Tennis Picks Canadian Masters 2013 (August 7th)

The Second Round matches in Toronto and Montreal will take place on Wednesday, although I am aware that there could be some rain delays at both tournaments today especially later in the afternoon.

Today the likes of Andy Murray will make their return to the courts for the first time since Wimbledon and I think the World Number 2 will be quite happy that he is facing Marcel Granollers rather than Grigor Dimitrov in his first match.

We saw some surprising winners on Tuesday, although it was also good to see Novak Djokovic, my main outright pick for the week, coming through his match with Florian Mayer with very little trouble. Despite being the World Number 1, I do think the next month or so is a big time for Djokovic as he bids to pick up his second Grand Slam title of the season.

I have a feeling that he is aware that some people will begin to think Andy Murray or Rafael Nadal are the 'real' Number 1 in the Rankings if either of those two players pick up the title here, especially as they are the men that have stopped Djokovic in the last two Grand Slams. While it has been another consistently strong season for the Serb, I have a feeling he needs to just push on over the next few weeks and be the player lifting a couple of titles to underline his position as the best player on the ATP Tour.


Tomas Berdych - 3.5 games v Alexandr Dolgopolov: Obviously the initial concern is that Tomas Berdych is playing his first hard court match since March and the fact that he has only played a couple of matches since Wimbledon. However, he is up against Alexandr Dolgopolov who pulled a surprise win over Kevin Anderson in the First Round, but is a player that has struggled over the last month with some disappointing defeats.

There is no doubt that Dolgopolov is a talented player that possesses all the shots that would make him a dangerous opponent on any given day. The problem for the Ukrainian is that his consistency isn't always the best, while he is also known for not necessarily putting in all the hard work that is required to become really successful on a tennis court.

Dolgopolov has a lot of outside interests, but he will pose problems for Berdych here- he has a decent serve, with a strange action that makes it more difficult to read, while the variation of using slices and drop shots can ruin rhythm, something Berdych prefers from the back of the court.

There could be a lot of quick service games in this one, but Dolgopolov needs to get a high percentage of first serves in play if he is to win this match. He also needs to show a little more determination on the court and that is an area where Berdych has improved. After a tough first set, I can see Berdych being a little more comfortable in the second and come through 76, 63.


Denis Istomin - 5.5 games v Filip Peliwo: The young Canadian Felip Peliwo came through a tough First Round match after Jarkko Nieminen was forced to retire, but he was a touch fortunate to recover from two breaks down in the second set and he saved a match point to do so. While it is possible to come back against Nieminen, who doesn't have an intimidating serve, it will be a lot more difficult against someone like Denis Istomin.

I still think Istomin is a touch under-rated by the majority of people and I do believe he is a decent player. He can sometimes come off the boil in tournaments and throw in a poor match, but that is the reason he is down at 66 in the World Rankings.

He has been playing at a higher level than Peliwo, who is still not playing a full Tour even on the Challenger circuit, He has a decent first serve, but consistency off the ground is not quite there and his second serve is definitely attackable which leads to double faults. This is a big spread, but if Istomin serves well, he can certainly take a set 62, and that should see him over the line to a 64, 62 win.


Milos Raonic v Mikhail Youzhny: Milos Raonic has suffered through a tough season, which was to be expected as more and more players begin to figure out his game and how best to approach playing the big-serving Canadian.

Since playing in Barcelona where he was beaten by Rafael Nadal in the Semi Final, Raonic has played in seven tournaments and has been beaten as a short priced favourite in every one of those. He is a touch over-rated simply because of the huge serve he possesses, but the backhand is a really poor shot and that is an area that Mikhail Youzhny is certainly going to look to exploit with his own, the stronger of his two shots.

So why do I think Raonic is still worth a pick in this one? Well, the hard courts are certainly not the favoured surface of Youzhny these days and I do think the Russian's serve can provide chances for Raonic to get ahead in this one. Raonic returned pretty effectively against Jeremy Chardy yesterday and something similar should give him the opportunity to break the Youzhny serve.

The Canadian will still need to serve well as Youzhny is capable of putting pressure on that front too, but I do think Raonic can win this match behind that shot. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if it ends in another three set match, but I do favour Raonic to come through.


David Ferrer - 5.5 games v Alex Bogomolov: There were suggestions that David Ferrer was carrying some sort of injury during Wimbledon and it may have been the case as he didn't take part in any of the clay court events that were played in Europe through July.

He is back in action on Wednesday and I think the match up is one that will be too his liking as he takes on a qualifier in the form of Alex Bogomolov. The latter has won three matches here this week, including a First Round win over Michael Llodra, but his game doesn't look like one that will match up well against what Ferrer can do.

Unlike Llodra, which would have been a more awkward first match back on the Tour for Ferrer, Bogomolov doesn't really possess a notable weapon that will help him hit through the World Number 3. This has all the making of a long, drawn out match with rallies that will extend Bogomolov until he is no longer able to keep up with the Spaniard.

The serve of Bogomolov means he will also have to earn every point he is to win in this match and I expect Ferrer to wear him down and come through with a 75, 62 win.


Maria Kirilenko - 3.5 games v Alize Cornet: I like Maria Kirilenko's chances to progress through to the Third Round as she is back on her favoured hard courts and is certainly the more capable player on this surface compared with Alize Cornet.

I will accept that Cornet is coming off a solid week in Washington where she reached the Semi Final, but none of the opponents she faced last week are as good as Kirilenko. The Russian has a surprisingly decent serve and heavy groundstrokes that she should be able to come through this match.

I do believe that Cornet is perhaps the better defender on a court, but I am expecting Kirilenko to get the better of the majority of the rallies in the match and that should lead to a 63, 64 win for the higher seeded player.


Caroline Wozniacki - 2.5 games v Sorana Cirstea: I was a big critic of Caroline Wozniacki as the World Number 1 simply because I believed she was getting a pass from the press despite achieving a lot less than Dinara Safina, who was heavily criticised when in that position, at the Grand Slam events.

The Dane is no longer one of the top contenders on the WTA Tour when it comes to the Slams, but I think her Number 10 World Ranking is much more suitable to her abilities on a tennis court. There isn't much power in Wozniacki's game and she very much relies on out-hustling opponents and forcing them to make mistakes from their racquet by retrieving as many tennis balls as possible.

I believe that will prove to be the difference in this Second Round match as Sorana Cirstea can be guilty of making too many unforced errors at times. She has had some good preparation for the tournament here by reaching the Semi Final in Stanford and then the Quarter Final in Washington last week, but Cirstea will only win this match if she has control of her errors.

The first set should be tight, but Wozniacki is likely to be a little too tough at the critical moments of this match and come through 75, 63.


MY PICKS: Tomas Berdych - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Denis Istomin - 5.5 Games @ 2.20 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Milos Raonic @ 1.75 Pinnacle (2 Units)
David Ferrer - 5.5 Games @ 1.95 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Maria Kirilenko - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Caroline Wozniacki - 2.5 Games @ 1.92 Pinnacle (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 5-3, + 2.88 Units (15 Units Staked, + 19.2% Yield)