2016 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix- Ana Ivanovic vs Karolina Pliskova

Two players who have under-performed so far in 2016 face off at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on Wednesday, with Ana Ivanovic taking on Karolina Pliskova in a second round match. This will be the final singles match of the day, taking place at around 20:30 Stuttgart time (19:30 UK Time), and the winner will face 1st seed Agnieszka Radwanska or Andrea Petkovic in the quarter-finals.

It’s fair to say that neither Ivanovic or Pliskova have impressed too much this season, though they were both able to win an opening match here. Ivanovic was the more comfortable of the two, struggling in the first set but eventually seeing of Carina Witthoeft 7-6 6-0; she may need to improve, though will be happy with that second set performance. Things were much more difficult for Pliskova, though she battled past fellow Czech star (and 8th seed) Lucie Safarova 7-6 4-6 7-5 in a tight match; she may need to improve, but she could be confident after such a tough win.

Both have big weapons, with Pliskova having a big serve and Ivanovic having a strong forehand. Each are crucial for the respective player, and both must use this effectively to have a strong chance of winning this match. Apart from her serve, Pliskova also has a powerful game overall, with big groundstrokes. She should use these to try and dictate play and put Ivanovic on the back foot. However, she cannot let Ivanovic try and dictate her, as Pliskova is not the greatest mover on clay and Ivanovic is very experienced on the surface. Ivanovic must serve well (this is the most erratic part of her game) and must also be careful to not make too many errors, though is the strongest clay court player of the two and should look to try and dictate play with every opportunity she gets.

Pliskova dominates the head to head 4-0, conceding just one set to Ivanovic, and stormed past the Serbian in less than an hour in Indian Wells earlier this year. Ivanovic is the stronger of the two on clay and was more comfortable in the second round, though there is clearly something about Pliskova’s game that bothers the Serbian and if Pliskova brings her best, she should edge this.

Prediction: Pliskova in 3

2016 Volvo Car Open-Sloane Stephens vs Elena Vesnina

It may not be the final that many would have expected, but the final in Charleston promises to be a good one, with 7th seed Sloane Stephens taking on qualifier Elena Vesnina for the title at the Volvo Car Open. This match is set to take place at around 13:00 Charleston Time (18:00 UK Time), and the winner will lift their first title in Charleston. Stephens is aiming for her 4th career title and 3rd this season, whilst Vesnina is looking for her 3rd career title and first since 2013.

Both women have had impressive runs to the final. Stephens benefited from the retirement of defending champion Angelique Kerber in the semi-final, though played a strong match and was also impressive early on with wins over the likes of Daria Gavrilova. The American also showed some strong mental strength to beat Daria Kasatkina from match point down, and will be confident coming into this. Vesnina has had to play more matches due to qualifying, though impressed in main draw wins over the likes of Belinda Bencic and Laura Siegemund. The Russian also impressed as she battled past strong clay court player Sara Errani in the semi-final, and will also be confident coming into the final.

7th seed Stephens does have an advantage of having played less matches, and clay is probably a stronger surface for the American than it is for Vesnina. Stephens will need to serve well against Vesnina, as the Russian can be a good returner, and she should look to try and use her power to dictate play and take charge of as many points as possible. The 7th seed is a slightly better mover than Vesnina, and should use this to try and get the Russian out of her comfort zone. Vesnina is a strong doubles play and should use her experience from this, especially at the net, to try and take the American out of her comfort zone. Vesnina should attack as much as possible though will probably need to defend well against the American’s power, and the Russian must serve well to have a strong chance here. She should also look to frustrate Stephens and try to give the American little options, so that Stephens will not be able to dictate play.

It is Vesnina who has won the only previous meeting between the two, but that was over three years ago, so that will not have much impact on this match. Both women are playing well and hopefully it will be a high quality and competitive battle, though the majority of advantages seem to be with Stephens and it seems that she will edge this.

