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)
Grigor Dimitrov - 3.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Nicolas Almagro @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Tennis Picks 2016 (October 1st)

This has been a frustrating week for the tennis picks with one step forward quickly followed by two steps back and that has seen the losses take over.

While I have accepted that I won't be turning this week around, this is a big month to try and get the season totals back into the black or face having back to back losing records which would be a huge disappointment. There are still a couple of days to go in the tournaments from last week, but the events in Beijing and Tokyo will also get underway and the 2016 is quickly winding down.


Richard Gasquet - 3.5 games v Janko Tipsarevic: The last few months have been difficult for Richard Gasquet with injury taking its toll on his season. I don't think he will have a lot of sympathy from Janko Tipsarevic who has lost a couple of years to injury although he is making the most of his Protected Ranking entry into the tournament in Shenzhen this week.

Both players are looking for a confidence boosting title to take away, but Gasquet is a healthy favourite to at least make it through to the Final. I can understand that as Tipsarevic has struggled to find the consistency that took him into the top 10 of the World Rankings in his prime .

The problem for Tipsarevic has been trying to stay with opponents who have been hitting the ball much harder than he has. He has had some solid wins this week to get into the Semi Final, but Tipsarevic was beaten comfortably by Mikhail Youzhny last week in St Petersburg and Gasquet should have enough pop from the serve to look after that side of his game and allow him to have some shots to try and break the Serb's serve in this one.

Gasquet has won all three previous matches against Tipsarevic and I think he is going to have the majority of break points in this match too. The key will be winning the big points when they come his way and I think he can come through with a 75, 64 win if he is able to take the opportunities when they are presented.


Petra Kvitova - 3.5 games v Dominika Cibulkova: I thought the win over Angelique Kerber in the Third Round would have taken something out of the Petra Kvitova tank, but instead she seems to be boosted by huge confidence levels from that win. Since then she has won two matches without dropping a set and Kvitova looks very comfortable on the surface.

She will be given a test by Dominika Cibulkova who has won the last two matches these two have played against one another but I do think the Slovakian has been forced to work much harder to win her last two matches. Cibulkova's serve could be in big trouble in this one, but her aggression will see her protect that as long as possible although not long enough to win this match as far as I am concerned.

On the other hand everything seems to be working for Kvitova who has been able to punish players behind her big game and it is tough to oppose her when you think of the way she dismissed the challenge of Simona Halep on Friday. This is going to be a similar kind of match for Kvitova and that performance suggests she will be too good for Cibulkova as she is seeing the tennis ball like a football at the moment.

The Kvitova serve is also a bigger weapon than Cibulkova has and I think she can win the tournament and get closer to those players chasing Singapore berths behind a 63, 63 win.

MY PICKS: Richard Gasquet - 3.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Petra Kvitova - 3.5 Games @ 1.73 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 9-11, - 6.74 Units (40 Units Staked, - 16.85% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2015 (October 3rd)

The tournaments from this week are wrapping up and that means we are down to the last couple of days in Shenzhen, Wuhan and Kuala Lumpur before we head to Beijing and Tokyo for big events next week.

Friday was a good day for the picks as all four made came into the winner's enclosure to turn around the week from the negative into a positive. I will make a couple of picks from the Semi Finals to be played on Saturday with the hope that these two will confirm a positive result for the second week in a row and get the season totals back into the positive too.


Tomas Berdych - 4.5 games v Tommy Robredo: These two met in Cincinnati in what was a one-sided win for Tomas Berdych and I do wonder if the big hitters have a little too much in their game for Tommy Robredo these days. It would be no surprise that the Spaniard has lost perhaps a little bit of speed around the court and perhaps that means his defensive skills have just eroded to the point that the heavy hitters are able to puncture his defences a little more frequently.

It isn't just the battering Robredo took at the hands of Berdych in Cincinnati, but Milos Raonic has also beaten the Spaniard twice this season for the loss of five games and then three games in St Petersburg last week.

While the likes of Berdych and Raonic can keep the pressure on Robredo with their serves too, the latter has to work hard for the points he earns and that once again leads to the possibility that these players get the edge in the rally to the point they are able to hit through Robredo.

Berdych has also been in the better form this week and I expect he will have a little too much for Robredo and the best I can see for the latter is a 63, 64 defeat in this Semi Final.


