The BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament from Indian Wells gets under way on Wednesday and so do our tennis picks for the first-round action. One half of the women’s draw will get started, launching this 96-player singles event which is considered the biggest on tour after the four Grand Slam events. Although this event (clearly) is not a grandslam, it offers a very sizable payout, which is why it attracts a big crowd of quality players. The field is stocked with some strong competition but that should also help us with our tennis picks. With more known commodities, we can find better value amongst the matchup. Here are our Wednesday tennis picks for Indian Wells:
CoCo Vandeweghe vs. Kiki Bertens
Betting Odds: Vandeweghe -159
Vandeweghe has been able to string together multiple match wins in a few tournaments this year. She has a powerful serve and an attacking game, which are naturally suited to a hardcourt surface. We should see a lot of players with her type of game do well as big serves and big groundstrokes do well on the hard courts. Vandeweghe is a typical serve-and-forehand American player who is most comfortable playing on a hard court. Being in Southern California for the second most important U.S. hardcourt event of the season behind the U.S. Open, Vandeweghe should be able to impose her will on Bertens, who had to come through the qualifying rounds to get here and might be a bit tired. The Vandeweghe serve could be a little overwhelming for Bertens, who will need to win the first set and cause Vandeweghe to doubt herself. That’s probably not going to happen. Although we only see Vandeweghe – the significantly better player – as a small favorite here, take her to win in straight sets.
Pick: Vandeweghe in straight sets
Dominika Cibulkova vs. Katerina Siniakova
Betting Odds: Cibulkova -350
This is a matchup of a proven professional in Cibulkova versus a less experienced and accomplished qualifier, Siniakova. It’s true that you never quite know what to expect from Cibulkova, a player who blows hot and cold and has never quite been the same player since a blazing start to the 2014 tennis season. She got cold midway through that season and has never quite maintained the same level of form. It appears in brief glimpses, but does not stick around as long. However, Siniakova might not be the caliber of player who can put a halt to Cibulkova. In a round-one situation at an important tournament, trust the veteran to get the job done, probably in straights. There is certainly an awareness on tour of how lucrative and valuable Indian Wells is in the rankings, and one should expect Cibulkova to handle that kind of pressure with more steadiness and aplomb. Siniakova is 19 years old, and it typically takes a few years on tour to handle first-round moments in big tournaments. Take Cibulkova with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Cibulkova in straight sets
Barbora Strycova vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Betting Odds: Strycova -370
This is a match which the 21-year-old Sasnovich will have a hard time winning given what she’s going up against. Strycova is not enjoying an excellent year, but she’s had a tolerable year so far, winning nine matches to this point. Strycova won three matches at the Australian Open, her third one coming over Garbine Muguruza, who was seeded third in that tournament and is still a top-five seed at Indian Wells. Strycova has the level of ball striking which can threaten top players. She has not herself moved into the top 20, but she’s in that next tier of players which can be very dangerous on a given day and needs to be respected in this spot. This is not going to be a huge test for Strycova unless she makes things hard on herself. Sasnovich is not in the same class. Take Strycova with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Strycova in straight sets
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