Changing to Wordpress!

I've had quite a number of issues with blogger lately, and because of it, I have decided to move to Wordpress! Here's the link to the new blog: http://thewtatour.wordpress.com/ Please follow me on my new blog! Hopefully you guys will also enjoy the new and (hopefully better) edition of my blog. Thanks for following!

Moscow/Luxembourg - 2nd Round

Unfortunately I've been quite busy these past few days, so I was unable to preview the finals of Tianjin, Osaka or Linz or get this new preview out before the tournaments actually started. However, there are still quite a number of interesting second round matches, in spite of all the withdrawals.

But before I start on my predictions, I just wanted to say that I will be covering the WTA 125K tournaments this year, so it will be quite interesting to see who comes through, especially with a lot of older veterans and rising stars on the current entry lists so far. I will be covering all 3 events at the end of this year (Ningbo, Taipei & Limoges), possibly as well as any larger ITFs at the end of the year (if they are in fact streamed), such as Poitiers, Dubai and Toyota. Another interesting few events at the end of this year are also the Australian Open Wildcard tournaments, which happen both in Shenzhen for the Asian players, and Melbourne for the Australians, so all in all, hopefully I will still have a lot to cover for the rest of the year, especially with players fighting to get into the main draw of the Australian Open in 2015!

Since it will be the holiday season down here in Australia, I will also have the time to talk about specific players who I think have by far and large flown under the radar such as Saisai Zheng and Anna-Lena Friedsam, who are some of my favourite players. So hopefully I will also be able to post a few articles as well on these players, whilst the tour goes off on its offseason. Naturally, I'll also be covering both year end championships in Singapore and Sofia, as well as now, trying to post at least a few times a week, possibly even daily!

So here are my predictions:

Moscow

Ajla Tomjlanovic vs. [4] Lucie Safarova

Safarova had a pretty mediocre Asian swing, losing early to Lisicki in Wuhan, before losing out to Serena in 3 sets in Beijing (who then withdrew from the next match). However, she did manage to reach the quarterfinals of the event in Tokyo, losing to the eventual champion Ana Ivanovic. This will also be the last event for her, as she cannot qualify for any of the Year End Championships and I would be keen to see her go out of 2014 on a positive note here. Similarly, Ajla really has not played well at all, with her last singles main draw win before Tianjin being at Quebec City. Her win over Panova was rather lengthy and I don't expect Ajla to be much of a challenge for Safarova, considering how poorly she has been playing. Whilst Tomjlanovic is able to hit the ball with a lot of pace, she is rather prone to losing matches due to her mentality on court and I also expect Safarova to be able to match the pace of which Ajla will be playing with.

Prediction: Safarova wins 2-0

Luxembourg

Kiki Bertens vs. [2] Alize Cornet

Alize Cornet has had quite a strong showing at this end of the season, reaching the finals of Guangzhou in the extreme heat, and the quarterfinals of Wuhan, as well as committing to both Sofia and Limoges after Moscow. This current confidence she possesses with her recent successes as well as her big weapons should help her overcome Bertens reasonably comfortably. Bertens had a tough win over Friedsam in the first round, but Cornet will definitely be more punishing of any opportunities she gets. Their H2H currently stands at 1-0 and I would be expecting this trend to continue with a comfortable win for Cornet this round.

Prediction: Cornet wins 2-0.

As always, please like or share this blog or comment below if you agree or disagree with my predictions!

2014 Tianjin/Osaka/Linz Semifinals

I was watching the matches in Tianjin and Osaka yesterday, and there was some absolutely fantastic play from Saisai Zheng and Zarina Diyas yesterday. After this tour season is over, I might even write up an article about these two! Also, I haven't watched any of the matches in Linz this week, so I really am not really sure what to say about the 4 semifinalists, except for giving a prediction. So here are my predictions for today:

Tianjin

Zheng Saisai vs. [6] Alison Riske

Personally, I think this will be a hard matchup to call, mainly because these are two players looking to make their first WTA final, with this being Zheng's first WTA semifinal as well. The two players have met once last year at Melbourne, but this week Zheng has been able to show that she is a much smarter and more crafty player by constantly mixing up her shots with the wonderful variety which she has. In this matchup, Zheng not only has the backing of the crowd, but she also has a lot of confidence beating 3 quality players this week. Riske expectedly, has come through this draw reasonably unscathed, but Zheng should be able to capitalise on Riske's unforced errors and really try to create some opportunities for herself. I am also very excited that Zheng will be playing in the Rising Stars exhibition at the WTA Finals this year!

