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 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

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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W&S Open- Thursday Women’s Predictions

There are some intriguing third round matches on the women’s side, with many of the big names in action. It should be exciting- here are three of my predictions!

Lucie Safarova vs Belinda Bencic

Belinda Bencic will be looking to increase her winning streak to nine as she faces 7th seed Lucie Safarova first on Center today in an intriguing match up. Their only previous meeting was a tight three setter in Tokyo, which Safarova edged, but both have improved greatly since then. Safarova, who reached the French Open final in June, edged past Coco Vandeweghe in two sets in her only match so far whilst Bencic has seen off both 11th seed Angelique Kerber and Flavia Pennetta in straight sets so far. On current form Bencic would probably win this match, though she has played lots of matches recently and it will be interesting to see if she will be affected physically. Safarova can beat almost anyone when she is at her best, but hasn’t been in great form lately and if Bencic is playing well it looks likely the new Swiss No. 1 will win.

Prediction: Bencic in 2

Sloane Stephens vs Ana Ivanovic

The crowd on Stadium 3 will have a treat this evening as the resurgent Sloane Stephens faces 6th seed Ana Ivanovic. Stephens won her first title in Washington two weeks ago and cruised past 10th seed Carla Suarez Navarro in the first round, though she had to battle past qualifier Mona Barthel in three sets yesterday. Ivanovic hasn’t been in great form this year, but it’s hard to tell how she’ll play today as after she received a bye in the first round, Venus Williams withdrew from their second round clash. Ivanovic leads the head to head 2-1, but Stephens won their last meeting at Indian Wells last year and is playing great tennis under Nick Saviano. There could well be an upset here.

Prediction: Stephens in 3

Karolina Pliskova vs Jelena Jankovic

There is an interesting battle on Grandstand today, as 7th seed and rising star Karolina Pliskova faces former world No.1 and veteran Jelena Jankovic today. Pliskova has had a great year overall but lost early in Toronto last year and didn’t have an easy win against Timea Babos yesterday, though she did come through in straight sets. Jankovic has also had a tricky road so far, battling past Madison Brengle in three sets before seeing off Madison Keys in two tight sets yesterday. Pliskova has played the better tennis this year and ,when playing well, makes few errors. However Jankovic is a counterpuncher and could frustrate Pliskova, considering her slight pick up in form recently. However, based on form overall, it seems Pliskova will win this match.

Prediction: Pliskova in 3

Also in action

Serena Williams continues her campaign against Karin Knapp, whilst Simona Halep faces 15th seed Andrea Petkovic on Grandstand. Caroline Garcia faces 14th seed Elina Svitolina in a battle of rising stars, whilst Victoria Azarenka plays Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova faces Vavara Lepchenko.

Western and Southern Open- Tuesday Women’s Predictions

The action is beginning to heat up in the women’s singles today, as many of the big names play and there are also many interesting matches taking place- it should be exciting! Here are my predictions!

Carla Suarez Navarro vs Sloane Stephens

The home crowd could have a home winner in the first match on Center today, as Sloane Stephens faces the out-of-form 10th seed Carla Suarez Navarro. Stephens lost early to Dominika Cibulkova in the Rogers Cup last week, but won a long overdue first career title in Washington a few days before and once again under the coaching of Nick Saviano, she has recovered from a poor 2014 to get back to 30th in the world. Suarez Navarro was having a great year up to Rome, where she reached the final, but has only won 4 matches since then and is on 5 match losing streak. She needs some confidence back but has a nightmare draw against someone who will be full of confidence after a solid few months. Stephens will have the crowd behind her and against someone who is not playing well, she should pull off the win.

Prediction: Stephens in 2

Angelique Kerber vs Belinda Bencic

This is arguably the most interesting match of the day in Cincinnati, as world No. 11 Kerber faces world No. 12 Bencic. After a disappointing start to the year, Kerber has won four Premier-Level titles and is now 4th in the Road to Singapore. Bencic has also had an amazing year, winning Eastbourne and then beating 6 grand slam finalists on her way to the Rogers Cup title. Last week would have been exhausting, physically and mentally, for Bencic and it will be interesting to see how she can play today. Kerber lost in the 3rd round to Simona Halep last week so will be more rested, but Bencic did win their only previous meeting at the US Open last year in straight sets. It promises to be extremely close, but those few extra days rest may help the German today.

