The Qatar Open tennis tournament progresses into the third round and so do our tennis picks. It has been an exciting week in Qatar so far with a number of quality players moving on through Tuesday’s action. Agnieszka Radwanska easily moved on past Kateryna Bondarenko in straight sets, winning 6-4, 6-4. We also saw Carla Suardez take care of Donna Vekic in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4. A lot of eyes have been on Eugenie Bouchard at this event and she hasn’t disappointed so far. She needed to win a seventh game in each of her two sets, but she still took care of Denisa Allertova 7-6, 7-5 on Tuesday. A couple of notable upsets from Tuesday’s action included Lucie Safarova, who fell to Cagla Buyukakcay 7-6, 7-5 and Simona Halep, who dropped her match to Elena Vesnina 6-7, 6-4, 6-1.
If the previous week in Dubai was wild beyond all expectations, with each of the top eight seeds losing their first matches, this event hasn’t been as explosive and unpredictable for tennis picks. Yet, four higher seeds are still gone, having lost in the second round. Which players will continue to move forward in the tournament?
Saisai Zheng vs. Eugenie Bouchard
This is one matchup which is a casualty of an earlier-round upset. Zheng beat Angelique Kerber in straight sets, winning the second set, 6-1. Zheng was an unexpected quarterfinalist in the Australian Open, so the fact that she is continuing to play well and draw momentum from her previous win is not surprising at all. What is surprising is that she beat Kerber, who won the Australian Open and had more reason than anyone else to play well in Doha. However, Kerber just didn’t have it, and Zheng is showing the ability to maintain top form for a longer period.
Eugenie Bouchard also won in straight sets in the previous round, but whereas Zheng breezed through one of her two sets, Bouchard needed seven games to win each of her sets, a 7-6, 7-5 win over Denisa Allertova. It’s clear that Kerber is a much better player than Allertova, making Zheng’s win more impressive by itself, regardless of how quick or easy it was. However, Zheng’s ability to run away with that match against Kerber only adds to her list of accomplishments this year and this week. If you had to pick a player based on form here, it would have to be Zheng. She should win this match, even though Bouchard is the much better known player. Take Zheng with your tennis picks.
Pick: Zheng in three sets
Andrea Petkovic vs. CoCo Vandeweghe
This is a matchup of two very inconsistent players. Petkovic and Vandeweghe can blow hot and cold. Rather, they generally do. They do not settle into patterns where they steadily achieve throughout the year. They get on hot streaks at times but then cool off. Vandeweghe is the more volatile player because she puts so much into one shot, her serve, and is not as good from the baseline as Petkovic, a former French Open semifinalist. However, when Vandeweghe feels good about herself, she’s a very tough customer. Since she just defeated Belinda Bencic, one of the top six seeds at this event, and did so convincingly in a straight-set romp, she is probably more likely to be the superior player in this match. Petkovic, though, is strong enough to take it to three. Take Vandeweghe with your tennis picks.
Pick: Vandeweghe in three sets
Monica Niculescu vs. Agnieszka Radwanska
This is a match which should be rather straightforward. Radwanska lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open and was stopped only because Serena Williams was in her path. There really can’t be much of a complaint for Radwanska, who did as well as she reasonably could have expected in that tournament. Here, Niculescu is a player who hits a lot of off-pace balls. Radwanka is an extremely clever player who uses a lot of soft-pace shots herself. Radwanska should not be fooled or caught off guard by her opponent’s tactics. This matchup fits her game.
Pick: Radwanska in straight sets
