Tennis Picks 2015 (April 8th)

Belinda Bencic - 4.5 games v Danka Kovinic: I have to respect the fact that Danka Kovinic has played a lot more clay court tennis than Belinda Bencic so far this season, but Kovinic has played the majority of those matches at the level below this one.

Belinda Bencic was also very impressive in her win over Casey Dellacqua and producing something similar will give her the real edge in the match. She served well and also dominated on the return and the confidence has clearly been restored by a couple of very good showings at Indian Wells and Miami last month.

The performance here at Charleston last season should also help Bencic dealing with the conditions at this event and I think she can battle through with a 63, 64 win.


Ekaterina Makarova - 5.5 games v Shuai Zhang: Playing on the clay courts might not be the favourite surface for Ekaterina Makarova, but I do think she will be too strong for Shuai Zhang in this Second Round match.

The first match back on clay is a tough situation for Makarova to deal with and she has not been on the best of form, but Zhang has also been struggling despite her First Round win.

Aside for a run at the Rome Premier Event, Zhang struggled on the clay last season and she has never really reached the required standard at this level to be a consistent on the surface. The slower court speed of the clay courts really will expose the lack of consistency in the Zhang game too and I think a tight first set is followed by a more convincing second set for Makarova who can move through 75, 62.


Sara Errani - 5.5 games v Jana Cepelova: Getting back onto the clay courts will suit Sara Errani just fine and I expect the Italian to produce some of her better tennis over the next two months. The concern for Errani will always be the limited serve she has and having to work much harder to win points through a match compared to some of the other players on the Tour, but she can do that on the slower surfaces as she extracts errors from her opponents.

That will be what Errani tries to do to Jana Cepelova who battled through the First Round, but who has been struggling badly this season.

The change to the clay courts will suit Cepelova who has produced her best tennis on the Tour on this surface and was also a Finalist in Charleston last season. However, she came here in much better form twelve months ago and I think Errani will expose any doubts in the mind and come through with a 63, 63 win.


Jeremy Chardy - 5.5 games v Go Soeda: Go Soeda might feel he has nothing to lose after coming back from the brink of defeat to beat Lleyton Hewitt in the last Round, but Jeremy Chardy is unlikely to let him off the hook in this one.

Out of the two players, Chardy has a lot more potential on the clay courts and I think his bigger serve will at least set up a few more cheaper points to get him into a position to win this match.

Go Soeda is a battler and won't give up without a fight, but his serve is a weakness and this is a player that doesn't usually spend a lot of time on the clay courts. As long as Chardy keeps focused, he should prove he is capable of earning at least three breaks of serve that should set him up for a comfortable win and a place in the Quarter Finals.

A 63, 63 kind of win looks on the cards for Chardy in this match.

MY PICKS: Belinda Bencic - 4.5 Games @ 1.92 Bet365 (2 Units)
Ekaterina Makarova - 5.5 Games @ 1.92 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Sara Errani - 5.5 Games @ 1.92 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Jeremy Chardy - 5.5 Games @ 1.92 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 2-0, + 3.68 Units (4 Units Staked, + 92% Yield)