David Ferrer - 4.5 games v Benjamin Becker: It was not surprise that David Ferrer had to ride out some tough moments in his first match here, but he looked a lot more comfortable in the Quarter Final win over Mikhail Kukushkin. I fancy he can back up his sole previous win over Benjamin Becker despite the latter earning a very good win over Grigor Dimitrov on Friday.

However, that win isn't as a good as it might have looked twelve months ago as Dimitrov puts the finishing touches on a poor 2015 season. There is every chance that Dimitrov will finish outside of the top 20 in the World Rankings and Becker will have to dig deep to see off David Ferrer in a similar manner.

Becker hasn't done a lot of winning prior to this week and Ferrer is going to make him play a lot of balls and expose his consistency. If the German serves well this could be a difficult match for Ferrer, but I would fancy his defensive skills to force enough balls back in play to extract errors and earn more break point chances than he gives away.

Of course the Ferrer serve can be vulnerable, but he served well against Mikhail Kukushkin and I think the Spaniard moves into the Final after a tight 75, 63 win.

MY PICKS: Tomas Berdych - 4.5 Games @ 1.95 Sporting Bet (2 Units)
David Ferrer - 4.5 Games @ 1.85 Sporting Bet (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 8-5, + 4.20 Units (26 Units Staked, + 16.15% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2015 (October 2nd)

It hasn't been a week to match the last one, but a couple more winners on Thursday at least got this week going back in the right direction.

On Friday we have reached the Semi Finals in Wuhan and the Quarter Finals at the two ATP events in Shenzhen and Kuala Lumpur, but I still have a few picks out of the ten matches that have been scheduled across those three tournaments.


Venus Williams - 2.5 games v Roberta Vinci: Johanna Konta has made life very tough for plenty of players over the last couple of months, but it says something about Venus Williams that she rode through the storm to win the match. It looked like the American was out of it when Konta served for the match in the third set, but Venus Williams won the final three games and now faces the player who ended her younger sister's calendar Grand Slam hopes.

It would have been easy for Roberta Vinci to perhaps have a poor end to the season having put in so much effort physically and mentally into the US Open. She reached her maiden Grand Slam Final as a Singles player, but the Italian is clearly not resting on her laurels with a strong run to the Semi Final here in Wuhan.

Vinci has dropped one set so far this week and beaten players Ranked higher than her in Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova in the last couple of Rounds. She has come through first set tie-breakers in both before taking the second set easily and Vinci won't be intimidated by Venus Williams even if she hasn't beaten her before.

Can Vinci bamboozle Venus as she did Serena in the final two sets of their Semi Final at the US Open? There is every chance Vinci can do that, but I think Venus Williams is in fantastic form at the moment and I expect she punishes the Vinci second serve and will be able to break her down in this Semi Final. It might take three sets, but I like Venus Williams to win this one 63, 57, 64.


Garbine Muguruza-Angelique Kerber Over 21.5 Total Games: Angelique Kerber was well on the way to the Semi Final before Coco Vandeweghe retired from their Quarter Final, but now she runs into a player in Garbine Muguruza who is in fantastic form herself.

It is no surprise that the layers are having such difficulty splitting Muguruza and Kerber in terms of a winner, especially as both have had similar weeks. Neither player has dropped more than a single set to a former Serbian World Number 1 and they haven't dropped too many games outside of that set dropped.

Even the head to head suggests this will be a close match with their three meetings in 2015 all needing a final set decider although it is Muguruza who leads 2-1 thanks to wins at the French Open and Wimbledon. Kerber won't be lacking confidence considering her win came on the hard courts and she has been in the better form of the two in recent weeks.

I don't think anyone would be shocked if this one goes three sets two, while this number of games has every chance of being surpassed in a competitive straight sets win. While Kerber is the more consistent, Muguruza has the higher level when she peaks and it is easy to see this match developing in that way which produces a high chance of three sets being needed. The total games is probably two games too low and I will back this number to be passed.


Tomas Berdych - 4.5 games v Jiri Vesely: It looks like another season where Tomas Berdych will finish in the top eight positions in the World Rankings and make an appearance at the World Tour Finals. However, it is another season when he failed to win one of the really big tournaments out there although consistently performing at those events.

He doesn't clean up in the lesser tournaments as much as you might think either and Berdych is a player that is never too far away from a disappointing defeat. That's how it feels anyway and you would make him a big favourite to win in the field put together in Shenzhen although I wouldn't be backing him at the start of the week at short prices.

