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 St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy-Ana Ivanovic vs Roberta Vinci

An extremely interesting semi-final in St. Petersburg sees 4th seed Ana Ivanovic take on 2nd seed Roberta Vinci in the semi-final for the bottom half of the draw.This match takes place at 14:00 St. Petersburg Time (11:00 UK Time) and the winner of this clash will face will face 1st seed Belinda Bencic or Daria Kasatkina in the final.

Both women received the advantage of getting a bye in the opening round, though it is Ivanovic who has had the more comfortable road so far. The fourth seed was impressive in her second round clash as she beat the dangerous Margarita Gasparyan 7-5 6-2 and recorded another straight sets win as she beat qualifier Kateryna Kozlova 6-1 7-5; the Serbian has played some solid tennis so far. Vinci also started with a straight sets win, easing past the dangerous Yanina Wickmayer 6-2 7-6, though had to come from behind in the decider as she edged Timea Babos 7-6 4-6 7-6; she may need to improve against a confident Ivanovic.

This match is certainly an interesting clash of styles, as Ivanovic’s aggressive play will look to break down Vinci’s slices and drop shots. Former world number one Ivanovic is the more powerful of the two and, if she’s playing well, could overpower the Italian, though can be erratic and must serve well against the experienced Italian. However Ivanovic is confident and that will be key for her chances. Vinci will also need to serve well if Ivanovic is near her best and should look to move Ivanovic around the court; she should look to defend well as she could get the Serbian frustrated in long rallies. However the second seed may be slightly worn out from her long match on Thursday; that could be a disadvantage.

Ivanovic leads the head to head 6-3 and won their last meeting in three sets, back in Carlsbad in 2013. A lot has changed since then and Vinci will still be confident after a strong end to 2015, though Ivanovic is playing slightly better and should edge this.

Prediction: Ivanovic in 3

2016 Australian Open- Madison Keys vs Ana Ivanovic

One of the most interesting third round clashes at the Australian Open this year sees 15th seed Madison Keys take on 20th seed Ana Ivanovic. This match is set to take place on the Rod Laver Arena at 19:00 Melbourne Time (08:00 UK Time) and the winner will face Vavara Lepchenko or qualifier Zhang Shuai in the fourth round.

It is 20th seed Ivanovic who has had the more comfortable road so far. She started against wildcard Tammi Patterson who she eased past in a 6-2 6-3 scoreline, and she was almost as comfortable as she beat qualifier Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 6-3 in the second round; the Serbian star has played some good tennis so far, though she hasn’t faced a strong opponent yet. Keys has had a bit more of a difficult time of it. The American started against the dangerous Zarina Diyas who she beat 7-6 6-1, though then had to come from a set down to beat Yaroslava Shvedova (another Kazahkstani) 6-7 6-3 6-3; against some tricky opponents, she has played some good tennis.

Both women are powerful but Keys is much more powerful than Ivanovic and if the American is at her best she’ll be extremely hard to beat; however she can be erratic, and Ivanovic is capable of taking advantage if the American is making far too many errors. Keys also has the strongest serve of the two and that could be an advantage though, like the rest of her game, can be extremely erratic. It will be interesting to see how Ivanovic plays in her first real test of the tournament though she has played surprisingly well so far, considering her poor build up to the tournament. Ivanovic will need to limit the number of errors she makes, and must also be serving well to have a good chance.

The two have met once before, though that was almost two years ago and on clay (Ivanovic won 6-4 7-6 in Madrid) so will have little relevance in terms of this match. Both have played good tennis so this match should be tight, though it seems that Keys could edge this due to her power and previous tests in tournament.

Prediction: Keys in 3

2015 China Open- Ana Ivanovic vs Timea Bacsinszky

The first Women’s semi-final of the day is of extreme significance, as the loser between 6th seed Ana Ivanovic and 12th seed Timea Bacsinszky will have no chance for qualifying for the WTA Finals in Singapore. The two haven’t met yet this year, so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top of a match that will start, at the earliest, at 14:30 Beijing Time (07:30 UK Time). Here is my prediction!

This season hasn’t hit the heights of 2014 for Ana Ivanovic, though she has played some good tennis so far in Beijing. She started with a convincing 6-4 6-0 win over Casey Dellacqua and backed that up with a 7-6 6-2 win over Wuhan champion Venus Williams. She then had her most difficult match as she battled past Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5 4-6 6-2, though she had a more comfortable quarter-final against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, winning 6-3 7-5. Ivanovic has played some good tennis so far- it will be hard to beat her.

