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 BNP Paribas Open- Eugenie Bouchard vs Timea Bacsinszky

The resurgent Eugenie Bouchard looks to continue her good form as she faces the tricky 12th seed Timea Bacsinszky in the third round at the BNP Paribas Open. This is scheduled to be the third match on Stadium 1, taking place at around 15:00 California Time (22:00 UK Time) and the winner will face Daria Kasatkina or Monica Puig in the fourth round.

Unseeded Bouchard didn’t get off to the easiest start in Indian Wells, though recovered from a slow start to beat Japanese qualifier Rita Ozaki 2-6 6-4 6-2. Her second round performance was much more impressive as she beat 21st seed Sloane Stephens 7-5 7-5 in a good performance; the Canadian has played well this year, and will be confident coming into this clash. It hasn’t been the best year for Bacsinszky but she has had an advantage of receiving a bye in the first round (extra rest could be key) and was extremely impressive in a 6-2 6-1 win over Tsvetana Pironkova in the second round; she will be fairly confident coming into this.

Bouchard has played some good tennis this year, but must be careful to not make too many errors against Bacsinszky, who is a good defender and could frustrate the Canadian. The former Wimbledon finalist should look to serve well and try to dictate as many points as possible; she should also look to attack Bacsinszky’s game as much as possible, as she is much more powerful than the 12th seed. Bacsinszky should look to serve well and keep Bouchard moving around the court, as the Canadian is not yet the best mover. The Swiss star should also look to defend well and get Bouchard frustrated, as well as varying her game to keep the Canadian guessing.

This will be the first meeting between the two, so it will be interesting to see who is better at adapting to their opponent’s game. Though Bacsinszky is the high ranked of the two, Bouchard is arguably the favourite based on form, and the Canadian should be able to win this; it could be fairly comfortable if she plays well.

Prediction: Bouchard in 2

2016 BNP Paribas Open- Sloane Stephens vs Eugenie Bouchard

Arguably the most interesting match of the day at the BNP Paribas Open sees 21st seed Sloane Stephens take on Eugenie Bouchard, in a match between two of the most talented young stars on the tour. This match is scheduled to be the fourth match on Centre Court, taking place at around 17:00 California Time (01:00 UK Time), and the winner will face Tsevtana Pironkova or 12th seed Timea Bacsinszky in the third round.

Stephens, as a seeded player, hasn’t had to play in Indian Wells this week. She will be well-rested after a run to the title in Acapulco and, as the only woman to have won multiple WTA titles this year, will be feeling fairly confident coming into this clash. Bouchard has also had a decent year so far, but was pushed more than expected in her opening round clash as she lost the first set to Japanese qualifier Rita Ozaki, before winning 2-6 6-4 6-2; she’ll need to get off to a better start against the American.

Arguably the biggest key to this match will be serving. Both are good servers, but neither are exceptional servers and can be prone to bad days; the person who serves better here could have a big advantage in this match. One advantage Stephens has is that she has had a rest, though she will need to defend well against Bouchard, who has been attacking well of late, and will need to try and dictate play as much as possible- especially on her extremely strong forehand. Bouchard must look to attack as often as she can and, just like Stephens will need to do against here, defend well when Stephens is attacking; one of the reasons why this match is so interesting is the similar styles of both women.

Stephens leads the head to head 2-1, though the two haven’t played since 2013 and a lot has changed since then. Hopefully there will be a lot of high quality tennis and it should be an extremely tight match, though it seems that Stephens, with some more rest and slightly better tennis so far this years, will edge this.

Prediction: Stephens in 3

2016 BMW Malaysian Open- Eugenie Bouchard vs Naomi Broady

Two players who have had strong weeks so far in Kuala Lumpur face off in an interesting semi-final, with 6th seed Eugenie Bouchard taking on Naomi Broady for a place in the BMW Malaysian Open final. This match is set to take place at around 16:30 Kuala Lumpur Time (08:30 UK Time) and the winner will face Lin Zhu or 2nd seed Elina Svitolina in the final.

