The Eastbourne tennis tournament heads into the round of 16 and so do our tennis picks. We had a productive day on Monday as we went 3-0 with our tennis picks. We had Elena Vesnina, who was in a tough matchup against Belinda Bencic, but she survived. Both sets went to tiebreaks but she won both to advance. We also had Andrea Petkovic to beat Sara Errani and we cashed in that spot as well. Petkovic won the first set before dropping the second, and winning the third. Lastly, we had Monica Puig to get past Ana Konjuh and she did exactly that. Konjuh was losing 6-1, 5-3 before she had to retire in the second set.
Looking ahead to Wednesday, remember that this tournament is a last chance for players to polish their grass-court games before Wimbledon. Given the very brief length of the grass season, it could reasonably be argued that performance the week before Wimbledon might matter more than a player’s performance the week before the other three Grand Slam events. This is especially the case for the women, who play best-of-three-set tennis regardless of the tournament, but will actually have a day in between matches at Wimbledon. This everyday schedule is in some ways more difficult.
Petra Kvitova vs. Johanna Konta
Konta will bear the weight of pressure at Wimbledon, where she’s a home-nation player and the highest-ranked British women’s player in quite some time. Being able to beat Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, in the run-up to The Championships would be quite a feather in her cap. However, Konta has struggled in the face of injuries for much of this season. Her form on hardcourts was especially strong, but on clay and grass, it’s been a different story. Kvitova is an erratic player who can beat anyone in the world when she’s playing well… and can lose to just about anyone in the world when she’s not. You don’t want to be too confident when backing Kvitova from a betting perspective, but it seems clear that Konta has not shown enough acumen on grass to get the nod here. Kvitova is not necessarily a guaranteed choice, but she is the smarter choice at this time. Take Konta with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Kvitova in three sets
Ekaterina Makarova vs. Andrea Petkovic
This is a meeting of two players who both ousted Italian clay-court specialists in their previous matches. Makarova dispensed with second-seeded Roberta Vinci, while Petkovic dismissed Sara Errani. Both players exist on relatively even terms, so one should expect a fairly close match. Both players have made a major semifinal in the past, but neither at Wimbledon. Both players have endured long periods of struggle with their games, Makarova more recently (and due to injuries which slowed her down for much of 2015). The reminder about grass is that the points are generally a lot shorter than on other surfaces. Makarova has the big game which is make-or-miss on a fast surface. She might make a lot of errors, but she can probably win more of the points which last fewer than five strokes. On grass, that seems to be a more significant statistic, so give Makarova a very narrow edge here. Take her with your tennis picks in what could very well end up being a close call.
Pick: Makarova in three sets
Madison Brengle vs. Elena Vesnina
This is a match which could be very compelling. Brengle has looked very impressive in claiming the first two matches of the tournament. She won her first-round match by surviving a second-set tiebreaker to stay in the tournament, and then winning in a third set. She won her second match by dismantling a seeded player, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, in straight sets. Vesnina is coming off a quality result, beating third-seeded Belinda Bencic in two tight sets. This could go either way, but Vesnina’s win over Bencic is an eye-opener. Go with her over Brengle for your tennis picks in this match.
Pick: Vesnina in three sets