It has been a much more difficult road for Bacsinszky to get to this stage. She had to come from a set down to beat Camila Giorgi 1-6 6-4 6-3 in her opening match, and then had her most comfortable performance as she saw off Marina Duque-Marino 7-5 6-2. She had an extremely tough 3rd round against 7th seed Carla Suarez Navarro, eventually prevailing 6-4 4-6 7-5 before coming from 0-6 0-2 down to beat Sara Errani 0-6 6-3 7-5 in the quarter-final. She has had to fight to get to this stage- will she be worn out?

Whilst they haven’t played this year, they have played twice before- Ivanovic has won both, though they came before Bacsinszky’s surge to the top twenty this year. For Ivanovic it is important that she continues to attack quickly and frequently, as she cannot allow Bacsinszky to get in the rallies. Bacsinszky herself may be worn out, but she must try to stay in the rallies and as a natural defender must frustrate Ivanovic at every opportunity.

Though it hard to tell what will happen with this match, it could come down to how much energy both women have. If that is the case, it should be Ivanovic who comes through this one.

Prediction: Ivanovic in 3

2015 China Open- Women’s Quarter-Finals

Eight women are left standing in Beijing, with many chasing valuable points in the Road To Singapore. It should be a great day, with many surprise names in action as well as a few bigger names- here are my predictions!

Timea Bacsinszky vs Sara Errani

12th seed Timea Bacsinszky and Sara Errani start action the Lotus Court in a match that will see the loser fall out of contention for Singapore. Bacsinszky has been one of the biggest stories this year, rising over 30 places, though she had a six match losing streak coming into this. She has beaten Camila Giorgi, Marina Duque-Marino and 7th seed Carla Suarez Navarro so far and will be a dangerous player with the confidence she has. Errani has had another consistent year and caused a massive upset in the 1st round, beating 2nd seed Petra Kvitova, and has backed that up with tight victories over Caroline Garcia and 13th seed Andrea Petkovic. Neither women is particularly powerful and with both being good defenders we could have a long match- like their one in Monterrey, which Bacsinszky won in 3 sets. Bacsinszky will be tough to beat with so much confidence, though I’d back Errani to tough this out.

Prediction: Errani in 3

Agnieszka Radwanska vs Angelique Kerber

Arguably the most intriguing women’s quarter-final sees 4th seed Agnieszka Radwanska face 10th seed Angelique Kerber in the 2nd match on the National Tennis Stadium- both women look good for Singapore, though would love to win here to make it even more difficult for others to qualify. Kerber has been playing good tennis of late, and after her bye in the 1st round (following her last 4 appearance in Wuhan) she has put in two comfortable performances against Dominika Cibulkova and 8th seed Caroline Wozniacki. Radwanska, meanwhile, had a tricky 2nd round match against Mona Barthel which she won in three sets though has benefited from the retirements of both Coco Vandeweghe and Madison Keys to get to this stage- have we seen her real form yet? The head to head is tied at 5-5, with Kerber winning their last match in a thrilling 3 sets in Standford, and we should get another tight match here. Based on her current form, it is hard to bet against Kerber to take this one.

Prediction: Kerber in 3

Ana Ivanovic vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

6th seed Ana Ivanovic needs to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to keep her hopes alive of making Singapore. Ivanovic’s 2015 season has failed to live up to the heights of 2014, though she started well here with impressive wins over Casey Dellacqua and Venus Williams. She did however have to work hard to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in the 3rd in the night session- will that have taken much out of her? Pavlyuchenkova caused an upset in the 3rd round, coming from a set down to beat 3rd seed Flavia Pennetta, and also caused and upset in the 2nd round with another 3 set win over 16th seed Elina Svitolina- before that she beat Julia Gorges in straight sets. Whilst Pavlyuchenkova is erratic at her best she could beat Ivanovic, though the fact that Ivanovic leads the head to head 6-1 and Pavlyuchenkova’s only win was from Ivanovic retiring suggests she would have to play a flawless match to beat the Serb. Whilst this is possible, Ivanovic should have enough for this one.

Prediction: Ivanovic in 3

Bethanie Mattek-Sands vs Garbine Muguruza

Two women who will be full of confidence coming into this face off as qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands faces 5th seed and newly-qualified WTA Finalist Garbine Muguruza. The Spaniard qualified for Singapore with her three set win over the tricky Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, but stormed past Irina Falconi in her 2nd round match following an impressive run to the final in Wuhan. Bethanie Mattek-Sands would have gained some confidence by coming through via qualifying, and would have got even more confidence following wins over Alize Cornet, Lara Arruabarrena and then the inform 15th seed Roberta Vinci. The two have never played before so we can’t look at previous results to guess a winner, though based on current form it is hard to go against another strong Muguruza performance.

