The Prague Open tennis tournament moves into the round of 16. It’s heading toward a Saturday final so that players who compete in this event can then switch over to the big Premier tournament in Madrid on Sunday. That’s where we’ll pickup our tennis picks.
We had a strong start to the tournament as we went 3-0 with our tennis picks on Tuesday. We had Caroline Wozniacki (who we’ll be betting against today). She had a very easy time of things with Misaki Doi. Doi was blanked in the first set. We also had Sam Stosur, who had no problems with Evgeniya Rodina. Rodina only managed to win five games in the entire match. Lastly, we had Jelena Ostapenko. She helped us to our third straight sets win on the day to sweep the board. She had no problems with Lesia Tsurenko. Tsurenko only won four games in the first set and three in the second.
Looking ahead to Wednesday, remember that clay changes the equation for players. How they performed during the Indian Wells-Miami hardcourt swing cannot be used too much as an indication of how they are likely to play on European red dirt. Let’s see what’s in store for us in three round-of-16 matches in Prague. Here are our tennis picks for Wednesday’s action.
Beatriz Haddad-Maia vs. Samantha Stosur
Neither player has accomplished much this season, but in much the same way that Evgeniya Rodina was not an imposing player in the round of 32, Beatriz Haddad Maia is not an overwhelmingly powerful opponent for Samantha Stosur in the round of 16. This is meant to underscore the point that this match will be on Stosur’s racquet. It will depend on Stosur’s frame of mind. Stosur looked very solid and composed against Rodina, a player who could not hurt her, so it follows that if Stosur can play a similarly uncomplicated match against Haddad Maia, she should be able to dictate the terms on which the match is played. Stosur is erratic, but if she ever finds a pocket of stability and quality consistency, she is going to be the superior player against most opponents on tour. She will struggle against higher-ranked players in later rounds of tournaments, but this is a match which she definite should win, and after playing so well on Tuesday, she should be able to carry that form into Wednesday and get the job done. Stosur is the better options for your tennis picks in this matchup.
Pick: Stosur in straight sets
Jelena Ostapenko vs. Caroline Wozniacki
This is a rematch of the Charleston quarterfinal clash between the two. That was on green clay, which generally plays faster than red clay. Ostapenko hammered Wozniacki in two routine sets. Wozniacki is even less comfortable on red clay than on green clay, so it is hard to see a way out for her in this match. She will need Ostapenko to play poorly, but the Latvian looked reasonably smooth in a straight-set win on Tuesday. The setup to this match does not bode well for Wozniacki. Take Ostapenko with your tennis picks here.
Pick: Ostapenko in three sets
Barbora Strycova vs. Lucie Hradecka
This is a match which is influenced by the surface. Hradecka is an accomplished doubles player. Accordingly, she has very solid net skills and is rewarded by playing on a faster surface. One particularly strong component of Hradecka’s game is her serve, one of the bigger ones on tour. Red clay will neutralize that weapon more than just about any other surface in tennis, so for that reason alone, Hradecka is at more of a disadvantage than she would be in many other circumstances. Moreover, Strycova is a powerful baseline hitter. She can keep Hradecka pinned on the baseline with heavy topspin and prevent Hradecka from establishing herself at the net. Strycova can use clay to gain more time to retrieve Hradecka’s shots, which won’t penetrate the court as regularly. Strycova is the sensible choice here. Take her with your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Strycova in three sets
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