Prediction: Zheng wins 2-1

[3] Belinda Bencic vs. [2] Peng Shuai

With this kind matchup, I would normally consider the players past H2H, but this week, both these two have not played well at all. Against her match against Hsieh, Bencic completely lost the plot in the second set before being able to find her form again in the third, whereas Peng has been playing completely defensive tennis and waiting for her opponents unforced errors, rather than dictating play herself. When Peng finds the perfect balance between aggression and defence, she will be able to win against Bencic but it won't be so easy this time. Nonetheless, in spite of all this Peng has been able to keep mentally strong and come out of the past 3 matches with wins in her hometown tournament, however scrappy, and I would think she would be able to come through this one as well in the end.

Prediction: Peng wins 2-1

Osaka

[5] Zarina Diyas vs. Luksika Kumkhum

Kumkhum as been a very lucky player this week. Since the US Open, she has not played well at all and the retirement of Keys, along with two extremely scrappy wins have helped her get to where she is now. On the other hand, Diyas has been showing these few weeks that she is one to watch, having also made it into WTA Rising Star exhibition, playing some fantastic tennis, with a 4th round showing at Wimbledon and a 3rd round showing at the US Open. Even though Kumkhum leads 2-0 in the H2H, I would expect that Diyas should be able to win this match quite handily, as she has been playing solid, consistent tennis, making it to her first ever WTA final.

Prediction: Diyas wins 2-0

[1] Samantha Stosur vs. [3] Elina Svitolina

Having not played well at all this season, Stosur really has finally started to show some form in the Asian swing, making the semis of Beijing, in addition to the semis here in Osaka. Having said that though, Stosur has been reasonably lucky with her draw, in addition to Gajdosova having to pull out of the tournament, which I would have thought where Stosur would be upset. In her last match, Stosur played quite badly in the first few games against Puntintseva, and this is something which Svitolina should be able to capitalise on. Svitolina is a two time WTA titlist, having won a title this year at Baku and making it to the semis at Wuhan, and she should be able to really impose her game on Stosur if she is not playing at her best.

Prediction: Svitolina wins 2-1

Linz

Karin Knapp vs. Camilla Giorgi

Giorgi absolutely took it to Erakovic with her aggressive (and sometimes brainless) ballstriking, whereas Knapp had some difficulty playing against Pironkova, who wasn't really playing that well.

Prediction: Giorgi wins 2-0

[Q] Anna-Lena Friedsam vs. [7] Karolina Pliskova

Honestly, Pliskova has to be extremely tired this week having played deep in so many matches, and their extremely close match in Seoul has me going for Friedsam.

Prediction: Friedsam wins 2-1

And as always, please share this blog and comment below if you agree or disagree with my predictions!

2014 Tianjin - Quarterfinals

Again, I've been terrible with my blogging this year, and the Asian swing is almost over! As I am typing, we're already halfway through one of the all-American matches, with Alison Riske leading Varvara Lepchenko by 1 set. Hopefully I'll also be able to get some predictions out for both the Osaka and Linz semifinals! So here are my predictions for today:

[4] Varvara Lepchenko vs. [6] Alison Riske

This isn't so much of a preview now, since the match has already started, but Riske has been playing some good tennis this week and looks as if she'll win the match. From their H2H, Lepchenko leads 2-0 but Riske has come out and played some fantastic tennis, with some fantastic winners, and really forcing Lepchenko behind the baseline by controlling their rallies.