Prediction: Stephens in 3

 

2016 Volvo Car Open-Daria Kasatkina vs Sloane Stephens

Two talented young stars face off in Charleston, with 14th seed Daria Kasatkina taking on 7th seed Sloane Stephens for a place in the semi-finals at the Volvo Car Open. This match will take place on Stadium court at around 15:00 Charleston Time (20:00 UK Time) and the winner will face 1st seed Angelique Kerber or 13th seed Irina-Camelia Begu in the final four.

Both Kasatkina and Stephens have been impressive so far in Charleston; neither of the two has dropped a set so far. Kasatkina has conceded only nine games on her way to the final, easing past Saisai Zheng, Ana Konjuh and Louise Chirico extremely comfortably, and she will be extremely dangerous if she continues to play like that. Stephens has one advantage of receiving a bye in the first round, and was fairly comfortable in wins over dangerous players Danka Kovinic and 12th seed Daria Gavrilova in Charleston; she too is in good form coming into this intriguing clash.

If both continue the form they are in, it should be a very tight clash, though both can be erratic and it’s important for both to to play at the level they have previously met in Charleston; a poor performance by one could see an easy win for the other. Stephens can be particularly erratic when serving and must serve at a high percentage today, considering that Kasatkina is a good returner. The American should also look to attack the Russian’s game as much as possible, and should look to utilize her strong movement to try and dictate the play. Stephens is arguably the stronger clay court player, which could be an advantage. Kasatkina is, however, arguably in slightly better form here, which could be an advantage, and should look to try and use her power to dictate play. The 14th seed should look to try and attack the American’s serve as much as possible, though must serve well herself against a decent returner. She should also look to try and match the 7th seed’s movement around court.

The two have never met before; another factor that makes this clash interesting. Stephens has played some good tennis this year and will certainly be dangerous, though Kasatkina has been in great form this year and in Charleston, and should be able to edge this highly anticipated match.

Prediction: Kasatkina in 3

 

 

2016 Volvo Car Open- Sara Errani vs Sam Stosur

One of the most interesting clashes of the day at the Volvo Car Open sees two former French Open finalists, 5th seed Sara Errani and 10th seed Sam Stosur, face off for a place in the quarter-finals in Charleston. This match will take place at around 15:00 Charleston Time (20:00 UK Time), and the winner will face Yulia Putintseva or 3rd seed Venus Williams in the last eight of the tournament.

Neither woman has dropped a set so far, though Errani has the potential advantage of having a bye in the first round. The Italian impressed with a very comfortable win over Yaroslava Shvedova in the second round, though found it a little tricky towards the end; she will be looking for a stronger end here. Stosur has found both her matches a little more tricky, edging past Aleksandra Krunic and Jana Cepelova, and she may need to play better against a strong clay court player like Errani.

Of the two, Stosur is the more powerful and she should try to use that power to full effect, by attacking Errani’s weaker serve and trying to consistently dictate play. The Australian will need to server well as well and make few double faults (something she hasn’t really done so far), whilst she should also look to try and move Errani around the court. The 10th seed must not try to force play too much though, as she can be prone to errors. The majority of play may be down to Stosur, so it is important for Errani to defend well. The Italian must look to hang in on points and try to force errors from the Australian, though should look to attack at any opportunity she gets. The 5th seed will need to serve at a high percentage to stop Stosur dictating play, though could also attack Stosur’s second serve.

Stosur leads the head to head 6-2, though the head to head is split at 1-1 on clay. The Australian does seem to have some advantage over the Italian, though Errani has played better clay in the past couple of seasons and has had a better 2016 so far. It seems that the 5th seed could edge this.

Prediction: Errani in 3

 

 

2016 Volvo Car Open- Elena Vesnina vs Belinda Bencic

An interesting second round match sees qualifier Elena Vesnina take on 2nd seed Belinda Bencic for a place in the third round at the Volvo Car Open. This match is set to take place on Stadium court at around 16:00 Charleston Time (21:00 UK Time) and the winner will face 17th seed Eugenie Bouchard or Lourdes Dominguez Lino in the third round.