It is Bouchard who has had the most comfortable road to the semi-final, with the Canadian not dropping a set in comfortable wins over Ling Zhang, Kurumi Nara and Cagla Buyukakcay; she’ll be hard to beat playing like that, though Broady is arguably a more dangerous opponent. The Brit recorded a straight sets win in the second round against Zhoaxuan Yang, but has had tough three set wins against Klara Koukalova and 3rd seed Sabine Lisicki; they were still good performances, but she may have less energy than Bouchard.

Arguably the biggest weapon on court will be Broady’s serve. The Brit has been serving well so far and should look to continue that against Bouchard, whose returning can be erratic. Bouchard will also need to serve extremely well considering she will probably get less free points than Broady will, though the Canadian probably has the stronger game overall and will be difficult to beat if she continues to play like she has; she has been more consistent this year, which is certainly a positive for her. Both can be error prone if they are playing badly; keeping errors to a limit could well be key for this match.

The two have met once before with Bouchard winning in three sets; the fact that that match took place back in 2012 means it will probably have little impact on this clash. Both women have played well this week and will be confident though Bouchard has played better overall and with Broady having to spend longer on court, the Canadian should be able to edge this.

Prediction: Bouchard in 3

2016 BMW Malaysian Open- Kurumi Nara vs Eugenie Bouchard

The top section of the BMW Malaysian Open draw is more open following the loss of top seed Roberta Vinci, and Kurumi Nara and 6th seed Eugenie Bouchard face off for the chance to progress in this section. This match takes place on Centre Court at any time after 16:00 Kuala Lumpur Time (08:00 UK Time) and the winner will face Kai-chen Chang or Cagla Buyukakcay in the quarter-finals.

The two couldn’t have a different start to the tournament. 6th seed Bouchard, who has shown some promising form this year, showed that she is capable of rising up the rankings again as she stormed past Ling Zhang for the loss of just four games; she will be difficult to face in that form. Things were much more difficult for Nara as she had to save match points as she battled past Daniela Hantuchova in the longest WTA tour match so far in 2016; it will be interesting to see how her body has recovered after that.

One clear advantage that Bouchard has is her power and physicality; she is also much taller than Nara, which could be an advantage. The Canadian also arguably has the stronger game when near her best, but can still be erratic and extremely error prone; those problems have caused to lose to players with less skill than Nara in the past year. The Japanese star may need to rely on some poor play from Bouchard, but must play some solid tennis. Her serve will also be important, as Bouchard could easily attack it if is weak. How much energy Nara has left from her exhausting match on Monday could also be key.

Bouchard won their only previous meeting comfortably, conceding just four games in a win back in Osaka in 2013. The Canadian is the heavy favourite for this match and whilst Nara has a solid game, Bouchard played well in her opening match and should be able to win comfortably if she keeps that up.

Prediction: Bouchard in 2

2016 Australian Open- Agnieszka Radwanska vs Eugenie Bouchard

An extremely interesting second round clash at the Australian Open sees 4th seed Agnieszka Radwanska take on the resurgent Eugenie Bouchard. This match will take place on the Rod Laver Arena at around 19:00 Melbourne Time (08:00 UK Time) and the winner will face either Monica Puig or Krystina Pliskova in the third round.

Both women have been impressive so far this year and in their opening matches in Melbourne. Radwanska won the title in Shenzhen and, after withdrawing from Sydney, eased past Christina Mchale in the opening round; she is yet to lose a set this year. Bouchard began the year by reaching the quarter-finals in Shenzhen and the reached the final in Hobart; despite not playing well in that match, the Canadian was fairly comfortable in the opening round here as she beat Aleksandra Krunic is straight sets.

This match sees an interesting clash of styles between the power and aggression of Bouchard against the tricky and delicate play of Radwanska. The Pole is less powerful than Bouchard and is less aggressive, but her game of drop shots is difficult to play against and her defense is capable of keeping her in rallies against the Canadian. Radwanska is also a strong server; something that will certainly help her chances. Bouchard is powerful and her recent form has some encouraging signs for her 2016 season, though she can be erratic and may not have the consistency to beat Radwanska. She can also be inconsistent when serving and Radwanska has the skill to take advantage of that, though Bouchard can serve well on a good day.

