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neilovan

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Posts posted by neilovan

  1. 4 hours ago, neilovan said:

    Should be very good tennis today in Monte Carlo.

    For me I like all 4 matches. Tsitsipas likes the conditions and I think he gets the better of Khachanov.

    I think Djokovic will be seriously motivated against De Minaur (wanting revenge for earlier season defeat). Price is not great but I will include him in a small multiplier.

    Both Rune and Humbert had long tough matches yesterday. Humbert finished quite late last night, while Rune had a tough match with DImitrov. I don't think either will recover fully for today, and both will be a little flat. So In both matches I am taking the opponents (Sinner and Ruud) to win in straight sets. Ruud 8 to 10 and Sinner 4 to 10.

    Gives a 4 legged bet odds of 4.2 which is OK. Not going crazy ... just a little incentive to keep some interest.

    6 break points and 2 match points and somehow he fails to win the second set. Sinner has to win 1 point in any of those 8. 

  2. Should be very good tennis today in Monte Carlo.

    For me I like all 4 matches. Tsitsipas likes the conditions and I think he gets the better of Khachanov.

    I think Djokovic will be seriously motivated against De Minaur (wanting revenge for earlier season defeat). Price is not great but I will include him in a small multiplier.

    Both Rune and Humbert had long tough matches yesterday. Humbert finished quite late last night, while Rune had a tough match with DImitrov. I don't think either will recover fully for today, and both will be a little flat. So In both matches I am taking the opponents (Sinner and Ruud) to win in straight sets. Ruud 8 to 10 and Sinner 4 to 10.

    Gives a 4 legged bet odds of 4.2 which is OK. Not going crazy ... just a little incentive to keep some interest.

  3. Two woman's picks I like today.

    First is Sloan Stephens to beat Fernandez. Stephens in great form, while Fernandez is not. Nice odds of around 1.75 which is decent for me.

    Second match is Kalinina to beat Kasatkina. Kalinina very on clay. Coming off a demolition job of Wozniaki (6-2  6-3) which is certainly not easy.  Odds of 2.35 make this a a very well priced shot. To see a scoreline of 6-3  0-6  6-1 for Kasatkina in her first match in CHarleston is just bizarre. She should not be losing a 2nd set 6-0. It shows a lack of focus and consistency.

    Intersting to see Choinski beating up Hurkacz ATM. He looks strong and has Hurkacz under pressure every game so far. LOL I give him the thumbs up and he disintegrates...

  4. I am loving seeing the end of certain players that have gamed the system and their rankings for years. And it's an art form.

    If a player gets automatically into the 9 ATP1000's and the 4 majors they are picking up (9x40K) and 4x75K) or 660 000$ without winning a match. But getting there is the battle, and anyone doing it earned their money. Tennis is just brutal. Not in the top 125, you are struggling.

    It is insane money. But players like Fognini, Paire. Opelka, Carballes Beana, Carenno Busta, Rionic,  Wawrinka, Sock, Kyrigos must just give it up and retire.

    Free some space up for more of the next gen (Cazaux, Tablio, Arnaldi)..

    Two best matches today are probably Dimitrov v. Tabilo and Shapavalov v. Matteo Arnaldi. Grigor is an amazing player. He paints the court, but it is an unbettable match.

    In the Arnaldi match I expect Arnaldi to win a close one.

  5. Two favorites I do like on the woman's side of the draw are Osaka to beat Garcia and Pavlychenkova to beat Alexandrova.

    If you get a chance go and look at the highlights from Indian wells in the match between Kostyk and Pavlychenkova. Very high standard match where Kostyk won. There is no better athlete than her on the woman's tour. Olympic athlete quality, with a tennis racquet in her hand. Pavlyochenkova actually played well ... just ran into a buzz saw.  I think she has too much game for Alexandrova here. She is a tough,  physically strong competitor.

    Caroline Garcia is not playing well. Lost 1st round of 3 of her last 4 tournaments. Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Dubai and just got over the line at Indian Wells. She is currenlty ranked 27 and that ranking does not lie. Her results in the USA are really poor. For some reason she is not comfortable there. Last season she lost 1st match Miami, Citi Open, Canadian Open, Western & Southern and US Open.  She's getting worse and Osaka is getting better, finding her confidence and fitness.  Garcia beat Osaka a few months ago, but Osaka was early on the comebac path. Will take Osaka and Pavlychenkova as a double. I will also take Osaka as a single in a bigger bet.