Prediction: Riske wins 2-0

Zheng Saisai vs. Sorana Cirstea

Zheng really has been on a roll this week, taking out both Babos and Jankovic in her first two matches to reach her second WTA quarterfinal. I think that a combination of this, along with her playing a tournament in her home city means that this is a really good opportunity for her to make her first ever semifinal. Currently, the H2H sits in favour of Cirstea, having played at Stanford 2 years ago, but I think that now, Zheng is a much smarter and more consistent player and will really be able to use her good mix of shots to try and throw Cirstea off. Still, Zheng can be quite an inconsistent player, especially on the backhand side, and Cirstea will pose a great challenge for her to overcome.

Prediction: Zheng wins 2-1.

Hsieh Su-Wei vs. [3] Belinda Bencic

I honestly am not that much of a Bencic fan, but she has definitely proven this year that she has the ability and skill to be a top player. She has made it to the quarterfinals due to a walkover, with Oprandi withdrawing from a viral infection and she may be lacking slightly in match practice, having a relatively simple win over Zhu in the first round. Hsieh, on the other hand has improved quite a lot on her current form and should be ready to capitalise if Bencic drops her form today. I don't think Bencic has ever played someone as crafty as Hsieh, having never played Radwanska either, which should prove tricky for her for a set or so, but she should be able to settle in afterwards and win quite comfortably.

Prediction: Bencic wins 2-0

[8] Ajla Tomjlanovic vs. [2] Peng Shuai

Peng Shuai has not played well at all since the announcement of Li's retirement a few weeks ago, and this has shown in her first two matches against Pe'er and Kulichkova. Luckily, she managed to get through her first two matches and will now face Tomjlanovic for a place in the semis of her hometown tournament. Tomjlanovic has not played well as well this year, winning only one main draw match since her run to the 4th round at the French Open. Tomjlanovic's inconsistency, coupled with Peng's nervy tennis could make for a reasonably bad matchup, but if Peng can regain the form she found at the US Open, she might be able to see this off in 2 sets. All in all though, I don't think Peng really is going to find this form until later on in this tournament (if she makes it there).

Prediction: Peng wins 2-1

And as always, please share this blog with others if you enjoy it and comment below if you agree or disagree with my predictions!

2014 Montreal - Recap

Hi! Unfortunately I was unable to get my predictions in for the finals match this morning, but today I'm going to recap the Montreal event and give a few early predictions about the Cincinnati draw.

Venus Williams vs. [3] Agnieszka Radwanska

I think that Radwanska played an amazing match today and like always, has played really consistently throughout the whole tournament. As you might not have known, I was honestly going for a S. Williams vs. Azarenka final, but it's been shown here that physically, Azarenka isn't really playing as well as she can and these matches have been really good to allow her to find her form. Back to the finals, I felt that Venus definitely started the match off well, being able to really control the match from the outset. However, it was quite obvious that Venus really wasn't hitting the ball the way she used to, as I felt she was much more tired and once Radwanska had won the first set, Venus didn't look particularly good as she kept narrowly missing, and double faulting - her serve wasn't as good as it normally is. She also had a semi-permanent grimace which seemed to me like she was either quite exhausted, in pain, or just extremely annoyed at herself. Throughout the match, it really didn't seem like Williams was playing anywhere need her best, whilst Radwanska was extremely successful at chopping and changing Venus' rhythm, and is definitely a deserved champion.

An Early Cincinnati Preview

The draw in Cincinnati this year hasn't been as particularly 'fair' as it was in Montreal but as a result, it has thrown up quite a few interesting match ups early on.