Prediction: Muguruza in 2

2015 China Open- Day 6 Women’s Picks

The 3rd round action concludes for the women today at the China Open in Beijing, with many big names in action. It should be an exciting day- here are three of my predictions!

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Flavia Pennetta

3rd seed Flavia Pennetta looks to continue her push for the WTA Finals as she faces the tricky Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the 2nd match on Lotus Court. Pennetta hasn’t been amazingly convincing so far, but has done enough to see both Han Xinyun and Teliana Pereira in 3 sets and could be dangerous after getting some matches behind here. Pavlyuchenkova is extremely erratic but has played well so far, easing past Julia Gorges in her 1st round match and backing that up with a three set upset of 16th seed Elina Svitolina. Pavlyuchenkova is certainly talented and has the capability to beat Pennetta, though is extremely inconsistent and Pennetta will be confident after winning the US Open. Pennetta has won both previous meetings between the two and though they haven’t played since 2011, the Italian should just edge this one.

Prediction: Pennetta in 3

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni vs Garbine Muguruza

5th seed Garbine Muguruza will qualify for the WTA Finals if she is able to beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the 3rd match on Lotus Court. Muguruza has seemingly recovered well from the ankle problem she had in the latter stages in Wuhan, cruising past Irina Falconi in the 2nd round after receiving a 1st round bye. Lucic-Baroni worked hard to upset Irina-Camelia Begu in 3 sets in the 1st round and will be well rested after Belinda Bencic withdrew from their 2nd round match. However Baroni has not played well of late, slipping to 80th in the world, and it will be hard for her to beat a confident Muguruza. The head to head between the two is 1-1 with Muguruza winning their last meeting in 3 sets at Wimbledon, though it should be much more comfortable for Muguruza today.

Prediction: Muguruza in 2

Ana Ivanovic vs Svetlana Kuznetsova

Two grand slam champions face off as 6th seed Ana Ivanovic takes on Svetlana Kuznetsova in the opening match of the night session. Ivanovic has had an up and down year but has played well so far, cruising past Casey Dellacqua in the 1st round before easing past Venus Williams in the 2nd round. Kuznetsova also got off to a good start, easing past Carina Witthoeft, but had to work hard to beat Sloane Stephens the other day. Ivanovic is playing well at this tournament, and will be very confident considering she has a 10-3 head to head record against Kuznetsova. The Russian has proven she is still capable of a big performance, though Ivanovic should have too much for her.

Prediction: Ivanovic in 2

Also in action

The only other singles match taking place sees qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands take on 15th seed Roberta Vinci. Several doubles matches are also taking place- pairs in action include Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza, Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic and Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova.

2015 China Open- Women’s Day 4 Predictions

The 2nd round action continues to for the women, with many of big stars left still in action. It should be a great day- here are three of my predictions.

Andrea Petkovic vs Sam Stosur

13th seed Andrea Petkovic faces a difficult 2nd round match against Sam Stosur in the 3rd match on Moon Court. Petkovic may benefit from an early finish on monday, following the retirement of Eugenie Bouchard, though Stosur was impressive in her win over Monica Niculescu yesterday. This is the first time the two have played on the WTA tour- they have played three times in the Fed Cup, with Petkovic leading the head to head 2-1- and it should be a competitive match. It should be tight, though Petkovic should have enough to see off Stosur and her kick serve.

Prediction: Petkovic in 3

Angelique Kerber vs Dominika Cibulkova

10th seed Angelique Kerber should have a tricky match against the resurgent Dominika Cibulkova in the 3rd match on Lotus Court. Kerber has been in strong form the past few months and should have recovered in time after reaching the semi-finals in Wuhan, benefiting from a bye here. Cibulkova had to overcome Jelena Jankovic in a tricky opening match, though she is playing good tennis after months out with injury earlier this year. Cibulkova leads the head to head 4-3, though Kerber has one the past 3 meetings between the two and on current form, she should have enough for this one.

Prediction: Kerber in 3

Ana Ivanovic vs Venus Williams

A blockbuster match begins the night session on the National Tennis Stadium as 6th seed Ana Ivanovic takes on Wuhan champion Venus Williams. The American received a bye in the 1st round, following her run to the title in Wuhan, though she may be tired and it will be interesting to see if she’s coped with the turnaround. Whilst Ivanovic has had an average year  overall, she was very impressive in the 1st round against Casey Dellacqua and will be confident after that result. Williams has dominated the head to head, leading 9-2, though I think Ivanovic will take this one.