     

    I think that Paolini has a very good chance to beat Navarro. For Paolini, the rise in the rankings has been crazy. I think she is 13 or 14 ranked now, which is an amazing climb. Both players have very good form at the moment so it will be a tough match. But Paolini has beaten 6 players in a row where she was the underdog, winning the WTA1000 in Dubai. She is in the best form/moment of her (tennis) life. I am not sure the 2.23 on Paolini is worth it. For me the slightly better bet is the over 21.5 games at 1.8 as you could win that in a close match that has a breaker.

     

  6. I think Elina Avanesyan has a very good shot at beating Ons Javeur. Jabuer right off form losing in straight sets to Volynets, Tsurenko and Haddad Maia. In between she won a couple of matches against Starodubtseva, Bronzettie and Krueger, but she was an overwhelming favorite for all 3 of those.

    Avanesyan demolished Andreeva. It was a proper spanking after being iced 2nd set (6-0  3-6  6-1)

    1st set was literally 18 minutes. Andreeva then went for a bathroom break of 6 minutes which is a joke (impossible to be tired after 18 minutes of tennis).  Avanesyan then squashed her in the 3rd (6-1).  Avanesyan is very good. Physically fit and strong, and mentally tough, with confidence and a level of calmness. 

    For me Jabeur looks the opposite. Unfit and at odds with her game, having lost 1st match in Qatar and Indian Wells. Taking the straight win for Avanesyan here but may even go whole hog and go for 2-0 in sets which is 4.5

     

    I don't think Murray beats Etcheverry. Etcheverry beat him convincingly at the Aussie open, and Murray just does not have the physical capacity to play the grinding game, like he did in the past. He used to be the "Grinder" and now he is the "Grindee".

    OK, he beat Berrettini but Berrettini served poorly (64% 1st serve in). I watched Berrettini at the Aussie open v Kevin Anderson a few years back and he made 15 first serves in a row, so he is some way from his best. If his 1st serve is off, he struggles ...  when it's on he gets endless freebee's.

    Murray should be figuring out how to shorten matches, volley and be more aggressive. The older he gets, the more his physical ability diminishes. Quicker matches helps him, and grinding 3 setters don't. But he refuses to try andything different, and the old way will not deliver any more.

     

  7. 19 hours ago, CzechPunter said:

    Sloane Stephens to beat Sorana Cirstea at 1.80 with William Hill

    Stephens put in a surprisingly good performance against Kerber in the previous round, and she managed to beat Cirstea comfortably in Indian Wells, so I quite like the 1.80 that's on offer for her here. It's hard to like Cirstea in her first tournament matches as well.

    Have not posted for a while. I think the Stephems  Cirstea match is really 50-50. Stephens won at Indian wells but Cirstea beat her at the Qatar Open 6-2  6-3. I thought Kerber was quite poor in her match with Stephens. Slow on the court and quite a way from top level fitness ... hitting everything at one pace, with a really poor 2nd serve. Made Stephens look way better than she is. I would be interesting to Know when Cirstea got into the West Coast (how many days before match), but she has probably been in Miami for at least a week getting ready. I expect much more from her this time. Her year has really been defined by a terrible start losing 1st round at Brisbane, Adelaide and the Aussie. 

    Cirstea is based in Dubai, and may just be a poor traveller. Australia quite a long flisght - poor results. USA West Coast the same.

  8. Watched the Kalinskaya v Stephens match. Kalinskaya was down 3-4 3rd set, and faced 2 break points. SHe kept her head, survived and landed up winning the last 3 games. She is an excellent athlete. Strong and very well balanced. She has an excellent backhand that she hits up the line, which just kills opponents.  I think she wins against Paolini.

    I think tommorow's 4th round mens matches are all in the balance. Medvedev is not convincing. I don't know how he got past Ruusuvouri because its a match he should have lost. Ruusuvouri didn't believe he could win. It was pretty odd. His opponent Nuno Borges was certainly not expected to beat Dimitrov, so I feel this will be a lot closer than people expect. A close match here and I think over 30.5 games is worth a bet at 1.90

    I think Hurkacz has his hands fully with Cazaux. For me Rune a much better player, yet Cazaux just put him away easily. I think it will be a relatively long match (both have excellent serves), but I'm taking Cazaux to win here. The kid has that bullet proof confidence of youth and I give him the edge when it comes to serving, which could prove the deciding factor in the breakers.

