The Miami Open tennis tournament from Key Biscayne will move to the bottom half of the draw for more second-round matches on Friday, which is where our tennis picks continue. A lot has happened in this tournament already, with Sloane Stephens and Eugenie Bouchard joining Lucie Safarova as early-round losers. Stephens was in our tennis picks on Wednesday when she failed to deliver. Stephens has definitely had an up-and-down season, and that continued on Wednesday when she completely flopped. She won only three games in the entire match against Heather Watson, losing the first set 6-3 and then losing the second set 6-0. Stephens was only a -175 favorite for that match but it was a disappointing outcome. The good news is that we cashed in our other two matches to go 2-1 on the day. Simona Halep cashed for us in straight sets as she took care of Daria Kasatkina while Agnieszka Radwanska also won in straight sets, topping Alize Cornet rather easily 6-0, 6-1.
So will there be more surprises on Friday? Here our tennis picks for the day:
Timea Babos vs. Karolina Pliskova
Betting Odds: Pliskova -303
This is a matchup which should go to Pliskova, if only on form. Pliskova made a run to the semifinals of Indian Wells. It’s one of her best showings in a relatively important tournament, Indian Wells being one of the two or three most significant tournaments other than the four Grand Slams. Pliskova is notoriously inconsistent, and that reality will make at least some bettors shy away from her here in this situation. However, what’s different for Pliskova is that after making a deep run in Indian Wells, she should enter this event with more confidence than she’s had in some time. Moreover, she lost in the semifinals, which were played on Friday at Indian Wells. She’s had a full week in which to regroup and refocus for this tournament. At a normal tournament (one without 96 players), Pliskova would have played a Saturday semifinal and then a Tuesday or Wednesday first-round match. This is a lot more time to gather herself and focus. The challenge of adjusting from one tournament to the next is not as severe when one refers to the transition from Indian Wells to Miami. Pliskova should be just fine. Take her with your tennis picks.
Pick: Pliskova in straight sets
Kristina Mladenovic vs. Nicole Gibbs
Betting Odds: Gibbs -141
This is a match which should feature close sets. Gibbs will get crowd support from the Americans on hand in Key Biscayne. However, she is a wild card, and one would generally expect a wild card to fall short against a seeded player – Mladenovic is 27th. Gibbs might be able to sneak a set, but Mladenovic – a U.S. Open quarterfinalist last September – is a seasoned and clever player who has the variety of shot needed to keep Gibbs off balance. Gibbs will likely enter this game with a simple and direct game plan – an underdog player can’t take the court expecting to do lots of different things. She has to rely on a few strengths and press them. Mladenovic is versatile enough that she won’t allow Gibbs to get into a comfort zone. Take Mladenovic with your tennis picks.
Pick: Mladenovic in three sets
Carla Suarez-Navarro vs. CoCo Vandeweghe
Betting Odds: Suarez Navarro -164
This is a match which is highly intriguing, and it’s realistic to make a case for both players. Vandeweghe is an American playing in her home country on her preferred playing surface. She could very well come up with a good match here. However, Vandeweghe has hit a ceiling at recent tournaments, winning no more than two matches in her last several events. Suarez-Navarro did not play Indian Wells, but she won Doha. She is rested, and while she might be rusty enough that Vandeweghe wins a set, she should be energized enough to win the match in three. Take her with your tennis picks.
Pick: Suarez-Navarro in three sets
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