Prediction: Ivanovic in 3

Also in action

8th seed Caroline Wozniacki starts action on the National Tennis Stadium against Qiang Wang, whilst US Open champion Flavia Pennetta faces Teliana Pereira on the Lotus Court. Carolina Garcia faces Sara Errani whilst Marina Duque-Marino faces 12th seed Timea Bacsinszky and Lara Arruabarrena takes on Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

2015 Wuhan Open- Day 4 Predictions

16 women are left in Wuhan, with only 8 players able to make the quarter-finals. It should be an exciting day, with many big names in action as well as some surprise players- here are my predictions for today!

Garbine Muguruza vs Ana Ivanovic

A very interesting match kicks off action on Centre Court, with 5th seed Garbine Muguruza facing 9th seed Ana Ivanovic. Muguruza will be confident coming into this, following arguably her best performance of the year in a 6-2 6-0 drubbing of Sloane Stephens, and having had a bye in the 1st round she’ll still have lots of energy. Ivanovic hasn’t had the advantage of a 1st round bye, but has cruised past Alexandra Dulgheru and Madison Brengle and is playing good tennis after a widely disappointing year. The two have never played before so it is hard what to expect, but with Muguruza being more powerful it could come down to whether she makes more winners or more unforced errors. It should be tight, but I think Muguruza will take this one.

Prediction: Muguruza in 3

Elina Svitolina vs Karolina Pliskova

Two rising stars face off here as 12th seed Elina Svitolina faces 8th seed Karolina Pliskova. It’s been a great year overall for Pliskova though she hasn’t played her best tennis the past few weeks and had a tough battle against Mirjana Lucic-Baroni on monday, edging it in 3 sets. Unlike Pliskova, Svitolina has had to play two matches but has seen off Daniela Hantuchova and Vavara Lepchenko with relative ease- will playing two matches take much out of her? Pliskova leads the head to head 2-0, though they haven’t played since last year. Based on current form, Svitolina should take this.

Prediction: Svitolina in 2

Petra Kvitova vs Roberta Vinci

Defending champion and 3rd seed Petra Kvitova has a difficult 3rd round match against 15th seed Roberta Vinci, who will be confident after reaching the US Open final and winning her opening matches here. Vinci had to work to beat Danka Kovinic in 3 sets in the 1st round, but then put in an impressive performance as she eased past Irina-Camelia Begu. Kvitova received a bye in the 1st round but had to battle past Daria Gavrilova, and will be looking for a much better performance against the veteran Italian. Whilst Kvitova is much more powerful than Vinci, the Italian has a tricky game to play against and could frustrate Kvitova. The head to head is close, with Kvitova leading 3-2, and the Czech star won their last meeting 7-6 6-4 in Beijing last year. It may be tight, but Kvitova should have enough for this one.

Also in action

Simona Halep takes on qualifier Johanna Konta in the night session, whilst Angelique Kerber concludes action on Centre Court against Camila Giorgia. Venus Williams plays Carla Suarez Navarro, whilst Anna Karolina Schmiedlova takes on Kiki Mladenovic and Coco Vandeweghe faces Barbora Strycova.

2015 US Open- Day 1 Women’s Picks

The final major of the year is finally here, and already on the 1st day there are some very intriguing matches taking place on the women’s side. I did predict three matches for today, but unfortunately Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the tournament and I did make a prediction for her match against Daria Gavrilova. Here are my two predictions for today!

Eugenie Bouchard vs Alison Riske

Eugenie Bouchard will be looking to finally pick up some form this year at the US Open, though has a very difficult 1st round match against Alison Riske. Bouchard has been in awful form this year, falling from 5th to 25th in the world and lost in the 1st round at the French Open and Wimbledon this year. There were some signs of improvement in Cincinnati but she then slumped to a dismal loss to Roberta Vinci in New Haven, winning just 1 game. Riske also one just two games in her loss to Caroline Wozniacki, but had a stronger few tournaments before that- she pushed Elina Svitolina to three sets twice and beat players like Carla Suarez Navarro and Timea Bacsinszky. Bouchard has won their past 4 meetings, including a straight sets win in Eastbourne earlier this year, but has struggled for consistency and the crowd will be fully behind Riske in this match. It could be tight, but Riske could edge this match today.

