Tennis Picks 2015 (October 23rd)

The WTA Tour Finals final eight was set on Thursday and that event will begin in Singapore on Sunday, although the official confirmation of the players that will take part will likely come in the next couple of days.

The race for the ATP World Tour Finals will continue on Friday, but Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was unable to back up his huge week at the Shanghai Masters. It does mean the likes of David Ferrer, Richard Gasquet and Kevin Anderson can take advantage of that slip and promote their own chances to earn a place in London although there is still a few tournaments left to play after this week to do that.


Kevin Anderson - 2.5 games v Steve Johnson: This is a big week for Kevin Anderson if he wants to make a move towards the World Tour Finals and he is favoured to win this Quarter Final against Steve Johnson.

Both players have had to battle through two matches to get into the Quarter Final, although it has to be said that neither would have expected to lose the matches they have played. The difference between the players might be that Kevin Anderson has been playing at a higher level more consistently than Steve Johnson who generally finds the very top players too much to overcome.

I can see both players having success with their serve in this one, but Johnson's can be a little more inconsistent and I think that is a big reason Anderson has won their last four matches. Anderson himself admits his serve is the biggest weapon he has and he has won all three matches against Johnson in 2015 and the majority of them have seen him come through and cover this number.

There will likely be a tie-breaker at some point in this match and I can see Anderson coming through that before being able to find a break of serve to ensure he moves into the Semi Final 76, 64.


Gael Monfils - 3.5 games v Lukas Rosol: I was a little concerned with how much Gael Monfils would be able to raise his game this week having come through an injury before taking his place in the draw.

So far it has been pretty good for Monfils who has won four sets in a row to move into the Quarter Finals and I do wonder if he will ever fulfil the potential he clearly has. It has always been about entertaining the crowds for Monfils more than about winning, but he has made some coaching changes to perhaps balance that out a little more.

He is facing a dangerous opponent in Lukas Rosol who is capable of bringing some exceptional tennis to the court. Unfortunately there is a lot of average stuff thrown in too although Rosol will have some confidence having knocked off one Frenchman in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Second Round.

Backing up that kind of win will be difficult for Rosol who has lost his last two matches against Monfils whose athleticism forces Rosol to play too many balls. That extracts errors from the Rosol game and I think it might be something similar on Friday in this Quarter Final as Monfils takes the chances that come his way and moves through 75, 64.


Richard Gasquet - 3.5 games v Jeremy Chardy: When Jeremy Chardy serves well, he can be a real handful for any player to face him, but facing a compatriot like Richard Gasquet also means overcoming mental issues. There is a hierarchy in tennis that can be difficult to ignore and Richard Gasquet has won his last two matches against Jeremy Chardy fairly comfortably.

They haven't played this season though and Chardy has played well during the course of the year although he has struggled in recent weeks. His week so far in Stockholm has been a solid one so far and Richard Gasquet could easily be a little undercooked having been offered a pass through to the Quarter Final when Steve Darcis retired.

It has been difficult for Gasquet since the US Open as he was just 2-2 before the tournament in Stockholm began, but he could easily challenge for a place at the World Tour Finals. With Jo-Wilfried Tsonga out, Gasquet is in line to take over 9th place in the Race for London and perhaps even start closing the gap to David Ferrer in the coming couple of weeks.

This is going to be a battle for Gasquet, but I think he has enough quality from the back of the court to see off Chardy in a close match. A couple of late breaks of serve might be enough in this one for Gasquet to come through 64, 64.


Jelena Jankovic - 5.5 games v Misaki Doi: She won the title in Hong Kong and Jelena Jankovic looks primed to end this 2015 season with perhaps another title to add to her collection. Jankovic was an impressive winner in Hong Kong and she has picked up from where she left off there in Luxembourg where her first two wins have come by a comfortable margin.

I think Jankovic will have too much quality for Misaki Doi who has performed well to come through two matches in Luxembourg which has also ended a run of five consecutive losses.

For the most part Doi can struggle against the very top players as her serve can be a weakness and finding herself having a hard time to hold that serve means mentally she is under pressure in a lot of her matches.

That is especially the case against someone like Jankovic who is a very capable returner and I think the Serb is able to come through this one by a fairly comfortable margin. The last time these players met saw Doi take three games, but I think she will have a couple more this time although still not enough to get within this number.

MY PICKS: Kevin Anderson - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Gael Monfils - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Richard Gasquet - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Jelena Jankovic - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 4-4, - 1.08 Units (16 Units Staked, - 6.75% Yield)