Prediction: Kerber in 3

Venus Williams vs Ana Ivanovic

The crowd win have a treat on Tuesday evening in Cincinnati as Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic- two former world No. 1’s- face off in a second round clash. Williams has the obvious advantage here, leading the head to head 9-2, and came through 7-6 6-4 against a tough Zarina Diyas. Ivanovic hasn’t had a great year, not winning a title and lacking consistency, but Williams has also been erratic and has played a few bad matches this year. Ivanovic will be hard to beat if she is at her best, though it seems this match will be on Williams’ racket; if she plays well she will win but if she doesn’t Ivanovic will probably come away with the victory.

Prediction: Williams in 3

Also in action

Victoria Azarenka starts her campaign against American Lauren Davis, whilst Agnieszka Radwanska may have a tricky match against qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Another qualifier, Kateryna Bondarenko, has real opportunity against the struggling Eugenie Bouchard whilst Sara Errani will also have a difficult match against Daria Gavrilova. Sabine Lisicki and Caroline Garcia face off for the chance to play Petra Kvitova in the second round.

2015 Citi Open- Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Sloane Stephens

The crowd in Washington have a surprise final as two unseeded players face off for the title. American Sloane Stephens is looking for her first career title in her first final, whilst Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is looking for her 8th career title.

Both women have been playing good tennis this week, but both have also been fortunate at certain stages. Pavlyuchenkova saw off two-time champion Magdalena Rybarikova and 3rd seed Belinda Bencic in straight sets before battling past Christina Mchale in the quarter finals, before getting to the final after top seed and fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova retired at the end of the second set, which Pavlyuchenkova had won. Stephens started off comfortably against Magda Linette, but then benefited from the withdrawal of defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round. However she has been impressive since, seeing off Louise Chirico and 2nd seed Sam Stosur in straight sets to make the final.

Consistency could be key for this match, as both women can be erratic. However Stephens, under the guidance of returning coach Nick Saviano, has been more consistent this year and has a win-loss record of 20-1 against non-slam finalists since February. One of the players picked as a star of the future, it certainly seems Stephens is back after a disappointing 2014. Pavlyuchenkova has been highlighted as a future slam champion in the past and certainly has the talent to do so, but has been far too inconsistent over the past few years. However she has made 10 singles finals before, winning 7, and this may help the Russian against an opponent in her first ever final. Should she win, it will be interesting to see how well she plays for the rest of the summer.

It promises to be a competitive match and with the two never having played each other before, it will be interesting to see who can take their opponent out of their comfort zone earliest. With Stephens at 35th and Pavlyuchenkova at 40th, both will be looking for momentum to try and get a seeding at the US Open- it should be close!

Prediction: Stephens in 3

2015 Citi Open- Women’s Semi-Finals

Only four women are left standing in Washington, as the tournament is well and truly in the latter stages. The top two seeds are both still in and both face unseeded opponents, but both matches should also be tight with all the women having played very good tennis this tournament- here are my predictions!

Ekaterina Makarova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

A Russian is guaranteed to make the final in Washington, as top seed Ekaterina Makarova faces the unseeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Makarova had difficult matches in the first and second round, seeing off both Alison Van Uytvanck and Naomi Broady in two tight sets, before having to battle past sixth seed Irina-Camelia Begu in 3 sets. Pavlyuchenkova also had to survive a three set quarter-final, seeing off Christina Mchale in a final set tie break, but was impressive in a straight sets win against Belinda Bencic and saw off two-time champion Magdalena Rybarikova 7-6 7-6 in the first round.

Pavlyuchenkova certainly has a great opportunity to reach the final here- she’s been playing great tennis this tournament and Makarova doesn’t always play her best outside slams. Pavlyuchenkova has actually won more career singles titles than Makarova (7 titles to Makarova’s 2) but can be inconsistent and there is no telling what level she brings to her matches. It promises to be close!

Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 3

Sloane Stephens vs Sam Stosur

Two women who have been in good form as late face off in this semi-final. After an extremely disappointing 2014, Sloane Stephens has had a consistent year and has been playing much better tennis under the coaching of Nick Saviano. She benefited from the withdrawal of Svetlana Kuznetsova in the 2nd round, but has won her matches against Magda Linette and Louise Chirico in straight sets in fairly convincing style. However Stosur has been playing very good tennis as of late, winning the title in Gstaad and has beaten Kiki Mladenovic and Irina Falconi in straight sets, whilst benefiting from Monica Nicelescu’s retirement on friday.

If both women are playing their best tennis it should be a fantastic match, but consistency can be a problem for both. Stosur will need to make sure she is able to utilize her Kick Serve and have a high serve percentage, as well as having her forehand firing, and will be vulnerable if she is not at her best against a confident Stephens. Stosur leads the head to head 2-0, including in Strasbourg earlier this year, but both meetings have been on clay.

Prediction: Stosur in 3

2015 Citi Open- Women’s Quarter-Finals

Only eight women are still standing in Washington and five of them are unseeded, meaning there is certainly a possibility we could have a surprise champion in the American capital. Here are my picks for the matches today!

Ekaterina Makarova vs Irina-Camelia Begu

The top section is the only section that has gone with the seedings, as top seed Ekaterina Makarova faces 6th seed Irina-Camelia Begu in the last 8. Makarova hasn’t had easy matches so far, but has most importantly seen off Alison Van Uytvanck and Naomi Broady in straight sets to get to this stage. Begu has had a had different path to this stage- after cruising past Madison Brengle in straight sets, she had to battle past Polona Hercog in 3 sets in the second round. The two have met once before and Begu was victorious in straight sets in Moscow last year (Makarova withdrew from their match in Charleston earlier this year) but in the outdoors and in very warm conditions, it will be interesting to see who can play the better tennis.

Prediction: Begu in 3

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Christina Mchale

An unseeded quarter-final takes place on Grandstand 2 as Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova faces American Christina Mchale. Pavlyuchenkova has been on scintillating form so far, battling past two-time champion Magdalena Rybarikova in two tie breaks before stunning 3rd seed Belinda Bencic 6-2 6-4 in the second round. Everyone knows that Pavlyuchenkova is certainly talented enough to be a force in the game, but she is extremely inconsistent and faces Mchale, who knows how to tough out victories after 3 set victories over 7th seed Coco Vandeweghe and Yulia Putintseva so far in Washington. The Russian won there only previous meeting 3 years ago in Eastbourne and if she plays as well as has so far this tournament she should win, though Mchale will have the crowd behind her and is clearly up for a fight.

Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 3

Louise Chirico vs Sloane Stephens

An all American battle takes place between two women who could be future stars of the game. Wildcard Louise Chirico has had a fantastic tournament so far, demolishing Heather Watson before battling past 5th seed Alize Cornet in the second round. Stephens was very impressive in her first round victory over Magda Linette, but unfortunately received a walkover into the quarter-finals after defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova withdrew from what would have likely have been a fantastic match. Because of this it’s hard to judge how Stephens will play, though if she plays as well as she did in her first match Chirico will have to play very well to beat hear.

Prediction: Stephens in 2

Monica Nicelescu vs Sam Stosur

Two of the best athletes in women’s tennis face off as 2nd seed Sam Stosur faces off against Monica Nicelescu first on Grandstand 1. Both women come into this match in good form- Stosur won at her last tournament in Gastein and has been comfortable so far, beating Kiki Mladenovic and Irina Falconi in straight sets, whilst a runner up spit in Nottingham and a 4th round at Wimbledon have seen Nicelescu come from outside the top 60 to 39th in the world, and she has seen of Lara Arruabarrena in straight sets and Lauren Davis in 3 sets so far here. However the signs are not good for the Romanian; she hasn’t beaten Stosur before in 5 previous meetings. If Stosur plays well, that is very unlikely to change.

Prediction: Stosur in 2