The week continues in Taiwan and St. Petersburg – and so do our tennis picks – as the WTA Tour develops more drama in its Taiwan and St. Petersburg tournaments. There are some interesting matchups in Kaohsiung as a lot of people will be keeping a close eye on Venus Williams. She’s had a relatively rough start to the season but she’s into the Round of 16 in Taiwan and she is a sizable favorite, laying -509 versus Urszula Radwanska. We’ll see if she can regain some momentum after an embarrassing first-round exit at the Australian Open.
The push to the quarterfinals is on in both of the women’s tournament this week, with more points and cash prizes at stake. Which players will put together extended winning streaks this week? Here’s a closer look at our tennis picks for Thursday.
Caroline Wozniacki vs. Dominika Cibulkova
Odds: Wozniacki -175
One of the featured matches in St. Petersburg is this one. It’s a clash between two players who have never won a major tournament, but have both made a Grand Slam final. Wozniacki has done so multiple times, Cibulkova only once. Both players are small in stature and rely on a combination of court coverage and an ability to redirect the ball. They try to keep opponents off balance, and they stay in points long enough that they will eventually find an opening or cause their opponents to get frustrated and make bad mistakes. This is especially the case with Wozniacki, who has a little more of a tendency to sit back and retrieve shots. Cibulkova is more inclined to look for an offensive shot if she sees it. Wozniacki will be more patient in working rallies and being content enough to wait.
In terms of the style and shape of this matchup, note that Wozniacki lost to Yulia Putintseva in the Australian Open. Putintseva is a diminutive player, which makes her a lot like Cibulkova, who is also one of the smaller players on the WTA Tour. The hitting zones for shots are going to be similar here. That might mean Wozniacki will be familiar with the contact point on her racquet, but it also means that she will struggle, since Putintseva beat her. This feels like a close match, but Wozniacki is struggling too much at the moment. Take Cibulkova.
Pick: Cibulkova in three sets
Daria Kasatkina vs. Laura Siegemund
Odds: Kasatkina -204
This is an intriguing match in St. Petersburg. Kasatkina is improving, but she lost to Serena Williams in the Australian Open, the kind of match which makes it really hard to evaluate a player. Was it her or Serena, or a lot of both? Probably all of the above, but the point stands: It’s hard to determine where a player is after her last match. Kasatkina faces Siegemund, who beat Jelena Jankovic at the Australian Open. That win has to give Siegemund a ton of confidence heading into this match. Jankovic has definitely had an up-and-down career, but she is a ranked player, so it’s a quality win. It’s hard to bet on that level of optimism when the opponent is not a clearly better player, but we’ll take a shot here – especially since Siegemund is a dog. Take Siegemund with your tennis picks in what looks like a close match and a value play.
Pick: Siegemund in three sets
Elena Vesnina vs. Kateryna Kozlova
Odds: Kozlova -129
This is a case in which the underachieving Vesnina, who really should be so much better than she is, has a matchup she can do something with. Kozlova has not yet made any sort of huge imprint on the WTA Tour. One could have come up with a lot of potential opponents in St. Petersburg who would have had a better chance of beating Vesnina, but Kozlova isn’t one. We’re getting some great value on the betting lines here as Vesnina is actually posted as the underdog in this spot. Take Vesnina with your tennis picks as we’ll be looking for to cash in what should be a straightforward match.
Pick: Vesnina in straight sets
