The Dubai Duty Free tennis tournament steams forward into the quarterfinals after some interesting results on Wednesday. We did fairly well with our tennis picks on Wednesday as we cashed two of the three picks. Sara Errani had a relatively easy time of things with Yaroslava Shvedova as she won 6-3, 6-0. Shvedova was basically a no-show for the second set. We also cashed with Barbora Strycova as an underdog as she dropped the first set to Julia Goerges, but then bounced back and won the second and third sets. Our long loss on the day was Carla Suarez, who failed to get the job done for us against Caroline Garcia. Suarez actually won the first set for us but then proceeded to drop the second and third sets.
On Thursday, we’ll move closer to a conclusion in Dubai with players eyeing a chance to make a mark in this young tennis season. The draw is wide open for all eight participants, which means it will be a little bit more challenging to make our tennis picks. Here is a look at the Thursday matches with your selections.
Sara Errani vs. Madison Brengle
Odds: Errani -154
Errani has by all accounts righted her ship. It was stranded after a few uninspired weeks, but it should be in order now after two match wins and a general return to the standards Errani has set over the past few years. Errani, remember, is a player who made the final of the French Open in 2012. She has definitely overachieved in her career by making it tough for opposing players to hit the ball past her. The combination of defense and variety in her shots has enabled Errani to overcome what is one of the weakest serves on the whole tour, especially her very soft second serve. It is amazing that Errani can shore up the other parts of her game, such that she doesn’t get punished as much for that serve. Now that she’s worked her way into the quarterfinals, she very easily could have faced a hard-hitting and very threatening kind of player. America’s Madison Brengle just doesn’t rise to that level. Brengle has done really well to get to the quarterfinals in Dubai, but she is just not a player who is going to intimidate Errani or doe the kinds of things which are likely to get the Italian in trouble. Errani should win this rather cleanly.
Pick: Errani in straight sets
CoCo Vandeweghe vs. Elina Svitolina
Odds: Svitolina -192
This is a matchup of the hard-serving Vandeweghe and a player who made the French Open quarterfinals last year in Svitolina. This match is a contrast in styles. If Vandeweghe can win a lot of service points with minimal effort, due to the strength of her first serve, she can take more chances on return and establish the upper hand here. If, however, Vandeweghe’s first serve is off, Svitolina has a very good chance of being able to stand strong in rallies from the baseline, extend points, and tire out her American opponent. Vandeweghe might be able to get away with an average serving day if Svitolina gets nervous and plays below her standards, but it’s more likely that Svitolina will force CoCo to earn a win. Therefore, bet on Svitolina.
Pick: Svitolina in three sets
Barbora Strycova vs. Ana Ivanovic
Odds: Ivanovic -303
This is a match which highlights the quarterfinal schedule. It is the match most likely to produce the champion of the whole tournament. This gets down to something very simple, and it’s that Ivanovic, while the most talented player left in the field, regularly (not just occasionally) fails to make good use of a great draw. Ivanovic loses to so many lower-ranked players that it’s hardly a surprise anymore when it happens. That point aside, Strycova has been playing really well this year. She’s playing better than her ranking and should be seen as the clear favorite in this match.
Pick: Strycova in three sets
