The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix tournament moves into the second day of the second round in Stuttgart and so do our tennis picks. We went 2-1 with our tennis picks on Tuesday, which was a relatively productive day. Our lone loss for the day was Kritina Mladenovic, who lost to Andrew Petkovic. Petkovic was dominant in the matchup, losing only six games in total. On the winning side of things, we cashed in with Angelique Kerber, who was challenged by Annika Beck, but eventually cashed in three sets. Our second winner of the day was Garbine Muguruza, who took care of business against Timea Babos. Muguruza didn’t have to break much of a sweat as Babos only won four games in total.
For Thursday, who will the players who have already won matches continue their runs of momentum, or will higher-ranked players shut them down?
Ana Ivanovic vs. Karolina Pliskova
This match is a tricky one, because purely based on form, Pliskova is the better choice. She beat a seeded player, Lucie Safarova, in the previous round, 7-5 in the third. The match was a good test, and Pliskova came through it, so that’s a good reason to recommend her as the pick in this match. Moreover, Safarova beat Ivanovic in the French Open semifinals a year ago, so if Pliskova could take care of a player who beat Ivanovic, she would naturally be a favorite over Ivanovic herself. However, it might not work that way.
The flip side here is that Pliskova played a long, tough match against Safarova, whereas Ivanovic moved through in straight sets and should be a lot more rested from this match. It’s right on the edge in terms of being too close to call. Pliskova is ultimately not yet at a place in her career where she regularly backs up good wins with others the next day or two. Ivanovic has plenty of weaknesses in her own right, but she just might start this match with more energy than Pliskova and carry that advantage through to the end. It feels as though Ivanovic will win in three. She’s the better choice for your tennis picks.
Pick: Ivanovic in three sets
Roberta Vinci vs. Julia Goerges
This is a matchup in which the situation is very similar to what was said above, but with one basic change which probably offers enough reason to alter the pick. Vinci is the player who – like Pliskova above – came through a long and tough three-setter in her previous round. She beat a very talented player, Ekaterina Makarova, who has made an Australian Open semifinal in the past. Goerges breezed through a quick straight-set match in her previous round, so she’s going to be a lot fresher than her Italian opponent. The difference here is that whereas Pliskova is not accustomed to winning big matches shortly following other big matches, the player in her role – Vinci, coming off the exhausting three-setter the other day – is used to winning matches.
Vinci was constantly succeeding in 2015 at a level she hadn’t known before. She hasn’t rolled in 2016, but she still knows so much about how to work and defend and basically frustrate an opponent. Vinci might be tired after her long match, but she generally perseveres. Goerges might not hit consistently enough, and that could be her downfall against a player such as Vinci. Take Vinci with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Vinci in three sets
Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Andrea Petkovic
This is a match which involves a rusty number one seed, Radwanska, who had to pull out of a home-nation tournament in Katowice earlier this month because of injury. Petkovic might not be a relentlessly consistent player, but she’s definitely hard to beat when in form. Being in her native Germany should help. If Petkovic establishes a reasonable rhythm at the start of this match, Radwanska might not yet be physically up for the challenge. Take Petkovic with your tennis picks.
Pick: Petkovic in three sets
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