    I gave Norrie no chance to beat Ruud. I didn't see the game. I don't know if Ruud just had a bad day, but it is a surprise result. Norrie is better than he looks. He has this weird style ... like a far more physically capable Mannarino. I think if he gets his tactics right against Zverev he can win. For me, Zverev has a terrible transition game (moving off the baseline, and hitting a midcourt volley or half volley). He can't hit through that ball, and he can't get his tall frame low enough.

    On the baseline he looks amazing ... that 2 handed backhand is as good as Djoko's. But in transition play, he can't get his big frame low enough to hit those shots effectively. Its a glaring weakness in his game. Over 38.5 games at 1.83

    I have not been impressed with Alcaraz. He has so much talent and physicality, but I don't see the expected improvements in his game. He still looks like an unpolished diamond. I watched the Kecmanovic match against Paul. Paul had 2 match points in the 4th set break, yet still lost it 9-7. 5th set Kecmanovic destroyed him. This is a very strong, underrated opponent who can give plenty of problems.  Over 30.5 games at 1.83

     

  9. For me a very difficult, unpredictable Aussie open.

    How many people see Dimitrov losing to Borges, or Norrie beating an in form Ruud?

    Regardless of how well Tsitsipas plays, his 1 handed backhand is just such an average shot. Fritz can more than match him, and the key matchup between his 2 handed backhand and Tsitsi's 1 hander may be the difference.  Serving wise, Fritz has the edge, and I think he just comes out on top.

    I fancy de Minaur to beat Rublev. Andre is just too emotional. He gets so infuriated on the court, and it distracts and wastes energy. The crowd will largely be against Rublev, and I think this 'Davis Cup' type atmosphere will have an effect. Two very similar players, but for me de Minuar has the edge physically. He has also played 9 sets, dropping more than 3 games in a set just once. So he should be a lot fresher. He cleaned up Arnaldi and Coboli, and was done quickly with Raonic in a W/O in 1st round.

     

     

  10. I think Djokovic is vulnerable. Realistically he has played 2 rank outsiders. Prizmic is ranked around 175 and Popyrin is 48. The Djoko of old would just win both these matches 3-0. I think age has caught up with him a little, and he has an extra 2 sets in his legs that he didn't need. For me Etcheverry is much better than both Popyrin and Prizmic. He has won both his Aussie Open matches in straight sets.  

    I went to work in Argentina in the early 2000's and was amazed at how many clay court facilities there were (in Buenos Aires). Lot's of kids hitting balls, facilites for free, coaches provided. As a kid you could play hours a day for no cost. It's a system that produces very solid, strong  players. Growing up and playing on clay does that. High levels of fitness, and solid ground strokes (as the ball bounces slower).

    For me Djoko is not the greatest player ever, but he is the greatest 'recoverer'. He understands his body, and how to recover properly to 100%. Most of his opponents don't.  For me there is no doubt that this recovery is slower now, at his more advanced age. It is less of  a factor. A slightly fatigued Djoko at age 36 vs a rock solid 24 year old in the prime of his life... I think this goes to the wire and Etcheverry is worth a punt at 11-1. The handicap +7.5 also looks OK at 1.83

    I was super impressed with Arthur Cazaux against Rune. This kid can play. Strong and tall, with a cannon for a serve. Moves very well and has a solid temprament. Rune is tricky, but he swatted him aside. It is a top win against a top 10 opponent. Not sure why he is the underdog against Griekspoor on Sat but I think he wins here.

    I watched the Pegula v Burel match, and it was amazing how Burel just wiped her out. Pegula got so frustrated and her body language and mind just crumbled. And it is no fluke. Burel was world junior #1, so she has game, very good technique and the ability to problem solve on court. The only thing that was slighly lacking was physical strength, which will grow as she gets older. I think she wins quite easily against Dodin in the all French affair.

    Will continue to back Navarro, and I think she wins against Yastremska. Just on such a winning streak, against an inconsistent opponent. Burel and Navarro as a double for me. 

     

  11. 10 minutes ago, Swami said:

    Can't believe Frech didn't lose the third set, she was completely out of gas and Zakharova was bossing her around missing very few shots... peak WTA as usual... not to talk about Kostyuk's and Andreeva's matches 😱

    Zakharova had 3 break points at 4-4 (in a set where they had lost serve 6/8 times).  Really should have won it, but both of them have limited serves

  12. 50 minutes ago, CzechPunter said:

    Every single favourite struggling today it seems - except Ostapenko 😕🤪

    Game on with Tomljanovic. No love lost there.3rd set should be interesting. Medvedev also battling with Ruusuvouri, and Hurkacz down 2 -1 .  Maybe the overcast conditions slowing the ball down a bit. 