Radwanska won their only previous meeting; the fact that that match was almost two years ago and on clay suggests that will not be a factor. Whilst Bouchard is playing well and could have a chance here, Radwanska has been in very good form of late and will be hard to beat here. Radwanska should win this and it may be comfortable, though Bouchard will put up a strong fight.

Prediction: Radwanska in 2

2016 Hobart International- Alize Cornet vs Eugenie Bouchard

There is an interesting final at the Hobart International on Saturday as 7th seed Alize Cornet faces Eugenie Bouchard. This match is set to take place at any time after 14:00 Hobart Time (03:00 UK Time).

Bouchard has seemingly turned her 2015 form around and has been fairly comfortable here, recording straight sets wins over Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 8th seed Alison Van Uytvanck and 2nd seed Camila Giorgi before battling past 3rd seed Dominika Cibulkova in three sets to make the final. Meanwhile it has been a strange road for Cornet. She started off with a straight sets win over Denisa Allertova and was then pushed to three sets by Veronica Cepede Royg, though received a walkover into the quarter-final after 9th seed Mona Barthel withdrew; following this she cruised past Johanna Larsson to reach the final.

Both women can be erratic, so it will be interesting to see if they are below their best tomorrow. Bouchard has played the better tennis at this tournament so far but can struggle on serve, and Cornet is usually able to raise her game when playing some of the more high profile names on tour. However Cornet’s game must be very good to combat Bouchard’s power.

Bouchard leads the head to head 2-1, winning their last match back in 2014 in straight sets. The Canadian is the more powerful of the two and through she can be erratic, should be able to edge this match and get her comeback off to a strong start. However, Cornet is capable of making this tight.

Prediction: Bouchard in 3

 

2016 Hobart International- Dominika Cibulkova vs Eugenie Bouchard

Two high-profile WTA stars face off in the first Hobart semi-final as 3rd seed Dominika Cibulkova takes on Eugenie Bouchard in an interesting match up. This match will take place at any time after 14:30 Hobart Time (03:30 UK Time).

It has been a comfortable road for both women so far. Cibulkova started with a tough straight sets win over Johanna Konta, though then cruised past Kimberly Birrell (losing just one game) and eased past Kiki Bertens in the quarter-finals. Bouchard started with a comfortable win over Bethanie Mattek-Sands but then had a tighter straight sets win over Alison Van Uytvanck, though was comfortable again versus second seed Camila Giorgi.

Both women are generally aggressive and can be prone to errors, so this could well be a scrappy match; however if both are playing well it could be exciting. Bouchard is probably the more powerful of the two and that could be an advantage; she is also playing confident tennis again after a disappointing 2015 on many levels. Despite this, Cibulkova is more experienced and is good at turning defense into attack.

Bouchard leads the head to head 1-0; their only meeting was a thrilling match won by the Canadian in three sets. Both are playing well in Hobart, so it could be tight, but I think that Bouchard will have too much power for Cibulkova and will edge this.

Prediction: Bouchard in 3

2015 China Open- Day 3 Women’s Picks

The action continues in Beijing this week and with top seed Simona Halep and 2nd seed Petra Kvitova already out, there is certainly a good opportunity for other stars- here are three of my predictions!

Sam Stosur vs Monica Niculescu

One of the final 1st round matches takes place between Sam Stosur and Monica Niculescu, which opens action on the Moon Court. Stosur will be well rested following an early loss in Wuhan, whilst Nicelescu may be affected by the quick turnaround after she reached the doubles at the same tournament. This one will certainly be a contrast of styles, with Stosur going out for all-out power whilst Niculescu uses slices and drop shots to try to outwit her opponents. So far Niculescu has had very little success with this style against Stosur, who leads their head to head 6-0. It could be tight on current form, but Stosur should come through

Prediction: Stosur in 3

Andrea Petkovic vs Eugenie Bouchard

Another one of the final 1st round clashes sees an extremely interesting match takes place between 13th seed Andrea Petkovic and Eugenie Bouchard on the National Tennis Stadium. The Canadian, who has slumped this year, hasn’t played since the US Open due to concussion and it is hard to tell how well Bouchard will play. It’s been a consistent year for Petkovic, though it hasn’t been amazing, and it will be interesting to see how she plays today. Petkovic leads the head to head 3-1 with Bouchard wining their last meeting at Wimbledon last year, though Bouchard is not near that form at the moment. This match is extremely hard to predict, though based on the current situation it seems that Petkovic will edge this one.