I will back him to win this match against Jiri Vesely who is still finding the right formula to win matches consistently at the main Tour level despite having plenty of skills. He has the big first serve and heavy groundstrokes, but mentally it is still a struggle for Vesely and playing his higher Ranked compatriot might be too much for him to handle.

Berdych was serving well in his first match in Shenzhen and doing that here will give him every chance of covering this number. He will know that he can create chances against the Vesely serve, particularly when the scoreboard pressure is on the younger Czech player and I like Berdych winning this match 64, 63.


Marin Cilic - 2.5 games v Hyeon Chung: There is no doubting that Hyeon Chung is one of the young players on the Tour who is expected to have a big impact in the coming years. He has begun to produce more consistent results on the main Tour as well as proving too good for tournaments in events lower than the top level and this all bodes well for his development.

He gets a quick chance to see how much his game has developed over the last couple of months as he faces Marin Cilic for the second time in his career. They met in Washington in August and Cilic won that match 76, 63, while the Croatian had a strong run at the US Open which shows he is perhaps returning to form.

It has been a difficult year for Cilic as injury and expectation have just stunted his progress and it is no surprise he has dropped out of the top ten in the World Rankings. However, that run to the US Open Semi Final was a real positive for Cilic and he battled through his Second Round match here.

Chung is a quality player, but has played a lot of tennis over the last two weeks having won a Challenger last week and needing to win two matches here. To be fair to him, he has won matches very easily so I am not worried about physical fatigue, but the level of competition has gone up markedly compared to the players he has beaten the last couple of weeks.

I can see him forcing another tie-breaker against Cilic, but ultimately I fancy the Croatian will prevail 76, 64 and move into the Semi Final here.

MY PICKS: Venus Williams - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Garbine Muguruza-Angelique Kerber Over 21.5 Total Games @ 1.85 Betfair Sportsbook (2 Units)
Tomas Berdych - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)
Marin Cilic - 2.5 Games @ 1.73 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 4-5, - 2.76 Units (18 Units Staked, - 15.33% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2015 (September 30th)

It was a mixed start to the picks from the week as one player won, one player lost, and one was leading before her opponent pulled out with an injury. Retirements in matches are more common at this time of the season when players have had a lot of months of tennis in the body and perhaps are beginning to look ahead to the 2016 season.

There are players who will really reduce the schedule following the US Open if their main goals have been achieved, although most of the big names are out in Wuhan this week for one of the big events left this season.

With only seven weeks left of the season, the 2015 season is quickly winding down and the focus is on seeing which players confirm their places in Singapore and London for the End of Year Finals and there is still some interesting matches to be played as players look to set a marker down for the 2016 season.


Venus Williams - 4.5 games v Carla Suarez Navarro: When you look at the way both Venus Williams and Carla Suarez Navarro approach matches, I am stunned to see it is the Spaniard that has the winning record in their head to head matches. I would have thought Venus' power would prove too much for Suarez Navarro to handle, but it hasn't been the case so far clearly.

A couple of the Suarez Navarro wins have come on a hard court, but she has been in terrible form over the last three months and confidence is simply not in a great place. When you are having to work hard for whatever you earn on a tennis court, lacking confidence just means hitting the ball a little shorter than you would like, or perhaps not going for the winners that you might do when feeling a lot better about your game.

It affects shot selection and Venus Williams is directly opposite to Suarez Navarro having produced some solid wins in recent weeks. Williams had a great run at the US Open before finding younger sister Serena a little too good in a fascinating Quarter Final, but Venus has bounced back with solid wins over Agnieszka Radwanska and Julia Goerges this week in Wuhan.

Suarez Navarro is just 6-9 since reaching the Final in Rome back in May and I think Venus Williams gets some revenge for her loss to the Spaniard in Miami. I like Venus Williams to come through 63, 64 and move into the Quarter Finals.


Camila Giorgi + 4.5 games v Angelique Kerber: It was a tougher match than I expected for Angelique Kerber when she beat Jelena Jankovic in three sets, but importantly the German has maintained her recent form. She should be too good for the erratic Camila Giorgi who has been very inconsistent since winning the title in Hertogenbosch back in June.

Giorgi had a battling win in the First Round against Tsvetana Pironkova and benefited from Belinda Bencic retiring after the first set on Tuesday. She has plenty of talent, but she doesn't always know the best way to control the power she has and her shot making can go down the toilet when under pressure.

The serve is also as much a weapon as it is a hindrance- while she will secure a lot more cheaper points than Angelique Kerber, the second serve Giorgi possesses is a real liability with plenty of double faults never that far away.