  13. Tough pickings this Aussie Open. Bookmakers are not giving much away. Crazy low odds all over the place.

    I would rather be taking a few outsiders as singles than betting a very low piced fav.

     

    I do like Mertens for the straight win against Kostyuk. Kostyuk playing better, but still losing against the players she is expected to lose against.

    It's like her game is good, but she can't get to the next level. For me any woman who is playing 'atypical tennis' needs attention. That is solid 1st serve and good 1st strike tennis, and Mertens falls into this group. 

     

    I'm not feeling to much strength for Haddad-Maia. Played 3 warm up games and has been properly beaten twice. I don't think her confidence is soaring.

    Date Winner   Odds Loser   Odds   Score
    2024-01-15 Haddad Maia B.   1.25  Fruhvirtova L.   4.03 6-2 3-6 6-2
    2024-01-08 Pavlyuchenkova A.   2.21  Haddad Maia B.   1.66 6-3 6-4
    2023-12-30 Swiatek I.   1.12  Haddad Maia B.   6.04 6-2 6-2

    Her opponent is probably the best junior player in the world. Born in 2007 (lol), Alina Korneeva could cause a shock here. She qualified and is on a 4 match winning streak, beating Sorribes Tormo in the previous round (3 sets coming from a set down against a road runner). So she has the physicality. Korneeva is like Juncheng Shang - top ITF junior in the world, winning junior Grand Slam at French and Australia.

     

    I'm not too impressed with Jabeur. Looks slightly undercooked to me and is up against an opponent (Mira Andreeva) who is in great form. She had a seriously good Brisbane international. I quite like the 6-1 and 6-2 sets. For me it indicates very good ground strokes, and somebody who is getting on top of opponents, and then putting them away. For me Andreeva with the straight win.

    Date    Winner   Odds    Loser Odds Score
    2024-01-15   Andreeva M.   1.17   Pera B. 5.11 7-5 6-2
    2024-01-12   Andreeva M.   1.56   Collins D. 2.31 7-6 6-1
    2024-01-05   Noskova L.   3.96   Andreeva M. 1.25 7-5 6-3
    2024-01-04   Andreeva M.   1.08     Rodionova A. 8.01 6-1 6-1
    2024-01-03   Andreeva M.   1.81   Samsonova L. 1.99 6-2 6-1
    2023-12-31   Andreeva M.   1.22   Shnaider D. 4.26 6-2 6-3

     

    For a low odds 2 legged fav I like Emma Navarro, who is on a serious run of form. Only around 4 to 10 but it looks like 1 way traffic to me against Cocciaretto. My 2nd leg would be Shelton (who had a comfortable 1st round) over O'Connell who had to win in 5, winning the last 2 sets. Not sure O'Connell will have recovered, as a tough 5 setter is a leg killer so early in a tournament.

    Date Winner Odds Loser Odds Score
    2024-01-13   Navarro E.   2.09 Mertens E. 1.74 6-1 4-6 7-5
    2024-01-12   Navarro E.   1.36 Yuan Y. 3.17 6-4 6-3
    2024-01-11   Navarro E.   1.26 Tomova V. 3.80 4-6 6-3 6-2
    2024-01-10   Navarro E.   1.48 Frech M. 2.66 6-3 6-3
    2024-01-09   Navarro E.   1.68 Burel C. 2.18 4-6 6-3 6-3
    2024-01-06   Gauff C.   1.10 Navarro E. 7.05 6-3 6-1
    2024-01-05   Navarro E.   1.78 Martic P. 2.03 6-4 6-3
    2024-01-03   Navarro E.   1.22 Avanesyan E. 4.21 6-1 6-2
    2024-01-01   Navarro E.   1.40 Fruhvirtova L. 2.97 2-6 6-4 6-2

    When you see a player who is beating players, who themselves are winning matches, it is a clear show of strength.  

    Good luck.

     

  14. I think Villa beat Man United tomorrow. Villa have played 8 games against the top 10 teams. Won 6 lost 2.  They are so impressive, and I would like to see them go on and do a Leicester and win the whole thing.

    United are just atrocious. Ten hag has painted himself into a corner. Buying Antony for 82m has been a disaster. The guy is just outta his league, but if he sits him down, ten Hag looks like a clown for buying him. They buy Onana for 44m and Villa buy Martinez for 17m. Go figure!

