The Malaysian Open tennis tournament moves to second-round matches in Kuala Lumpur. The first round witnessed a loss by the top seed in the tournament, plus upsets of the fourth and eighth seeds. We got burned in our tennis picks with one of those outcomes as Roberta Vinci mailed in her effort and cost us a pretty penny. Although Vinci managed to win her first set versus Kai-Chen Chang, she ended up flopping in the second and third set 6-2, 6-1. Some of the other surprising results included Annika Beck losing in straight sets to Zarina Diyas as well as Laura Siegemund falling to Cagla Buyukakcay in straight sets as well. Elina Svitolina beat Miyu Kato to advance and Naomi Broady also topped Klara Koukalova to move on too.
In terms of our tennis picks on Tuesday, it doesn’t seem seeding will matter very much at this tournament. Here’s a look at our favorite picks from the card.
Cagla Buyukakcay vs. Kai-Chen Chang
Odds: Buyukakcay -122
This is a match in which both players are coming off highly impressive matches. Chang scored the biggest upset of the tournament when she not only beat top-seeded Roberta Vinci, but did so after losing a tough first set, 7-5. Chang was able to roll through the last two sets, 6-2 and 6-1, to move to the second round. It’s one of the better wins of her career, and naturally, she’s going to feel pretty enthused about what she’s done. She’ll take the court with confidence. The complicating factor here is that Chang’s opponent will be in the same frame of mind. Buyukakcay took care of business in straight sets against Laura Siegemund, a player ranked nearly 50 spots higher on the WTA ladder. Buyukakcay will take extra heart from the fact that she won a close first set and was then able to pull away in set two, blowing out Siegemund with a breadstick, 6-1. All in all, Buyukakcay was able to win her match relatively quickly, while Chang had to spend more time on court. Being a little more rested, and not having had as much of a mental challenge in the first match, should give Buyukakcay an important advantage in this match. She should be able to outlast Chang, so take here with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Buyukakcay in three sets
Kurumi Nara vs. Eugenie Bouchard
Odds: Bouchard -286
This is a match in which the length of the previous match should definitely be taken into account. Nara won her first-round match over Daniela Hantuchova in a marathon. The 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (10) victory was achieved in classic cliffhanger fashion, with both players trading match points in that final-set tiebreaker. It’s especially thrilling and satisfying to win a match in which you were so close to defeat, so Nara will carry a special kind of joy to the court in this next match. However, joy alone doesn’t win matches. That prolonged battle will very likely force Nara to have to win this match in straight sets against Eugenie Bouchard, who won her match, 3 and 1, to start this tournament. Bouchard is likely to take hold of the match at the start, but even if she doesn’t, she should have the legs needed to win in three. She’s had some disappointing moments so far in 2016 but this won’t be one of them. Go with Bouchard for your tennis picks.
Pick: Bouchard in three sets
Lin Zhu vs. Zarina Diyas
Odds: Diyas -417
This is a match in which the favorite is clear, as evidenced by the betting lines. Diyas dismissed fourth-seeded Annika Beck in straight sets. The sets were close, but Diyas found answers in each of them. Given the form displayed by Diyas in her first match, it’s a big ask for Zhu to be able to outclass her in the second round. This situation sets up well for Diyas, who needed to find a spark after disappointing results in previous tournaments. Take her with your tennis picks to win this matchup in straight sets.
Pick: Diyas in straight sets
Want to give your comments about this article? You can either leave them here or you can join us on the Get More Sports Forum and talk about this article and many more! Brag about your favorite team, argue about an athlete’s performance or tell us about a game you saw. Join a new community of sports fans who live and breathe sports and sports entertainment. It’s free! Join now!