In general, Bencic has had a relatively strong 2016 so far; she reached a final in St. Petersburg and made it into the top ten of the rankings for the first time. However, the 2nd seed has not picked up many wins of the late and may be lacking of a little confidence as she starts her clay season. In contrast, Vesnina has been playing well of late. After struggling with injury, the Russian has consistently qualified for events (like she did here) and has recorded wins over the likes of Simona Halep and Venus Williams. The Russian is in resurgent form, though clay may not be her best surface.

Over the past couple of years, Bencic’s game has developed greatly and she’ll need to use it to full effect today. The Swiss star will certainly need to serve well (she has struggled with that in her past couple of losses) and should look to try and dictate play, as she is arguably more powerful than the Russian; she could use that to her advantage. The 2nd seed should also look to try and  vary her game style, though must try and keep Vesnina away from the net; the Russian is a doubles specialist and is good in this area. Vesnina will need to serve well against a relatively strong returner, and should look to try and move play around the court; she is arguably a better mover than Bencic.

The two have net met previously; another aspect that makes this an interesting clash. Vesnina does have an opportunity considering how well she has played of late, and has reached the final here previously. However, Bencic has also played well here in the past, and should be able to edge this clash.

Prediction: Bencic in 3

 

2016 Volvo Car Open- Angelique Kerber vs Lara Arruabarrena

Defending champion and top seed Angelique Kerber doesn’t have an easy opening clash at the Volvo Car Open, as she faces the tricky Lara Arruabarrena for a place in the 3rd round in Charleston. This match is the final singles match on Stadium Court, taking place at any time after 19:00 Charleston Time (00:00 UK Time), and the winner will face Kateryna Bondarenko, Madison Brengle or Kristina Kucova in the third round.

As a top seed, Kerber has one advantage of receiving a bye in the first round, which could help her. Furthermore the Australian Open champion started to play some strong tennis again at the Miami Open, and will be fairly confident coming into this. In contrast, Arruabarrena hasn’t had as strong of a start to the year and is 78 places below Kerber in the rankings. However, clay is her strongest surface and she impressed as she battled past Shelby Rogers in the first round. Arruabarrena will also be confident coming into this clash.

World number two Kerber does have the stronger game of the two, and will be looking to try and attack as much as possible, as well as effectively use her trademark defense to help her win points. She should also look to vary her game style and get the Spaniard moving around court; this will help Kerber utilize her relatively strong movement. However the German must serve well, Arruabarrena has a powerful game and could easily attack Kerber’s weak second serve. Serving is key for Arruabarrena’s chances today; she must hit as many first serves as possible to help her try and dictate play as much as possible. The Spaniard must also attack at every opportunity and should look to try and finish points off as quickly as possible, considering Kerber’s strong defense.

The German leads the head to head 2-0 and has won both meetings comfortably, conceding just five games in total and winning the second set 6-0 both times; their last meeting was at this very tournament last year. Kerber should win this meeting and it may not be too difficult, though expect Arruabarrena to make it closer than their previous meetings.

Prediction: Kerber in 2

2016 Volvo Car Open- Eugenie Bouchard vs Alexandra Dulgheru

One of the most interesting clashes of the day at the Volvo Car Open sees 17th seed Eugenie Bouchard take on Alexandra Dulgheru in a first round match in Charleston. This match is set to take place on Stadium Court at around 14:00 Charleston Time (19:00 UK Time) and the winner will face Lourdes Dominguez Lino in the second round.

Of the two, Bouchard is in the better form by a long way. The Canadian has already more matches this year and than she did in the whole of 2015, and has played some strong tennis, recording wins over tough players such as Sloane Stephens and Dominika Cibulkova. Two tournament finals will have also helped her confidence. In contrast, Dulgheru has had a poor start to the year, winning only three matches this season and is close to falling out of the top 100 at 97th in the rankings. However the Romanian is still a dangerous player and is back on what can be a strong surface for her.

Serving will be key for both players in this clash. Bouchard can be a good server, though this is not the strongest part of her game and her losses usually come when she has a poor serving percentage. The same can be said for Dulgheru, though serving well may be more important for her than it is for Bouchard. The Canadian should also try to limit her number of errors and should look to try and dictate play as much as possible, as Dulgheru is just as powerful as her. Dulgheru should look to attack as much as possible and should be prepared to defend a lot against Bouchard’s attacking game. The Romanian should also look to vary her game style, and try to get the 17th seed to move around court, as Dulgheru is a good mover.

