The BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament from Indian Wells moves into the round of 16 and so do our tennis picks. So far, we haven’t seen anything too crazy in the early rounds as we still have the No. 1 Serena Williams, No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska and No. 5 Simona Halep are all still intact. The biggest surprises in the early part of the tournament was the loss by No. 4 seeded Garbine Muguruza, who lost in straight sets to the unseeded Christina Michael in the second round. The other big surprise was seeing No. 2 seed and Australian Open champion, Angelique Kerber get bounced early as she was ushered out in the second round as well. She lost in straight sets to Denisa Allertova, who is unseeded.
Players are now trying to work their way to the quarterfinals in this showcase event of the American hardcourt early-year swing, so here are our tennis picks for Tuesday.
Magdalena Rybarikova vs. Roberta Vinci
Betting Odds: Vinci -263
This is a match which will test Rybarikova, in one specific way: She just defeated seventh-seeded Belinda Bencic to advance to this round, and now she has to come back and play another seeded player in Vinci. Rybarikova is not accustomed to going deep into signature tournaments. She’s trying to establish herself at a higher level on tour. Vinci, on the other hand, is a completely experienced player who has lived with the ups and downs of the tour for a much longer period of time. More to the point, Vinci has gotten better, not worse, with age. She made the U.S. Open final last September and pulled off one of the greatest upsets in tennis history against Serena Williams in the semifinals. Many times, an up-and-coming player who wins one big match and gives the appearance of being able to make a deep run in a tournament is unable to find the same form and consistency in the next match. That familiar historical pattern works in Vinci’s favor here. Go with the Italian in what should be a relatively close match. Take Vinci with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Vinci in three sets
Nicole Gibbs vs. Petra Kvitova
Betting Odds: Kvitova -156
This is a matchup which could easily be explained in terms that favor the American. Gibbs will be playing before a supportive crowd and on the surface which best suits her game, as is the case with just about every American player, raised on hardcourts and taught the game in accordance with the even, consistent bounce of the ball on tennis’ most neutral surface. However, Kvitova is a player who – when she gets past the first two matches of a tournament – can often go on a run. Kvitova is prone to the very early exit in a tournament, as she struggles to get used to the conditions. Extreme weather and more specifically extreme humidity, a high heat index, can and do wear her out. Southern California, though, is much kinder to her than the humid air of Miami, which is the next stop on the WTA Tour. Kvitova won’t be the most relentlessly consistent player on her tour from week to week, but at this tournament, she should be able to push forward and win. Kvitova is the better choice for your tennis picks in this matchup.
Pick: Kvitova in three sets
Barbora Strycova vs. Simona Halep
Betting Odds: Halep -270
This is a match which could easily go to Strycova, given her form this year and the fact that she beat Garbine Muguruza at the Australian Open. Halep lost early at the Australian Open and battled her form. However, Halep just did beat Ekaterina Makarova, in the kind of result that can give a player fresh confidence. Makarova beat Halep at the 2015 Australian Open, so Halep might have turned a corner. Take Halep with your tennis picks here. There’s definitely some juice to lay but she should get the job done.
Pick: Halep in straight sets
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