The Miami Open tennis tournament from Key Biscayne completes the quarterfinal round with the last two matches before the semifinals, and so do our tennis picks. We had a rough go of things with our tennis picks on Tuesday as we went 0-2 with both selections. We took a shot with Simona Halep as a small favorite, but she failed to cash in. She won the first set versus Timea Bacsinszky, but then ended up losing her next two sets 6-3, 6-2. As for our second pick, we went with Ekaterina Makarova as a small underdog against veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova. She also won the first set but ended up dropping the second and third – similarly to Halep – to lose the match. We’ll look to do better with our tennis picks as we shift to the other two quarterfinals on Wednesday.
With that in mind, some very familiar names are in this section of the tournament, trying to win an event in which it’s wide open for everyone at this point.
Johanna Konta vs. Victoria Azarenka
Betting Odds: Azarenka -455
This is a fascinating match, but it’s one the favorite, Azarenka, should still win. Konta has become one of the rising players on the WTA Tour. From obscurity, the Brit has managed to go deep into important tournaments. It started with a run to the Australian Open semifinals in January. Konta finally lost to another Miami Open quarterfinal participant, Angelique Kerber, meaning that it took the eventual champion of the tournament to knock her out. Konta is steadily taking care of the players below her in the rankings. This is how she’s been able to find a home in the top 30, while being able to collect more points and rise even higher in the rankings. She’ll be in a better position after Miami than she was before it, because she didn’t have very many points to defend in Miami – she’s making a noticeable gain of points. She is certainly a player who should be taken seriously.
However, you will take note of one detail about Konta, mentioned above: She is taking care of the players below her in the rankings. She’s not beating a lot of players ranked above her. Kerber in Australia stopped her. Azarenka, who is coming off a win in Indian Wells, is another. Azarenka is beginning to show the consistency of the player she once was, the player who was No. 1 in the world and was a match for Serena Williams. Azarenka is competing and persevering with the consistency which used to define her at her best. With the Indian Wells champion remaining very much in form in Miami, it is very hard from a betting standpoint to pick against her here. Take Azarenka with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Azarenka in straight sets
Madison Keys vs. Angelique Kerber
Betting Odds: Kerber -130
This is a match which should be very close and exciting. Keys is the future of American tennis. She has the ability to hit winners from any spot on the court, something not every tennis player possesses. Keys generates tremendous power from both her forehand and her backhand wings, and that’s something the rest of the tour will have a hard time dealing with over the next several years, provided Keys can keep the ball within the court and not make too many errors. In this tournament, Keys has been limiting her error counts, and that’s why she’s been able to beat Roberta Vinci, a seeded player, and push into the quarterfinals.
Her opponent, though, is going to make it hard on her. Kerber is the Australian Open champion, but more specifically, she’s someone who plays great defense and runs down a lot of shots. Kerber shrinks the court and forces players to hit a lot of extra balls. This looks like anyone’s match, but Kerber’s proven experience will probably be the difference in a three-setter. Take Kerber with your tennis picks.
Pick: Kerber in three sets
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