Someone like Kerber certainly has the defensive skills to frustrate Giorgi and earn plenty of unforced errors out of her game. However, I like the Italian as someone who builds confidence and can become very dangerous the longer she goes in a tournament and her one and half wins will aid that confidence.

When she releases the pressure and play on instinct, Giorgi is a real handful for any player on the WTA Tour and I think she can give Kerber plenty to think about it with this number of games in the pocket.


Tommy Robredo - 5.5 games v Hiroki Moriya: You don't want to underestimate a player that has come through the qualifiers and then won a main draw match like Hiroki Moriya has, but Tommy Robredo should have a considerable edge in the match.

The Spaniard can't always be trusted to cover big spreads because his service games can be described sloppy at best when he is slightly below par. However, he is playing an opponent that is not exactly going to be able to hit through him consistently and I think Robredo has had enough time to recover from travelling here from Russia.

Robredo did show some solid form in St Petersburg, but this is a big number being asked of him to cover, one that he isn't too used to doing in recent weeks. However, he is playing against an opponent who has rarely managed to get to this level with the majority of his time spent on the Challenger circuit and I think Moriya could be surprised by the amount of balls Robredo is able to return back to the court.

While he has had some wins on the hard courts, Moriya has suffered a number of heavy defeats on the surface and I will look for Robredo to wear him down 64, 62 in this one.


Jeremy Chardy - 3.5 games v Benjamin Becker: A Quarter Final place is up for grabs in Kuala Lumpur and Jeremy Chardy certainly has been playing well enough over the last couple of months to think he can take it ahead of Benjamin Becker.

Chardy had to dig deep to beat the young and talented Alexander Zverev in the First Round, but he looked to be getting stronger as that match went on. He has a decent serve, when it is working, and Chardy should also have the better of Becker when it comes to the extended rallies and I do really believe the Frenchman is capable of covering this number which I think is at least a game short of where it should be.

I have respect for the Benjamin Becker win over Sam Groth, but that has been a rare high point in the last few months and he is actually 4-9 since pulling out at the French Open. Confidence issues and perhaps some physical issues haven't helped Becker reversing his form and now facing a player that is feeling really good about his game is tough to overcome.

If Becker serves at his very best, he can make this competitive and perhaps even steal a set, but I think Chardy wins the match. If Becker is slightly under par, the Frenchman should win 63, 64 and it would take a serious turnaround in form from Becker to prevent that happening.

MY PICKS: Venus Williams - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Camila Giorgi + 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Tommy Robredo - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Jeremy Chardy - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 1-1, - 0.18 Units (4 Units Staked, - 4.5% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2014 (September 27th)

The WTA tournament in Wuhan was clearly one of the more important events left on the women's Tour this year and it would be fitting if another play could book their place at the end of year Finals in Singapore this week by winning that event.

While the majority of the big names took part in Wuhan, the ATP Tour had a quiet week which seems to have been taken advantage of by Kei Nishikori and Andy Murray. Both players are chasing a place at the ATP World Tour Finals in London and will be looking to win their respective events at Kuala Lumper and Shenzhen to add a few more points into the pot in the search for that goal.

It does surprise me that more of the players towards the bottom of the eight places chasing a place in London didn't decide to at least compete this week and add 'easy' points when you consider some of the fields that were seen.

There is the possibility that a long week will affect both Nishikori and Murray next week when there are more points to offer, but the latter is in the more difficult position of needing to make up a number of points and I think Murray's fitness can't really be questioned to that extent. Of course he would be keen to avoid a tough start to the draw, but the theory that players don't really push themselves to reach the World Tour Finals has been blown up for good.


Petra Kvitova - 3.5 games v Eugenie Bouchard: The Final in Wuhan is a repeat of the Wimbledon Final from earlier this season and I think we will have the same result, albeit not as easily as Petra Kvitova doubled her Grand Slam titles.

It was a crushing win for Kvitova who showed little nerves in that Final and she can win this tournament and book her place at Singapore. The big-serving Czech player can surpass the power that Eugenie Bouchard brings to the court and I think that makes it very tough for the younger player to win this match.

At the moment Bouchard, who has had a very strong 2014, relies on being able to out-hit her opponents and I don't think she has got the defensive side of the game up to that level. If she is unab;e to keep herself in rallies with little belief in her slice shots, the movement isn't really good enough to keep her in extended rallies against Kvitova.

