Tennis / Preview / Masters Tennis Day Two Preview

Masters Tennis Day Two Preview

As the remainder of the first round matches are completed in Toronto and Cincy we highlight five matches from the today's schedules.

Radek Stepanek

 

Radek Stepanek (1.57) v Fabio Fognini (2.8)

Stepanek has been away from the game for a lot of this season through injury and then getting married to former tour star Nicole Vaidisova. After winning his first four matches this year in Brisbane he has since lost nine of 16, including six of seven on the main tour, and was well beaten by journeyman Swiss player Marco Chiudinelli in Washington in his first match in two months last week. Furthermore, he’s lost six of nine matches this year against players currently ranked 51-100.

Fognini has come through qualifying, winning both matches in straight sets, and after beating Gael Monfils at the French Open and Fernando Verdasco at Wimbledon he’s shown a real upturn in form after a terrible start to the year. Furthermore, he’s now won eight of his 15 matches on outdoor hard courts since last year’s US Open.

Recommendation: Fognini to win at 2.8, Boyles


Marcos Baghdatis (1.57) v Jeremy Chardy (2.62)

Chardy won the only previous meeting between these players 7/6, 7/6 on hard courts last year. The Frenchman has also come into some form recently as he’s won four of his last six matches against players ranked 26-50. Furthermore he performed well at the North American Masters events in the spring when he beat Sam Querrey in Miami to reach the third round and also produced some good results in the Rogers Cup and Cincinnati last year. Chardy has also won 9/20 matches since 2009 when 2.2-3.2 to win, including six of 10 on hard courts.


Baghdatis reached the final in Washington last week and if he can reproduce the form he showed at times there he is a deserved favourite. However, having to play again so soon will be a serious test of his fitness after a number of close matches. The Cypriot has won 13 of 21 matches against players currently ranked 26-100 since February but only seven of his last 12 when 1.45-1.70 to win with half those matches featuring at least one tie-break, as have 11 of his last 17 matches on hard courts this year. However, he’s won nine of the 12 tie-breaks he’s played in this time so it is worth taking some cover on there being a tie-break.

Recommendation: Split stake Chardy to win at 2.62, BWin
                                   Tie-break in match – Yes at 2.35, William Hill


Xavier Malisse (1.44) v Michael Berrer (3.14)

Malisse beat Berrer twice in the second half of last year on hard courts. Since then, the Belgian veteran has climbed up the rankings from outside the top 200 a year ago to 51st now. Furthermore he impressed last week in Washington reaching the semis after wins over Benneteau, Isner and Berdych. Since April Malisse has won five of six matches when 1.3-1.6 to win and back to the French Open he’s won six of eight matches against players currently ranked 26-100.

In contrast Berrer has lost his last six matches against players ranked 26-100 and nine of his last 10 against all players. Last year Berrer lost in the first round of qualifying here before going out in round one of the US Open and generally he’s struggled for results in North America.

Recommendation: Malisse -3.5 games at 2.0, Betfair


Sorana Cirstea (1.57) v Sybille Bammer (2.55)

These two have never met and come into this in contrasting form. A couple of months ago Cirstea was struggling to keep the ball in court but a trip to Las Vegas to train with Andre Agassi’s former coaching team seems to have given her the boost she needed as she’s won six of her last eight matches including two comfortable wins in qualifying here. Furthermore, she’s won seven of her last eight hard court matches against players currently outside the top 25, which includes a win over Wimbledon semi-finalist Kvitova who like Bammer is left-handed.

Bammer beat Serena Williams on US hard courts a year ago but since March she’s lost nine of 13 matches and has not won a match since before Wimbledon. Furthermore, she’s also lost eight of her last 14 matches against players now ranked 51-100 with six defeats in straight sets.

Recommendation: Cirstea to win 2-0 at 2.5, Betfair


Elena Vesnina (1.73) v Melanie Oudin (2.25)

Oudin created a name for herself when knocking out Russia’s finest in last year’s US Open but her form has been poor ever since and when these two met earlier this year it was the Russian who won for the loss of just three games.

Vesnina has shown a return to form since Wimbledon as she snapped a seven-match losing streak to reach the final in Istanbul and her powerful game is definitely more suited to hard courts as she showed last year when reaching the final in New Haven directly before the US Open. Moreover, since 2009 she’s won 10 of 14 matches against players currently ranked 26-50, including five of six on hard courts, and six of those last seven victories came in straight sets.

In contrast Oudin has lost five of seven matches against 26-50 ranked players since 2009 and 14 of her last 24 matches, including 15 of her last 18 matches against current top 100 ranked players of which 11 of the last 12 defeats were 2-0.

Recommendation: Vesnina to win at 1.73, Sporting Bet
 

 
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