The Miami Open tennis tournament from Key Biscayne will move to the quarterfinals on Tuesday and so do our tennis picks. On Wednesday, we’ll see the other quarterfinals matchups as Madison Keys will take on Angelique Kerber and Johanna Konta will challenge Victoria Azarenka. The big surprise on Tuesday is that Serena Williams has lost. She dropped only three matches in all of 2015 but after losing to Kuznetsova in the last round, she’s now equaled that loss total in just three months of 2016.
For Tuesday’s action, you’ll notice one big name, but not another one. It’s a real opportunity for players to win matches, money, and rankings points in South Florida. Here are our tennis picks for the day.
Timea Bacsinszky vs. Simona Halep
Betting Odds: Halep -286
This is a huge match for both players, because they know that Serena Williams is now out of the tournament after her loss on Monday. Bacsinszky and Halep both made one Grand Slam semifinal in 2015, Bacsinszky at the French Open and Halep at the U.S. Open. Bacsinszky had the better overall year, while Halep really didn’t bring her game together until much later in the summer. She really struggled in the spring and early summer, and even when she lost to Flavia Pennetta at the U.S. Open, she realized she had to retool her game. Earlier in 2016, Halep wasn’t able to make a lot of progress. She muddled through in January and February without achieving a whole lot. In March, though, she has begun to move forward. At Indian Wells, she lost in the quarterfinals, which was a decent result, but not where she wanted to be. However, she lost in the quarterfinals mostly because Serena was there on the other side of the net. Now, with Serena gone, Halep knows she will be favored to make the final. There is pressure in all of this, and it’s very true that Halep has not often handled pressure well. The Pennetta U.S. Open final was a clear example of that. Bettors will realize that Halep could be her worst enemy here and struggle in the first set due to nerves. There is a very real chance Halep will get nervous and play poorly.
However, Halep did do well in Indian Wells. There’s been a noticeable improvement in her game. She was not fully fit in Australia, so it could well be that her body is finally responding the way it should. If you give Halep the benefit of the doubt in terms of her health and look at her January and February results in a sympathetic way, you should definitely pick her here. If you just think that both players should be graded on form, Halep is still the pick. She will probably need three sets, though. Take Halep with your tennis picks as she’s the better choice here.
Pick: Halep in three sets
Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Ekaterina Makarova
Betting Odds: Kuznetsova -128
This is a match which features a hot player and a player who just needs to stay healthy. Kuznetsova just beat Serena Williams. She did so after losing a first-set tiebreaker, and she also did so by winning 12 of the last 15 games from Serena. That’s a commanding performance from a player who has won two major titles, but none since 2009. Kuznetsova is a classic up-and-down player whose results can vary wildly from match to match. She’s a bettor’s nightmare.
Makarova has made a Grand Slam semifinal, and could very realistically contend for major titles with her two-handed backhand and a strong forehand. Yet, Makarova always seems to be injured in some part of her body. Makarova is the more consistent player, and that’s the direction a bettor wants to go in. Kuznetsova will win if she plays her best, but the problem for Kuznetsova is that in her zeal to play perfect tennis, she fells pressure and doesn’t wind up playing merely solid tennis. Take Makarova with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Makarova in three sets
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