The latter has been timing the ball so well this week and she has beaten Bouchard comfortably in the two previous matches between these players. Kvitova will have to serve well, but I can see her power worry Bouchard who may look to play first strike tennis, which could lead to more mistakes from the Canadian side of the court.

Like I siad earlier, I don't believe it will be as easy as the Wimbledon Final ended up being, but a 64, 64 win for Kvitova wouldn't surprise me.


Andy Murray - 5.5 games v Juan Monaco: Andy Murray is a strong favourite to win the tournament in Shenzhen, but he was not overly happy about his straight sets win in the Quarter Final and I would expect him to kick on over the last couple of days of the event.

Murray feels he gave away the chance to really stamp his authority on the Quarter Final win over Lukas Lacko and I don't think he will be as generous with Juan Monaco. The Argentinian player doesn't have a serve that will offer too many cheap points and that is where Murray will believe his superior hard court pedigree will really shine through.

The conditions should suit Murray better than Monaco, although he will be looking for a better serving day than he produced on Friday, and I can see him being too good when this match is all said and done.

2014 has shown that Monaco is on the way down in his career and he doesn't play much hard court tennis these days so I would fancy Murray to come through 63, 63.

MY PICKS: Petra Kvitova - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Andy Murray - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 6-6, - 1.86 Units (22 Units Staked, - 8.45% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2014 (September 26th)

There is still a lot of tennis to play this week as the tournaments in Wuhan, Kuala Lumper and Shenzhen are down to the business end of the events. The focus has already begun to shift to the next two weeks when big tournaments take place in Beijing and Tokyo, but don't say that to Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori who are trying to pick up points that could be vital in the 'Race to London'.


Tommy Robredo - 2.5 games v Andreas Seppi: This is an interesting hard court Quarter Final between two players that are much more comfortable on the slower clay courts. However, both Tommy Robredo and Andreas Seppi have shown they are more than capable of winning matches on the hard courts although I think it will be the Spaniard who moves through to the Semi Final.

I can see this match developing more in the manner you would expect on the clay courts with both players likely to have a few chances to break serve. Neither Robredo nor Seppi have a serve that will offer too many cheap points, but both players are happy to extend the rallies and it should be competitive if the 4-3 lead Robredo has in the head to head is anything to go by.

There is every chance this is a match that could go the distance, but I do think the competitive spirit that Robredo has displayed over the last eighteen months may prove to be the difference. After a tight battle, Robredo should have enough to come through with a 46, 63, 64 win.


Santiago Giraldo v Victor Troicki: It has been felt in some quarters that Victor Troicki was unfairly treated by the ATP when serving a year long suspension for failing to give a blood sample despite an illness. Like Marin Cilic, Troicki may have been using that time off the court to evaluate what tennis has meant to him and the Serbian has come back with some impressive results.

Troicki has won a couple of tournaments at the Challenger level, while he did reach the Quarter Final of his first main Tour event on his return. That has been reached again here in Shenzhen and you have to credit some of the results that he has picked up, but Santiago Giraldo looks a big price to beat him in the Quarter Final.

Giraldo didn't have a good summer, but he is set to have his best season on the Tour if he can add a few more wins over the remaining few weeks and his wins this week should have given him confidence. The Colombian has enjoyed playing on the hard courts in the past and has can sometimes play some really big tennis that is hard to overcome.

Mentally Giraldo is not the best which is a concern for me, but I think a small interest is warranted on him being a little too good for Troicki who is still working his way back to this level.


Andy Murray - 5.5 games v Lukas Lacko: Andy Murray can't afford to take this tournament easy as he is looking to get back to the World Tour Finals and I think he is going to prove again that he is too good for Lukas Lacko.

They have met twice before and Lacko is yet to win more than three games in a set having had five chances to do that. Lacko has also lost the last four sets by either a 62 or a 61 scoreline and I think Murray returns well enough to expose errors in the Slovakian's game and the same is likely to happen in this Quarter Final.

I have seen Lacko play some brilliant tennis at times and I do think he can perhaps surpass some of his previous scores against Murray, but the latter is a man on a mission and should be able to come through without too many worries. Murray might need a 64 set to take the first, but he should then run away with the second set and come through 64, 62.

MY PICKS: Tommy Robredo - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Santiago Giraldo @ 2.45 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Andy Murray - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 4-5, - 2.91 Units (17 Units Staked, - 17.12% Yield)