The Madrid Open advances into the quarterfinals and so do our tennis picks. After the third round, there are only two seeded players left in the entire draw. On Wednesday, we saw some interesting results, which included Victoria Azarenka withdrawing. That allowed Louisa Chirico to move on. We also saw Sam Stosur survive a hard-fought matchup with Carla Suarez Navarro as the latter won the first set but Stosur came back and won the second and third. We also saw Madison Keys go down to Patricia Tig in straight sets and we also saw Laura Siegemund lose to Sorana Cirstea in straight sets. Lastly, Petra Kvitova’s loss canceled out another big name as she lost to Daria Gavrilova.
So who are the seeds left? One of them is Simona Halep, who by default becomes the new favorite to win the tournament. What will happen in a set of matchups that few if any predicted would come to exist before this tournament started?
Simona Halep vs. Irina Begu
These Romanians live on opposite sides of the tennis spectrum. Halep is a player for whom championship greatness was predicted. She has played in a Grand Slam final and multiple other Grand Slam tournament semifinals. She expected to be here, and she holds high standards for herself. She also hired a top-end coach in Darren Cahill, the man who coached Andre Agassi with notable success in the latter stages of his career. Halep has struggled over the past year, but just a few good matches such as her easy rout of Timea Bacsinszky in the third round will build back the belief that she’s ready to contend for major championships again.
Begu is a very solid player, but a player who is not generally a title threat. She’s good enough to win a couple of matches at top-level tournaments, but making deep runs is something she hasn’t yet established as a pattern and a part of her track record. If you had to pick someone to win this match, it has to be Halep. Playing a countrywoman in Begu might not be the easiest thing for her, but Halep has more skill and more weapons on the court. Even if Begu makes this match a close one, Halep should have the shots and the mental game to be able to pull through. Take Halep with your tennis picks.
Pick: Halep in straight sets
Louisa Chirico vs. Daria Gavrilova
This is a matchup of intriguing players who are trying to make their way up the ranks in women’s tennis. Chirico finds herself in the quarterfinals due to an unexpected set of circumstances, however. She was scheduled to play fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka, but the champion of Indian Wells and Miami had to withdraw from the tournament with a back injury. Chirico caught a break, more than anything else. Gavrilova, on the other hand, moved into the quarterfinals by knocking off Petra Kvitova. It is accurate to say that Kvitova didn’t look 100 percent on the court, but Gavrilova still took advantage and won that match straightforwardly. You would have to give Gavrilova the edge, even though a Premier Mandatory quarterfinal is not a familiar situation for her. Go with Gavrilova for your tennis picks.
Pick: Gavrilova in straight sets
Dominika Cibulkova vs. Sorana Cirstea
This is a match which pits Cirstea’s always-fascinating talent against Cibulkova’s veteran presence. Cirstea’s tennis has been all over the map – this season, but really throughout her career. The problem with Cirstea is that the gap between her best tennis and her worst tennis – which is very wide – is made plain with such frequency. It’s not just that she’s erratic; it’s that she’s erratic so often. She can rarely steady her game for very long. Cibulkova can be a streaky player as well, but she’s less of a wild card than Cirstea. Cibulkova beat top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska earlier in this tournament, so she knows she can win this event. Give Cibukova an advantage, so take her with your tennis picks.
Pick: Cibulkova in straight sets
