The Malaysian Open tennis tournament gets underway with first-round action in Kuala Lumpur. First rounds are very tricky for tennis picks and it looks like we’ll have a number of close matchups on the opening day. There are three players that are favored by -500 or more, and then the remainder of the other five matches all features contests that are expected to be much closer. For our tennis picks, we have one big favorite and a couple of predictions on the closer calls. Here is a look at what we like from the card:
Roberta Vinci vs. Kai-Chen Chang
Odds: Vinci -667
This is a match in which those who follow tennis will immediately recall a recent event. Vinci lost in the first round in Dubai as a seeded player. She is an older player, and traveling from one tournament to another (her schedule in February has been heavy) could potentially have an effect on this match and its outcome. However, the key counterpoint to make is that Vinci won the St. Petersburg tournament before she lost in the first round in Dubai. She was always going to be in a bad position to win her first match in Dubai once she went the distance in Russia. This week, Vinci is coming off a quarterfinal appearance in Doha. That tournament played its final on Saturday and not Sunday, so Vinci hasn’t played since Thursday. Four full days without tennis should give her the ability to recharge and play well enough to beat Chang, who has a ways to go before she becomes more of a fixture on the tour. Vinci should be able to make this a relatively routine match.
Pick: Vinci in straight sets
Cagla Buyukakcay vs. Laura Siegemund
Odds: Siegemund -152
This is an interesting competition between two veteran players who are showing signs of ripening into better players on tour. Buyukakcay is 26, and she is coming off an excellent Doha tournament in which she beat a seeded player, Lucie Safarova. Buyukakcay reached the round of 16 before losing to Roberta Vinci. She has shown that she can play defense and respond to powerful hitting from the other side of the net. Buyukakcay needs to show here that she can bounce back physically and mentally from a tournament in which she stayed around longer than she normally does. She’s ranked 128 in the world, so there’s a lot of room for improvement. Then again, that improvement process seems to be taking off.
Siegemund is about to turn 28. She is in the top 80, which is not a lofty ranking, but certainly a lot better than most. Siegemund won multiple matches at this year’s Australian Open. She then moved through the qualifying rounds in St. Petersburg and was able to win main-draw matches as well. Both players have reason to be confident, but Siegemund, fresh after taking time off, is probably the better choice for your tennis picks. We’re looking for her to edge Byukakcay in the full allotment of three sets.
Pick: Siegemund in three sets
Annika Beck vs. Zarina Diyas
Odds: Beck -133
This is a tricky match and also the match with the smallest favorite (of our three tennis picks). Beck is seeded fourth, but she lost in the first round of her most recent tournament. That’s something you’ll have to weigh as you examine whether or not you want to lay the juice with her. As for Diyas, she isn’t exactly exuding much confidence herself these days either. She has lost in the first round of her last two tournaments. Yet, one complication is that Diyas lost to Jelena Ostapenko in Doha. Ostapenko has been in a groove. She made the final and enjoyed one of the more satisfying points in her career. Diyas lost to a better player than Beck did in Doha. The choice here is Diyas in a very close three-setter. What’s also tilting us in her favor is that we’re getting her as the underdog for our tennis picks. That looks like it could present some decent value.
Pick: Diyas in three sets
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