• Koukalova vs. [Q] Townsend - I like this matchup because I really want to see how well Townsend is really playing, after her good runs at Montreal and so far in the qualifying. Koukalova is definitely a quality opponent, and this should show up whether or not Townsend is a top 100 player.
• [10] Azarenka vs. Zahlavova Strycova - Not having a bye at Cincinnati might mean that Azarenka won't be able to fully heal from her knee injury at Montreal, and this could even possibly be cause for an upset here, or even retirement if Azarenka isn't feeling fully fit.
• Petkovic vs. Stephens - Stephens really hasn't played well at all since Wimbledon, and if she is to turn her season around, she absolutely needs to do it soon. Based off current form, Petkovic is definitely the better player and it wouldn't be unexpected for Stephens to offer little resistance.
• Vinci vs. Lisicki - Lisicki has always been a fantastic player, but she is honestly far too inconsistent to be an honest contender for major tournaments. Hopefully, she can play well here and ensure that she gets a seed for the US Open. Surprisingly enough, it will actually be an upset if Lisicki defeats Vinci, because Vinci is ranked 3 places higher.
• Zhang vs. [Q] Watson - A random matchup I really wanted to throw in, mainly because now with Li out for the whole US Open season, Zhang is the highest ranked Chinese player. I really can't see her defeating Watson, considering how well Watson has played this past month, in comparison to Zhang who hasn't won a singles match in a very long time. Also, whilst she is a top 30 player, she really isn't a contender for the US Open because she still hasn't won a main draw match at a grand slam yet! Also, I would like to add that after her case of glandular, Watson has been playing as well as ever and should be able to do well at the US Open.
• Dellacqua vs. [Q] Parmentier - This year has been an amazing year for Dellacqua as she has now moved into the top 30 and most likely gaining a seed for the US Open. This is a fantastic opportunity for Dellacqua to gain some needed ranking points ahead of the US Open, and maybe even overtake Stosur to be the highest ranked Australian.
• Cornet vs. Keys - This should be a fantastically theatrical match, mainly due to Cornet's crazy antics and Keys constantly dissatisfied and annoyed nature. However, both players are extremely driven to win, and with both Cornet's and Keys' 3 set records, this should definitely be an up-and-down match which goes the distance. I would say that Cornet wins this in a tiebreak.
• [16] Safarova vs. V. Williams - After playing quite poorly at Montreal, probably due to exhaust and not having enough time to rest in between tournaments, I don't think the Venus will be able to play as well as she ordinarily does. It isn't a bad thing however, because she already has quite a good seeding for the US Open and have some well earned rest if she loses early here. Also, I think that Safarova is really due for a major breakthrough, and this US Open season could be it, as far as I'm concerned.

As with Montreal, I will be begin posting about Cincinnati from the second round, then the quarterfinals onwards. And as always, please comment and share if you like my blog!

2014 Montreal - Semifinals

I'm pretty happy and excited for these semifinals, especially since I managed to get 3/4 of my predictions right! Unfortunately Azarenka is injured again, and now it is questionable whether or not she'll play Cincinnati or even defend her US Open title... Onto the semifinal predictions:

[1] Serena Williams vs. Venus Williams

This was the one matchup I was especially looking forward to yesterday, as the last time the Williams sisters have played was in 2013 in Charleston, with Serena winning quite easily, 6-1, 6-2. Before that there had been a 4 year gap, with both sisters being injured and Venus being diagnosed with Sjorgren's. The H2H currently stands at 14-10, with Serena leading, but nothing much can be read into that, as these matches go as far back as 1998! In this particular match, I think that both players will be extremely aggressive, and going for their shots, but I think that Serena will again be able to win this match, as Venus hasn't been deep in too many tournaments and her Sjorgren's is still somewhat of an unknown factor - she may be quite fatigued after having to play 3 3-set matches already. Nonetheless, I still think that Venus is someone who will fight especially hard to win at least a set, and prove that she isn't to be discounted as a dark horse for the US Open.

Prediction: Serena Williams 2-1

[3] Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Ekaterina Makarova

This semifinal is much more difficult to predict, mainly because of the form that both players have been in, with Makarova playing extremely well to get to this stage of the competition. Currently, the H2H sits at 3-2 in favour of Radwanska, but she has not been able to defeat her since 2011 last year. For this matchup, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Makarova is going to win, because I think she has a lot of confidence going into this tournament, with good wins over Kvitova and Vandeweghe. Also, I think that in the past two matches, Makarova has been really good at reading Radwanska's play, which will become extremely critical in this match. In saying that, the past two matches have been straight sets wins for Makarova, but this time I see it going the distance, with Makarova having to win the match in three. Also, I want to see another Makarova - Williams (Serena or Venus) match because they have been especially tense and well-fought matches.