Prediction: Riske in 3

Ana Ivanovic vs Dominika Cibulkova

Ana Ivanovic showed some signs of better form in Cincinnati but doesn’t have the easiest opening match against Dominika Cibulkova, which starts action on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Ivanovic has been in generally poor form this year but pushed Serena Williams in the Cincinnati quarter-finals a few weeks ago. Cibulkova has missed several months due to injury this year and is out of the top 50, but had two tough victories last week in New Haven and then pushed eventual finalist Lucie Safarova to a third set. The head to head is 2-2 with Ivanovic having won the last two times they’ve played, and if she is near her best Cibulkova will probably have little chance later today. However Ivanovic has not been great this year and Cibulkova will have an opportunity if the former world No. 1 is in poor form. It could be tough, though the better form and fitness of Ivanovic should help her win this one.

Prediction: Ivanovic in 2

Also in action

Top seed Serena Williams will be looking to get her quest to complete the Calendar Grand Slam to a good start against Vitalia Diatchenko, whilst former champion and 30th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova has a tough match against Kiki Mladenovic. 29th seed Sloane Stephens has a difficult match against Coco Vandeweghe, whilst other seeds in action include Madison Keys, Agnieszka Radwanska, Belinda Bencic, Venus Williams, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina, Ekaterina Makarova, Carla Suarez Navarro and Jelena Jankovic.

W&S Open- Women’s Quarter-Finals

Only eight women are left standing in Cincinnati, with a combination of big names and surprise packages making up the final eight- It should be exciting! Here are my predictions!

Serena Williams vs Ana Ivanovic

The only section that has gone with the seedings sees a rematch of the final last year, as top seed Serena Williams faces 6th seed Ana Ivanovic. Serena Williams had a tough two-setter against Tsvetana Pironkova in her second round match, but was in imperious form yesterday as she crushed Karin Knapp in less than an hour, for the loss of two games. Like Williams, Ivanovic received a bye in the first round but didn’t play a second round match as Venus Williams withdrew before the match. Ivanovic saw off Sloane Stephens in a strange three set match yesterday, and will need to be in much better form if she wants to beat Williams. Ivanovic has been in pretty average form this year, and may need to rely on a poor performance from Serena. If Serena is at her best tomorrow, it seems unlikely she’ll lose.

Prediction: Serena in 2

Elina Svitolina vs Lucie Safarova

Both 14th seed Elina Svitolina and 7th seed Lucie Safarova have a great opportunity to reach the semi-finals as they face off on Grandstand. Svitolina has been in good form this year and after battling past Alison Riske in 3 sets, she has impressively seen off Eugenie Bouchard and Caroline Garcia in straight sets. Safarova saw off Coco Vandeweghe in two tight sets in the second round, before benefiting from the retirement of Belinda Bencic after winning the first set. Safarova hasn’t been in great form since the French Open, and with the form Svitolina has been in this year it seems that the Ukranian will get her second win over the 7th seed.

Prediction: Svitolina in 3

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Simona Halep

Simona Halep has a great opportunity here, as she faces Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a part of the draw where she is the only seed left. It’s not been easy so far for the 3rd seeded Halep, battling past Kiki Mladenovic and Andrea Petkovic in three sets. Pavlyuchenkova also had to battle in her first two matches, edging past Roberta Vinci and Yaroslava Shvedova in three sets before benefiting from the retirement of Victoria Azarenka yesterday after losing the first set 6-1. Pavlyuchenkova hasn’t played particularly well so far and has never beaten Halep in four previous meetings; on current form, it seems unlikely that will change.

Prediction: Halep in 2

Jelena Jankovic vs Anna Karolina Schmiedlova

There will be a surprise semi-finalist from the bottom quarter of the draw as the unseeded Jelena Jankovic faces Qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Former world No.1 Jankovic has had to work hard so far, battling past Madison Brengle in 3 sets before seeing off Madison Keys in two tight sets and then came from 2-5* down in the final set against Karolina Pliskova, winning the decider 7-5. Schmiedlova beat 13th seed Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets in the first round and then cruised past Irina-Camelia Begu though she then, like Jankovic, came from a double break down in the final set to beat Vavara Lepchenko. Jankovic certainly has the experience and if she is counterpunching well, she will have a good chance to win this match. However Schmiedlova, who has won two titles this year and is one of the leading rising stars on the WTA tour, has a powerful game and could overwhelm the Serb. Both have played two three-set matches, but Jankovic has had to work the most and that could count against her here.

Prediction; Schmiedlova in 3