    Against the top teams United have been atrocious this year. They have taken 1 point from a possible 21. 7 matches 1 draw. Fialed to score 5 times, and outscored in these matches 14-2. Seriously, that is pathetic.

    It's like the joke going around " A Man United fan and a Chelsea fan meet in hell to watch the game..." . United are just awful, and I am a fan. Watching them is a brutal waste of time.

     

    I think Newcastle drop points against Forest. They just look out on their feet, and outta gas. 

    For me the 2 away wins as a small double are worthwhile.

  15. Hi All,

    For me two clear opportunities this weekend. Having watched most of the games (except the blowouts).

    Argentina are just not good. Sloppy with the ball, scrummaging badly, stupid mistakes, slow loose forwards and terrible with the restarts. I thought they just had an off day against England, but they were rubbish against Japan as well. I think Wales, who are solid, will beat them easily. Prob 10+ points.

    The Boks will be far better against France, than they were against Ireland. Against Ireland they were quite poor in the red zone, blowing 4 of 5 good chances.  They also went for posts when they could have kicked for the corner 3 times. The only thing they did well against Ireland was defend. The other aspects of the game are just expected from a Bok side.

    Pollard will be kicking, and Lukhanyo Am (for me the best center in rugby) will be back. I expect the team  performance to rise considerably (from a 6.5 to a 9+). They have France's number and I expect a 7+ points win.

     Good luck

     

  16. 10 hours ago, neilovan said:

    Quite a strange day yesterday to see Korda and Sakkari get beaten. Sakkari with her second 1st round loss at a major in a row.  Looked to be in control and then fell apart against Kostyk.

    I do see a day of upsets today.

    I think (as Smiles noted) that Svitolina beats Mertens. Bencic beats Collins who has hardly played any on grass.

    For me Karatsev is on the comeback. Probably overplayed and burnt himself out for 18 months when he finally cracked the top 70 or so. Guy looked mentally frazzled and was beating himself. He looks far calmer on the court now, and I think he posses a real threat to Rublev.  Not going crazy here, just a small bet on Karatsev win.

     You look at the order of play, and the fare on Centre and #1 court is rubbish. 5 lousy matches. As a spectacle only the Murray v Tsitsipas match deserves it's place. Would you want a ticket for court #1? Not me. 

    For me match of the day is Francisco Cerundolo versus Jiri Lehecka. Both excellent, and it is one that can go either way. Nothing to choose between them, and probably the over games is the way to go.

    I think Tsitsipas beats Andy Murray. Thiem was a much tougher game, but he showed some fortitude in getting through that.  Age catches up with everyone and a young, good opponent will hurt Andy. I also don't think Murray can pressurize the Tsitsipas backhand as much as a taller player.

    I think Fernandez has a good chance against Garcia. She has to keep her focus and composure against a not brilliant opponent. Garcia seems to win but never convincingly.

    AS a 'bet the house banker' I would go for Tiafoe v Stricker. Stricker came back from 1-4 down 5th set yesterday to win 7-5 against Popyrin,  and he will be feeling it.

    My low priced fav 5 legged bet would be Tiafoe, Muchova, Rybakina, Dimitrov and Ruud which gives about 14 to 10. Muchova just too athletic, Rybakina too good behind her serve, Dimitrov excellent on grass and Ruud very solid.

     

    Why can't one of my horses quit when they are injured? MUchova losing 6-1 in the final set to someone she should beat 9 times out of 10. Cannot catch a break with this stuff. 

     

    You tell me Ruud, Muchova, Korda and Sakkari are going to lose in the 1st round ... I say Impossible, how much you wanna bet 🤐

  17. Quite a strange day yesterday to see Korda and Sakkari get beaten. Sakkari with her second 1st round loss at a major in a row.  Looked to be in control and then fell apart against Kostyk.

    I do see a day of upsets today.

    I think (as Smiles noted) that Svitolina beats Mertens. Bencic beats Collins who has hardly played any on grass.

    For me Karatsev is on the comeback. Probably overplayed and burnt himself out for 18 months when he finally cracked the top 70 or so. Guy looked mentally frazzled and was beating himself. He looks far calmer on the court now, and I think he posses a real threat to Rublev.  Not going crazy here, just a small bet on Karatsev win.

     You look at the order of play, and the fare on Centre and #1 court is rubbish. 5 lousy matches. As a spectacle only the Murray v Tsitsipas match deserves it's place. Would you want a ticket for court #1? Not me. 

    For me match of the day is Francisco Cerundolo versus Jiri Lehecka. Both excellent, and it is one that can go either way. Nothing to choose between them, and probably the over games is the way to go.

