The Eastbourne tennis tournament progresses into the quarterfinals and so do our tennis picks. A few matches in the round of 16 were suspended from Wednesday, so one of the matches you see below on the card is not an official match, but is a probable match. We’ll make sure to put in that note to alert you.
In terms of our picks from Wednesday, we went 1-1-1 with our tennis picks. If that doesn’t make so much sense, let us clarify it for you. We won with Elena Vesnina, who moved into the quarters with a win over Madison Brengle. We ended up losing with Petra Kvitova as the one-time Wimbledon champion fell to Johanna Konta in three sets. Kvitova failed to win a single game in the third set. Lastly, we have Ekaterina Makarova, who just started her match against Andrea Petkovic but it was suspended. Petkovic leads 1-0 and the match will be continued on Thursday.
Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Dominika Cibulkova
This is a matchup which Radwanska, the No. 1 seed, leads 7-4 in head-to-head battles. However, Cibulkova has won three of the last five meetings and captured the most recent match at the Madrid Premier Mandatory event nearly two full months ago. Radwanska has a better history on grass, having reached a Wimbledon final and a Wimbledon semifinal in the past, but Cibulkova has been a thorn in her side. There are valid and legitimate reasons to pick either player. Ultimately, comfort with a specific surface is probably the best point of differentiation. Cibulkova will make this one close, but Radwanska is the player who will win in three sets. Radwanska doesn’t do very well at the Grand Slam tournaments, but she feels a little less pressure in situations such as this one.
Pick: Radwanska in three sets
Kristina Mladenovic vs. Monica Puig
This is a very interesting match for a number of reasons. One is that Mladenovic can hit a consistent slice, a shot that’s very useful on grass. Mladenovic is comfortable playing the kind of slow-pace tennis grass courts sometimes require. She is capable on this surface. On the other hand, Puig is gaining momentum. She tore through Caroline Wozniacki to reach this round. She fired winners past a very good defensive player and won a straight-set match quite handily. There’s a growing sentiment among those who follow women’s tennis that Puig is a floater no one wants to face at Wimbledon. She seems to be learning how to string together good matches instead of getting trapped in the one-up, one-down pattern which applied to her career for most of 2015. Mladenovic had a strong 2015 and wasn’t as prosperous this year, but Puig’s career is going in the opposite direction. She labored in 2015 but is growing and developing in 2016. For this reason as much as any other, Puig is the better choice here. Take her with your tennis picks in this matchup.
Pick: Puig in three sets
POSSIBLE MATCH: Karolina Pliskova vs. Elena Vesnina
This is a match which has not yet been set. This is not something bettors will have a lot of advance time to consider. Yet it’s very likely this match will take place.
Here’s the situation: Pliskova has not yet reached the quarterfinals. Yet, she leads Misaki Doi, 6-2 and 4-3, in the round of 16, a match which was suspended on Wednesday. If Pliskova wins, she would have to play Vesnina later in the day. It’s a bit of a bizarre setting where she might have to get warmed up, wrap up one match, then go back in and cool off for a while, and then come back out later in the day and play Elena Vesnina as expected. Given how she has dominated Doi so far, Pliskova could wrap up her match over Doi in just five to 10 minutes early Thursday. If that happens, she shouldn’t be too tired. Pliskova has a strong serve and a game which should be solid on grass. If she beats Doi without need of a third set, take her with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Pliskova in three sets