Dulgheru leads the head to head 1-0, winning a high-profile meeting in the Fed Cup last year. The Romanian is low on confidence and match wins, though has a tricky game and Bouchard is not back at her best yet. However the Canadian has had a solid year so far, and should be able to win this; it could well be tight.

Prediction: Bouchard in 3

 

2016 Volvo Car Open-Draw Prediction

WTA action heads to Clay this week and there is a packed field in Charleston, as play is set to start at the Volvo Car Open. Defending champion Angelique Kerber returns and with other stars such as Sloane Stephens, Belinda Bencic and Venus Williams in action, it should be a great week; here is my draw prediction!

The top eight seeds all receive a bye in the first round.

Section 1

Projected Q/F: (1st) Angelique Kerber vs (6th) Andrea Petkovic

Kerber seemed to find form again in Miami and she should see off Lara Arruabarrena or Shelby Rogers in the second round. However Madison Brengle could easily be a danger, as could the winner of the first round clash between Kateryna Bondarenko and 16th seed Misaki Doi; it was Doi who nearly beat Kerber  in the first round at the Australian Open.

Petkovic, in contrast, has had a disappointing season so far and the former Charleston champion may have a tricky clash against Lucie Hradecka or Monica Puig in the second round. Meanwhile, an interesting first round match  will see 13th seed Irina-Camelia Begu take on the in-form Caroline Garcia, whilst Bethanie Mattek-Sands faces a decent clay court player in Teliana Pereira.

Prediction: Kerber def Garcia

Section 2

Projected Q/F: (4th) Lucie Safarova vs (7th) Sloane Stephens

Safarova has yet to win a match since her return from injury and illness, though she may have a decent opportunity against a qualifier or Louise Chirico. However dangerous players such as Ana Konjuh and 14th seed Daria Kasatkina (who starts against Saisai Zheng) lurk near her in the draw.

Stephens has had a pretty mixed season, winning two titles but also suffering some bad losses, and she could face the tricky Danka Kovinic (who starts against a qualifier) in the second round. However this is an extremely tough section, with in-form Zhang Shuai present and 12th seed Daria Gavrilova face Zarina Diyas; this will be a tight part of the draw.

Prediction: Kasatkina def Gavrilova

Section 3

Projected Q/F: (5th) Sara Errani vs (3rd) Venus Williams

Errani has had a mixed season so far and there is a chance that Yaroslava Shvedova or Evgeniya Rodina could beat her, though will be on her strongest surface. 10th seed Sam Stosur could well be a danger in this section, as could the improving Anastasija Sevastova. It will be interesting to see what two qualifiers could do in this part of the draw.

Williams hasn’t had the best start to the year, and Alison Riske (who should see off Frances Altick) may not be an easy second round clash. 15th seed Sabine Lisicki will be looking for some wins, though faces a tricky opener against Irina Falconi, whilst Kurumi Nara and Yulia Putintseva could well be dangerous here.

Prediction: Errani def Putintseva

Section 4

Projected Q/F: (8th) Madison Keys vs (2nd) Belinda Bencic

2015 runner-up Keys showed some good form in Miami and a second round clash against Laura Siegemund or a qualifier shouldn’t provide too much of a test. However 11th seed Kristina Mladenovic is potentially a threat (she starts against Tatjana Maria) and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni could well be dangerous as well.

Bencic has shown some solid form so far in 2016 and she should see off a qualifier or Petra Cetkovska in the second round. However the dangerous Christina McHale could be a test her, as could the winner of the interesting first round clash between Eugenie Bouchard and  Alexandra Dulgheru. Strong clay court player Lourdes Dominguez Lino may also be a test.

