Rogers Cup tennis tournament steams forward into the second round and so do our tennis picks. On Tuesday, we saw some exciting matches with nine of them going the full three sets. One of the big upsets of the day was the loss of Aleksandra Wozniak. The Canadian was hoping for a better showing but lost to Sara Errani in straight sets. However, the good news for Canadians is that Eugenie Bouchard – arguably the top Canadian on the women’s side – got a win. She had a tough showdown with Lucie Safarova but she in fact managed to earn the win. She outlasted her in a third set tiebreak to advance to the next round.
As players try to get a feel for hardcourts in the return to the surface for a lot of the better performers on the WTA Tour, one week before the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is a 900-point tournament, though, so it’s more than just practice for the Olympics for those who will make the trip to South America. This tournament in Montreal is valuable in and of itself.
Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Monica Niculescu
So much of modern tennis is power-based, but this is something different. Radwanska and Niculescu are both noted for how they hit at modest, sometimes soft, speeds and focus on varying the pace of their shots. Niculescu is actually more off-speed than Radwanska, hitting a lot of chips and chops and doing so from her forehand side to an extent not matched by 99 percent of the other players on the WTA Tour. This is tricky style of play for a lot of professionals to face, but for Radwanska, a player who focuses on taking the ball early and merely redirecting it instead of trying to blast the ball all the time, this should not be hard to absorb. Radwanska knows how to play off-pace tennis and use touch more than strength. Niculescu is an opponent she should be able to handle. Niculescu also won the doubles tournament in Washington, D.C. last week and has picked up some tread on the tires. She is probably going to be tired after playing a three-set match on Tuesday. Radwanska, with a first-round bye, will be fresh for this match. It all sets up very well for her here, so take Radwanska with your tennis picks.
Pick: Radwanska in straight sets
Petra Kvitova vs. Andrea Petkovic
This is a matchup of two big hitters, though Kvitova is the biggest hitter in the game other than Serena Williams. Kvitova is impossible to beat when she’s firing on all cylinders and hitting her targets in the corners of the court, but she rarely gets to that point, and in the last two years, she has not even done well at Wimbledon, one of the few tournaments where she has a great reputation. Kvitova is an erratic player, not only within the courses of tournaments, but within individual matches. It’s hard to bet on her, but it’s the reality of her matches. It’s worth asking if Petkovic is consistent enough to mount sufficient resistance to Kvitova. Given that Petkovic has had a year bereft of any particularly noteworthy accomplishments, Kvitova merits a slight edge in a close match. Take Kvitovoa with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Kvitova in three sets
Barbora Strycova vs. Venus Williams
This is a match which will get a lot of attention. Venus had a good week last week in Stanford, California, at the Bank of the West Classic, reaching the finals before losing to Johanna Konta. She has played great tennis this summer, which could lead bettors to favor her in this match. However, Venus played in California and had to make the long trip to Montreal. Strycova didn’t have to go through that grind, and that should be the difference in this match, the first for Venus in Canada at this tournament. It’s probably going to be her last one as well. Strycova is the player you’ll want to add to your tennis picks here.
Pick: Strycova in three sets
