Paul-Henri Mathieu (1.91) v Victor Hanescu (2)

Mathieu beat Hanescu at the 2008 Australian Open but back then the Frenchman was about the 20th best player in the world while this week he finds himself outside the top 100 for the first time in over five years.

Mathieu has lost 15 of his last 20 matches, including 14 of 16 not including his good run at Wimbledon and he suffered two tough defeats in Toronto last week in qualifying and then in the main draw as a lucky loser. Furthermore, he’s lost his last 12 matches against current top 100 ranked players not on grass, including eight against players ranked 51-100, and has also been beaten in seven of his last eight matches when 1.7-2.1 to win.

Hanescu won a couple of matches last week having been on a four-match losing streak and has won 10 of his last 15 matches against players currently ranked 51-100. Furthermore, he’s won four of six matches this year when 1.8-2.2 to win.

Recommendation: Hanescu to win at 2.0, Boyles

Stanislas Wawrinka (1.57) v Nicolas Almagro (2.5)

Wawrinka leads the head-to-head by three wins to one although all four matches have gone to a final set; including a Davis Cup clash the Swiss won 3-2 this year.

Wawrinka played well against Nadal last week but is short of matches having played just three times since losing in the first round at Wimbledon two months ago. Moreover, Wawrinka has lost eight of his last 12 completed matches against current 11-25 ranked players, including five of six matches on outdoor hard courts.

Almagro is a former quarter-finalist here and should cope better with the heat than his opponent. Since Wimbledon the Spaniard has won two titles – both on clay – and seven of his last nine matches against players currently ranked 11-50, and also six of his last seven when 2.0-3.0 to win. Furthermore, he showed excellent form on hard courts earlier this year with a fourth round showing at the Australian Open and then making the fourth round and quarters at Indian Wells and Miami respectively.

Recommendation: Almagro to win at 2.66, Betfair

Thiemo de Bakker (1.4) v Juan Monaco (3)

Monaco beat de Bakker in Davis Cup action last year but the Dutchman is much improved since then while the Argentine has been out of action since losing in the first round of the French Open.

De Bakker beat Feliciano Lopez in straight sets last week and is showing solid form. Plus, with only Challenger points to defend for the next few months a couple of good tournaments could lift him up towards the top 30. The Dutchman has won all six of his career matches when 1.3-1.65 to win with the last five all in straight sets.

Monaco has not played since a first round exit at the French Open in May and the clay-court specialist has a modest W9-L9 record on North American hard courts since 2008. Moreover, he’s lost six of seven hard court matches since 2008 when 2.5-3.5 to win.

Recommendation: De Bakker to win 2-0 at 2.1, Ladbrokes

Viktor Troicki (1.53) v Radek Stepanek (2.75)

Troicki beat Cilic last week in Toronto but is still very inconsistent. However, he has a decent record in North America having previously been a finalist in Washington. Troicki has also won all eight of his completed outdoor hard court matches away from Grand Slams when 1.4-1.7 to win, with six wins in straight sets. Furthermore, the Serb has won 11 of 12 completed first round hard court matches back to last year’s US Open, with nine straight-set wins in the 10 best-of-three set matches.

Stepanek has lost quickly against two journeymen in both his hard court matches since returning from injury and a break to get married. Furthermore, he’s lost seven of his last eight Tour matches with five straight set losses and has hardly played all year due to injury.

Recommendation: Troicki to win 2-0 at 2.25, 888 Sport

Yaroslava Shvedova (1.67) v Angelique Kerber (2.25)

Shvedova is having a good year and reached the fourth round in Miami before making the quarters at Roland Garros. Significantly she’s won six of her last eight matches against players currently ranked 26-50 despite being the underdog for five of those wins. Furthermore, she’s won six of eight matches since February when 1.5-1.8 to win, with five 2-0 wins, and since 2008 has won seven of eight matches against left-handers.

Kerber has not played in the other US hard court series events since Wimbledon and was thrashed in her last match in Copenhagen by Na Li. The promising German has lost five of her last seven matches against players currently ranked 11-50 and nine of 11 matches against top 50 players since 2008.

Recommendation: Shvedova to win at 1.73, Betfair

Jarmila Groth (1.73) v Alona Bondarenko (2.58)

Groth won their only previous meetings and has been enjoying an excellent run of form after reaching the quarters in Estoril, the fourth round at the French Open and Wimbledon and the semis in Istanbul before cruising through qualifying here. Moreover, she’s won her last five matches when 1.5-2.0 to win – all in straight sets – with the last four all by seven or more games.

Bondarenko played fairly well last week in Toronto and has had a decent year. However, she’s lost four of her five hard court matches against players currently ranked 26-100 since the Australian Open. Furthermore, she’s lost six of her last nine matches when 2.0-3.0 to win, with five 2-0 defeats, and has been starting slowly recently as she’s lost the opening set in seven of her last nine matches despite finishing the winner in five of those games.

Recommendation: Groth to win first set at 1.8, Sky Bet