Prediction: Bencic def Keys

Semi-Finals

Kerber def Kasatkina

Bencic def Errani

Final

Bencic def Kerber

 

 

 

 

2016 Miami Open- Svetlana Kuznetsova vs Victoria Azarenka

Two two-time Grand Slam champions (and former Miami champions) face off in Miami today, with 15th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova taking on 13th seed Victoria Azarenka for the Miami Open title.This match is set to take place at 13:00 Miami Time (18:00 UK Time) and both are aiming to regain the title, with Kuznetsova looking for her second title in Key Biscayne, whilst Azarenka is looking for her third title.

Azarenka has had the easier road of the two; she has yet to drop a set in Miami. Arguably her toughest match came in the fourth round against Garbine Muguruza, where she was pushed to two tiebreaks, though impressed in wins over Johanna Konta and Angelique Kerber since then and she’ll be pretty hard to beat here. In contrast, Kuznetsova has only played one match where she hasn’t gone to three sets; an impressive win over Timea Bacsinszky in the semi-finals. Her biggest result of the tournament was coming from a set down to ease past Serena Williams, whilst she also did well to tough out a win against Caroline Garcia in the 3rd round; she’ll be very confident after her run.

Both are talented players, though Azarenka is the more powerful of the two and that could be a big advantage for the Belorussian. Azarenka should look to serve well and must be prepared for anything, as Kuznetsova has varied her game well in all her matches, and will also look to take every opportunity she gets on second serve. The 13th seed should also look to try and finish points off quickly, as Kuznetsova could defend well and work herself into points. The Russian will probably need to defend well today against Azarenka’s power, and Kuznetsova will also probably need to serve well; she has done that for most the tournament. The 15th seed should also look to try and get Azarenka moving around court as much as possible, and should attack the Belorussian’s game at every opportunity she gets.

The head to head is evenly tied at 4-4, though Azarenka has won their past three meetings in straight sets, as well as their only previous meeting in Miami in three sets. Azarenka is the favourite for this match and considering how much less she has been on court than Kuznetsova, she should be able to win the title fairly comfortably.

Prediction: Azarenka in 2

 

2016 Miami Open- Svetlana Kuznetsova vs Timea Bacisznszky

Two women who have had strong runs to the final in Miami face off in an interesting semi-final clash, with 15th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova taking on 19th seed Timea Bacsinszky for a place in the Miami Open final. This match will be the first match on Stadium court, taking place at 13:00 Miami Time (18:00 UK Time),and the winner will face Victoria Azarenka or Angelique Kerber in the final.

It has been a difficult road for both, though both have also played some good tennis on their way to this stage. Kuznetsova has dropped a set in every match so far, but did well to battle past Carina Witthoeft and Caroline Garcia, and impressed massively as she conceded just three games in the final two sets to 1st seed Serena Williams. A quarter-final win over 30th seed Ekaterina Makarova showed no hangover from that result, and she’ll be very confident. Bacsinszky had an easier start to the tournament, easing past Margarita Gasparyan and 16th seed Ana Ivanovic in straight sets, and then recorded her best wins of the season by coming from a set down to beat 3rd seed Agnieszka Radwanska and 5th seed Simona Halep. The Swiss star is finding form again and will be tricky to face.

Energy levels could be key for this match; Bacsinszky has had to play slightly less tennis than Kuznetsova, and that could help the 19th seed. Bacsinszky will need to serve well against Kuznetsova, who can be a decent returner, and must try to finish points off quickly, as the Russian is a good defender and could work her way back into points. The Swiss star should also look to attack Kuznetsova’s serve as much as possible, and should try to defend well herself, to try and get the Russian to make errors. Kuznetsova will probably have a similar game plan to Bacsinszky. The 15th seed should look to serve well and must try to attack Bacsinszky’s serve as much as possible. The Russian is arguably the stronger mover of the two, and with both likely to vary their playing style throughout the match, that could be a big factor for her chances.

Kuznetsova leads the head to head 2-0, though they haven’t played since Bacsinszky’s return to the game. This should be a tight match and we could well see some very interesting tennis but Bacsinszky has recorded some big wins this tournament playing some good tennis, and, with less time on court, should be able to edge this.

Prediction: Bacsinszky in 3