On Tuesday, the Miami Open tennis tournament gets underway from Crandon Park. The women will hit the courts with nine matches in total. The men’s main draw won’t start until Wednesday, so for now, we’ll focus our tennis picks on the women’s side.
Tuesday’s contest feature plenty of big names like Canadian Eugenie Bouchard. She’ll take on Ashleigh Barty in a match she’s expected to win but nothing has come easy for Bouchard. At one point, she was a Top 10 player but she’s been far from in 2017. She lost in the Round of 32 at the Australian Open, Round of 32 at Acapulco and dropped her opening match at Indian Wells last week. Jelena Jankovic is another big name to keep an eye on but she’s ranked 56th these days and hasn’t registered more than one win in either of her last two tournaments. Monica Puig is another name we’ll be keeping a close eye on in the opening round. The 2016 Olympic gold medalist had a disappointing showing at Indian Wells where she lost her second-round match to Karolina Pliskova.
While we monitor those big names, we’ve avoided them with our picks as those players have been inconsistent. We’ll focus on a few matches that will start in the late afternoon and early evening on Tuesday.
Kirsten Flipkens vs. Jennifer Brady
This is a meeting of old versus young on tour. Flipkens made a Wimbledon semifinal a few years ago in 2013 and is working close to the finish line in her quietly productive career. Brady is just 21, having cracked the top 100 on tour but now trying to remain there. Brady hits a bigger shot, but Flipkens uses all sorts of angles and spins and slices, and that can be a hugely frustrating opponent for a young player. Brady has a very good chance in this one, but the odds are good that Flipkens can frustrate her and move her around the court, preventing Brady from being able to find a comfortable hitting zone. Take Flipkens with your tennis picks here.
Pick: Flipkens in straight sets
Peng Shuai vs. Danka Kovinic
This is a matchup of players at opposite ends of the spectrum. Shuai won a couple of matches at the recent Indian Wells tournament, and it took Venus Williams to knock her out. Shuai made the U.S. Open semifinals a few years ago and has established herself as a strong hardcourt player. Kovinic is a player who is still seeking a larger-scale breakthrough on tour. She certainly has it within herself to register a breakthrough on a given day, but Shuai is the far more proven player, so unless you have an affinity for an upset pick, Shuai is the better choice in this one. She hits a very clean shot, and Kovinic probably won’t be able to throw her off balance enough to make a difference. Take her with your tennis picks.
Pick: Shuai in straight sets
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs. Lesia Tsurenko
This is a match which should be relatively straightforward. Haddad Maia is relatively obscure at this point in her fledgling career, ranked 166th in the world and existing on the very periphery of the tour. Tsurenko has worked hard to get to 41 in the world. She has made inroads at several hardcourt tournaments over the past two years and is within striking distance of being able to become a seeded player (the top 32) at major tournaments. She needs a big push in the spring to be able to gain a seeded slot at the upcoming French Open. Not only is Tsurenko the better player, but she has powerful incentive to win this match and orchestrate a move up the rankings ladder before Roland Garros arrives. Haddad Maia could uncork a surprise not many people are expecting – a lot of tennis experts aren’t really sure of her capacities and how high she can climb – but Tsurenko is a far more established presence on the tour and should be able to play this match the way she wants to. She might not have much of a scouting report on her opponent, which could lead to a slow start, but she should be able to figure out Haddad Maia before too long. Tsurenko is the far better choice for our tennis picks in this situation.
Pick: Tsurenko in straight sets
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