Prediction: Ekaterina Makarova 2-1

Having seen Makarova win in Pattaya City this year, it would be really good of her to reach her first ever Premier 5 final, after having won Eastbourne in 2010. No matter what, all 4 players are fantastic and both the semifinals and the final should be fantastic this year. And as always, please share this blog with others if you enjoy it and comment below if you agree or disagree with my predictions!

2014 Montreal - Quarterfinals

So far, most of my predictions for this event have been quite good! I think that the only surprise I've had is Suarez Navarro defeating Sharapova in the way that she did. Whilst there were two upsets in the final quarter, I didn't feel that they were particularly surprising at all, especially since Makarova and Vandeweghe have both played well recently. Here is my preview for the quarterfinals:

[1] Serena Williams vs. [11] Caroline Wozniacki

Both Williams and Wozniacki have been playing well recently, with Williams winning in Stanford, and Wozniacki winning in Istanbul. Both women haven't had particularly tough draws in their first few rounds, especially Wozniacki, due to Bouchard being upset in the second round. In this match, I think that it will pretty much go the way of the H2H, as Wozniacki's only win over Williams was in Miami 2 years ago, when she was in her prime and Williams wasn't. However, I still think that Wozniacki still has the ability and the potential to take a set off Williams, considering that she has not started some of her matches well in the past few weeks, which might allow Wozniacki to gain a small foothold and win a set.

Prediction: Serena Williams 2-1

[14] Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Venus Williams

Yesterday Suarez Navarro had a fantastic win over Maria Sharapova yesterday, grinding it out against a rather poorly performing opponent. Suarez Navarro kept changing the rhythm of the match and Sharapova just couldn't impose her game against the Spaniard, meaning that she kept missing by the smallest of margins, but those errors just added up, allowing Suarez Navarro to win. On the other hand, Williams played amazingly against Kerber, showing much better form, such as the return of her extraordinary ball striking and serving which helped her win the match. As a result I think, Venus will be able to win the match against Suarez Navarro, as she will be able to pick off CSN's topspin with her clean ball striking. It would also be nice to see an all-Williams semifinal, especially since they haven't play each other in a very long time.

Prediction: Venus Williams 2-1

[8] Victoria Azarenka vs. [3] Agnieszka Radwanska

Traditionally, Radwanska has been considered Azarenka's 'pigeon,' with their head to head currently sitting at 12-4, following Radwanska's amazing win over Azarenka at the Australian Open. I think this match will be the turning point for their matches in the future, because many of the matches Azarenka lost were matches she was injured in, such as in the 2009 WTA Tour Championships. In this particular matchup, I think many people would be looking for Radwanska to win this match, considering that earlier match in Australia, and Azarenka's form coming back from injury, but I personally think that Azarenka is almost well and truly coming back to form again, with this next match one of her first tests before the US Open arrives. As a result, I think that Azarenka will be extremely determined to win this match, considering her two fantastic wins over Cornet and Watson, even fighting injury to win her first match 6-4 in the third. Still, I think that Radwanska will try to aggravate Azarenka's injury and lack of match play using her cunning and guile to win a set off Azarenka.

Prediction: Victoria Azarenka 2-1

[Q] Coco Vandeweghe vs. Ekatarina Makarova

This quarterfinal match was the one which was definitely not predicted by anyone, but both players have played extremely well, with Vandeweghe defeating both Ivanovic and Jankovic in extremely long 3 set matches, both lasting almost 3 hours each. Makarova, on the other hand had a relatively simpler draw, with her only 3 set match coming against Kvitova in the third round. In this match, I think that Vandeweghe will be definitely showing a lot of fatigue, having to play 5 matches already, defeating 3 top 30 players in a row. This, coupled with her H2H with her 0-2 H2H with Makarova makes me feel that this will be a close match, but one Vandweghe probably won't be able to win.

Prediction: Ekaterina Makarova 2-1

I think this is the first time ever where I have predicted that all the matches will go to 3 sets! Overall, I think that the quality of tennis has been quite good at Montreal, and I am definitely hoping that the quality of these matches won't decrease in the quarterfinals. And as always, please share this blog with others if you enjoy it and comment below if you agree or disagree with my predictions!