Petkovic in 3

Svetlana Kuznetsova vs Sloane Stephens

A battle of experience against youth ends the action in Beijing as Svetlana Kuznetsova faces Sloane Stephens in a 2nd round match on the National Tennis Stadium. Both women were fairly comfortable in the opening round, with Kuznetsova easing past Carina Witthoeft whilst Stephens cruised past 9th seed Karolina Pliskova. Both women have had similar years- Stephens, at 30th, is just one place above Kuznetsova in the rankings- though it is Stephens who has picked up a title (in Washington) and won the previous meeting between the two, at Indian Wells, earlier this year. Whilst both women can be erratic, it should be Stephens who comes through this one.

Prediction: Stephens in 2

Also in action

Two more first round matches take place, with 11th seed Belinda Bencic facing Madison Brengle and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni facing Irina-Camelia Begu. 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Mona Barthel, whilst 16th seed Elina Svitolina faces Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and 15th seed Roberta Vinci facing Alison Van Uytvanck. 7th seed Carla Suarez Navarro faces Monica Puig whilst Kateryna Bondarenko faces 14th seed Madison Keys.

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2015 Wuhan Open- Day 2 Predictions

The second day of action at the Wuhan open sees some cracking matches, with many big names in action and some intriguing matches taking place- here are three of my predictions!

Sara Errani vs Caroline Garcia

16th seed Sara Errani has a very tricky opener against the talented Caroline Garcia. The young Frenchwoman hasn’t been in great form recently but leads the head to head 2-1, with wins over Errani in Madrid and at Wimbledon last year. Errani did, however, beat Garcia in the Fed Cup earlier this year and has had another consistent year overall, highlighted by a title in Rio. Errani will give it her all, as usual, and will not make life easy for Garcia, though I think the young Frenchwoman will pull off the upset here.

Prediction: Garcia in 3

Eugenie Bouchard vs Belinda Bencic

Has Eugenie Bouchard fully recovered from her concussion? Lots of people will be interested to see how she is, and she has a very tricky return against one of the stars of the year, 11th seed Belinda Bencic. Bouchard has slumped this year and has to defend final points from this tournament, though she showed some promise during the American hard court season and pushed Bencic to three sets in Toronto- the only completed meeting between the two. Bencic may struggle with the turn around from being in the Tokyo final, though if she is fit she should win this one and with some ease.

Prediction: Bencic in 2

Agnieszka Radwanska vs Venus Williams

Two players with a very different style of tennis face off as the 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska faces Venus Williams in a battle between two of the biggest names on the WTA Tour. Radwanska will be confident coming into Wuhan, capping off her resurgence in the past few months with her first title of the year in Tokyo, though she may struggle with the quick turnaround. Williams leads the head to head 7-4 and has won both times they have played this year in 3 sets, though it has been a consistently inconsistent year for her. Radwanska may struggle with the turnaround, though if she is near her best she should edge this one.

Prediction: Radwanska in 3

Also in action

Maria Sharapova plays for the first time since Wimbledon and faces a potentially tricky match against Barbora Strycova. Guangzhou champion Jelena Jankovic takes on Heather Watson, whilst fellow Serbian Ana Ivanovic faces Alexandra Dulgheru. Other interesting matches include Alison Riske vs Sloane Stephens, Mirjana Lucic-Baroni vs Karolina Pliskova and Madison Brengle vs Dominika Cibulkova, whilst US Open finalist Roberta Vinci begins against Danka Kovinic.