The Prague Open tennis tournament moves to the semifinals and so do our tennis picks. We had a decent day on Thursday with our tennis picks when we went 2-1. Our lone loss on the day was with Barbora Strycova, who was a slight -115 favorite. She had a very close matchup with Sam Stosur and Stosur needed to win a tiebreaker in the third set to get the job done. As for our two winners, one came rather easily with Karolina Pliskova beating up on Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-1. Our other win was harder fought as Svetlana Kuznetsova dropped the first set to Monica Puig, but ended up winning the last two sets 7-5 and 6-4 to earn the victory.
Looking ahead to Friday, players have gotten past the early rounds and subdued the challenges of rust from previous weeks. They’ve gotten past the jet lag and the travel. Now comes the sprint toward the finish line.
Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Samantha Stosur
Kuznetsova and Stosur have both won major championships, so this is a matchup between players who have achieved a lifelong dream in tennis. Now, they’re trying to add to their lists of accomplishments. The winner will play for the Prague championship on Saturday. Which player will prevail?
Both Stosur and Kuznetsova played long, tough, involving three-set matches in the previous round. Stosur got past Barbora Strycova, while Kuznetsova held off Monica Puig. Strycova is Czech, and was therefore playing in front of her countrymen, so Stosur’s ability to win with the crowd cheering against her is very impressive. Kuznetsova did not face the same challenge against Puig.
On the other hand, Kuznetsova is showing a little more consistency. She made the final in Miami, so it seems that her game is in a very good place. It’s carrying over from the hardcourts of Miami to the clay of Prague. Kuznetsova is having a good month, whereas Stosur is just having a good tournament. Stosur could very well be the more confident player after beating a host-nation opponent and a tougher foe than anyone Kuznetsova has faced in this tournament. However, the other side is that the day after an emotionally draining win, tennis players can take the court while being flat. They just don’t have the pop or the energy they did the day before, when they won a match which greatly mattered. Stosur could very easily fall victim to this dynamic. Because Kuznetsova is playing so well, she gets a slight edge in what should be a three-setter. Go with Kuznetsova for your tennis picks.
Pick: Kuznetsova in three sets
Karolina Pliskova vs. Lucie Safarova
Betting Odds: Pliskova -250
This is a matchup in which you can make a choice between two kinds of outcomes in a tournament. One outcome was that Pliskova won her match very easily in the previous round, 2 and 1. Getting off the court quickly and being able to rest a lot are very important for professional athletes. Pliskova will not lose this match due to fatigue – that can’t happen. She’ll lose only if a combination of nerves and her opponent wear her down.
Yet, Pliskova has been known to be vulnerable to late-match meltdowns. Which player will she be? The steady one or the erratic one?
This is where the other side of the argument comes into play. Safarova advanced out of the previous round in a tough match with extended-length sets. On one hand, that will mean that she won’t be as rested as Safarova. However, the counterbalancing point is that Safarova has been toughened more in terms of knowing how to be aggressive on the court in a tight match that could have gone either way. If she’s a little bit drained, that’s a drawback, but she has shown she can win tough and grueling matches. That provides confidence in the next match.
Yet, the verdict here is that rest will matter most. Pliskova’s easy win yesterday has put her in such great position to win this semifinal. Take Pliskova with your tennis picks.
Pick: Pliskova in three sets
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