    I think Tsitsipas beats Andy Murray. Thiem was a much tougher game, but he showed some fortitude in getting through that.  Age catches up with everyone and a young, good opponent will hurt Andy. I also don't think Murray can pressurize the Tsitsipas backhand as much as a taller player.

    I think Fernandez has a good chance against Garcia. She has to keep her focus and composure against a not brilliant opponent. Garcia seems to win but never convincingly.

    AS a 'bet the house banker' I would go for Tiafoe v Stricker. Stricker came back from 1-4 down 5th set yesterday to win 7-5 against Popyrin,  and he will be feeling it.

    My low priced fav 5 legged bet would be Tiafoe, Muchova, Rybakina, Dimitrov and Ruud which gives about 14 to 10. Muchova just too athletic, Rybakina too good behind her serve, Dimitrov excellent on grass and Ruud very solid.

     

  18. 2 hours ago, delfino said:

    Today Marozcan to beat Elias Ymer is something good. Price is wonderful 1.66 offered by bet365.

    And again i go in a separate single worth to risk case, Haffmann to beat the only one hand player mister Tsitsipas. Huge price again by 4.33 bet365

    Anytime i see Tsitsipas on grass i rate the opponent's probabilities. The German is super server, and he can break the weak Tsitsipas backhand a couple of times, imo. 

    Tell me something please. Why Tsitsipas continues to use his backhand in such ridiculous way? Are his team of coaches composed by blind men? I think yes, they are blind, and they give me.  the opportunity to risk against him. 

    Good luck punters! 

    As a coach you can't just turn a single handed backhand into a two handed one. It will take months , possibly years. It is to do with the reach and the twist of the core muscles. It is like trying to teach a world class swimmer who does breaststroke to now swim olympic standard butterfly.

  19. Just now, delfino said:

    My simple reply is that Ostapenko may destroy anyone. No matter who is her opponent, she is hitting the ball with such power that it is impossible for any WTA player to return.

    I am not going strongly on her today, because we are just few days before the Wimbledon, and probably both of players won't give on the court their 100%.

    Ostapenko small bet. 

    I think it is quite a tricky matchup.

    Do they care?  I don't think this is important to them. Was just a back up plan if last week failed.

    Is one player exhausted from last week and the travel/acclimation?  Maybe, perhaps both slightly tired (more mental than physical).

    Do they want a break before WImbledon? YES! They would definitely prefer a rest up, move down to London, and and practise/rest up for the week.

    I may take a small bet early, and then lump it on after the 1st set. I cannot see this match going long or 3 sets. Whoever wins the 1st set wins. Thinking about it, for me the pre match bet  is the under 22.5 games at 8 to 10, and a lump on the 1st set winner.

  20. 1 hour ago, CzechPunter said:

    @Smiles Tennis I honestly didn't like Navarro that much against Podoroska, too many questionable decisions and not playing as well as before, hopefully she does the trick for you, though!

    Jelena Ostapenko to beat Petra Kvitova at 2.38 with William Hill

    Two tournament winners from the previous week, and I don't really know why Ostapenko is the underdog. Kvitova with more traveling to do and with the age factor as well, I'd much rather be on Ostapenko at above evens.

    It is quite a rare thing to see exceptional woman's tennis matches.

    Most of the stuff is pretty average. Double faults, unforced errors and a one dimensional game. I have seen 3 excellent matches in the last couple of months. Jabuer v Danilovic (French Open), Jabuer v Muchova (French Open), and the final in Berlin between Kvitova and Vekic. Vekic actually had a big chance second set. Served for it at 5-4 and then lost it in a breaker.

    But the tennis in Berlin was top class. Very few unforced errors and exceptional hitting of the ball.  Kvitova in this form will take some beating. Her serve is dynamite, and she has tremendous power off both sides. It is the best I have seen her play in years. For me she destroys Ostapenko today.

    Then you compare this match to yesterday's encounter between Pliskova and Mertens. The gap in quality is miles. Pliskova and Mertens played a match of 'worse' and 'worser'. Mertens had 10 double faults in the 1st set, and neither of them could hit the ball.

     

    Pegula has played one match (doubles) on grass and may be a little undercooked for Zheng.  I am also not convinced regarding Boulter v Martic. Boulter won a tournament but you look at the quality of the field and it was weak. (Burrage 131, Watson 195, Dart 143, Snigur 157, Appelton 230+ so very low ranking opponents).  

     

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