The Ricoh tennis tournament progresses into the quarterfinals and so do our tennis picks. On Thursday, we went 2-1 with our tennis picks in what turned out to be a productive day. Our lone loss of the day was Jelena Jankovic, who failed us in her bout with Evgeniya Rodina. Jankovic actually took the first set in a tiebreaker but then proceeded to drop the latter two. However, we made up for it with a couple of winning picks. We cashed with Viktorija Golubic, who had a relatively easy time of things with Risa Ozaki. Then we also cashed in with Belinda Bencic, who is one of the top seeds in the tournament. She actually lost the first set to Varvara Lepchenko before winning the final two to advance.
Looking ahead toe Friday, rust continues to be a factor for a number of players who didn’t go very far at the French Open – or didn’t play that much during the clay season. However, it should be much less of a consideration, now that they’ve made it through two matches this week at the start of the grass season. It was hard to pick early-round matches just because a lot of players had not collected a lot of match play, in some cases following very long layoffs, but now players can be evaluated on merit and not how practiced they might be. Here is a look at what we like on the board for Friday’s tennis action.
Madison Brengle vs. Kateryna Kozlova
This is the lowest-profile quarterfinal on Friday in Holland, at least on the WTA side. Brengle, though, has occasionally been able to make a run at a Grand Slam event and has shown some staying power on tour – not at the highest level, but enough to notice. Kozlova has not made that same imprint on the tour, so if only because of experience, you would have to rate Brengle as the player more likely to advance. The reality of grass-court tennis is more fragile than on other surfaces, since the odd bounce of the ball generally means points have to be won sooner rather than later. Nevertheless, now that we’re in a quarterfinal, the more established player – while not always the winner – is generally the better and safer choice to make. Take Brengle with your tennis picks.
Pick: Brengle in three sets
Belinda Bencic vs. Viktorija Golubic
This is a matchup in which a higher seed should be able to take care of business. Bencic really had to dig deep in her second-round match on Thursday against Varvara Lepchenko. Down a set, she was about to take the lead in the second set, having earned triple break point on Lepchenko’s serve. However, she lost three straight points, then a fourth break point, and she ultimately failed to break serve. When she fell behind on her serve at 0-30, she was a few points from being in huge trouble. However, she climbed out of that 0-30 deficit and held for 4-3. She won the second set and then took control of the third. Bencic needed a match like that. She needed a day when things weren’t always going her way, and in which she was able to turn things around. Having that experience should fuel her confidence for the rest of the tournament. Being able to play a player who is outside the top 100 in Golubic, Bencic should not be troubled here. Expect a focused and sharp performance on Friday. Take Bencic with your tennis picks.
Pick: Bencic in straight sets
Kristina Mladenovic vs. Elise Mertens
This is a match which should go to Mladenovic. It is well known on tour that Mladenovic possesses a soft touch with drop shots, slices, and other off-pace shots. She has a game which should be able to function extremely well on grass. It can keep a less credentialed player such as Mertens off balance. Mladenovic has so many more tools with which to win a match. She should win here, so take her with your tennis picks.
Pick: Mladenovic in straight sets
