Tennis Picks 2017 (January 3rd)

The majority of the big names have begun their 2017 Tennis season as we reach the end of the First Round of the various tournaments being played around the world as preparations for the Australian Open continue.

I've never understood the positioning of the opening Grand Slam event of the season which begins in the third week of the new season but it does mean the year begins with a bang. However I would be working on having that event in Australia played in February at the earliest and that at least gives the players a month to build their rhythm and put some matches in the bank before heading to Melbourne Park.


The picks had a good start on the opening day of picks made in the 2017 season with the four players in action returning a 3-1 record. I will have four more picks from the Tuesday offering which can be read below.


Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova - 2.5 games v Julia Goerges: The opening match in the 2017 for Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Julia Goerges could have been easier for both players and this looks like a quality match in Auckland. This does look like a season in which both Pavlyuchenkova and Goerges will want to show some improvement on the Singles Tour especially the Russian player who had fewer wins in 2016 than she did in 2015.

You have to like what Pavlyuchenkova and Goerges can do on the court when producing their very best tennis, but suffice to say that the consistency is not at the level they would be expecting. The first serve is going to be key for both players as it gives them a chance to set up the points and dictate the rallies with both looking to produce the first big strike to move into control of the rallies.

It also has to be expected that both Pavlyuchenkova and Goerges will look to attack the second serves they see while both are also very comfortable at the net. I do think Goerges has the slightly stronger movement around the court, but Pavlyuchenkova has an edge in the power department.

It is the Russian's strength that I feel will be a difference maker in this First Round match and I think she will have a little more success at the big moments in this one. I do think Goerges can be a dangerous player when she is at her very best, but Pavlyuchenkova has the power to find a way to get the German on the back foot. After a battle through the first set, I will look for Pavlyuchenkova to come through with a 76, 64 win.


Paul-Henri Mathieu - 1.5 games v Gerard Melzer: These two players meet in Doha at opposite ends of their career spectrum with Gerard Melzer doing enough on the Challenger circuit to build Ranking points to open this season on the regular Tour. It looks like Paul-Henri Mathieu is slipping down the World Rankings now he is close to turning 35 years old, but the desire remains for the Frenchman.

It is Melzer who comes into this match higher in the World Rankings than Mathieu, but the Frenchman is rightly favoured when you think of the limited tennis the Austrian plays on the hard courts. He almost exclusively plays on the clay courts and it will be interesting to see how Melzer copes playing at the highest level on a consistent basis for the first time in his career.

The layers have got the right favourite in the match, but Mathieu is not an overwhelming one because of his poor form over the last few months of the 2016 season. He is also a player that struggles with his consistency even more than a few years ago as age is perhaps getting the better of the Frenchman, but I still anticipate he is going to be too good for a player that really might have some tough experiences at this level.

Mathieu has to serve well and keep the foot down if he does get in front and I think he is capable of doing that in this match. It could potentially go the distance with the inconsistent performances Mathieu can produce within the same match, but I think the Frenchman moves through with a narrow cover of this number.


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 3.5 games v Andrey Kuznetsov: There have been times I have seen Andrey Kuznetsov and seen the potential for this player to move into the top 20 of the World Rankings, but others when I wonder how he cracked into the top 100. 2017 will be a season in which Kuznetsov looks to produce more consistent results across the board to improve his current World Ranking, but he has a tough opener when facing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Doha.

It is also a difficult match for Tsonga who will be looking to try and move back up into the top 10 of the World Rankings this season having finished in the Number 12 spot last season. That was mainly down to injuries affecting his chances and I do think Tsonga is still a dangerous player on the Tour even if the consistency to challenge the very top players is a little erratic.

That was always the case for Tsonga even in his best years, but I do think he is still a steady enough player to maintain his position in the World Rankings through the course of the season. The big serve and forehand combination continues to make Tsonga very dangerous although he will need to be at his best to counter the Kuznetsov serve if he is going to make life a little easier in this one.

Getting a few more serves back in play will give Kuznetsov the chance to beat himself which can be the case with the risk taking Russian. With the power that Tsonga has to counter Kuznetsov, I think the higher Ranked player will end up having a little too much over two sets and come through with a 64, 64 win.


Tomas Berdych - 5.5 games v Alessandro Giannessi: Tomas Berdych had a couple of injury issues which prevented him from making it back to the ATP World Tour Finals in November, but I am not sure he is on a permanent regression down the World Rankings. The tournament in Doha is a chance for Berdych to show that he is still a force with the likes of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in the field, and I do think he can get the better of Alessandro Giannessi in this First Round match.

Berdych has to respect the fact that Giannessi has come through a couple of Qualifiers here impressively and the Italian is a left-handed player which does take a few games to get used to. He isn't going to overpower Berdych, but Giannessi has some quality shots in his arsenal and is likely to throw some surprises at his higher Ranked opponent with drop shots used where possible.

There were some struggles for Berdych at the back end of last season having won the title in Shenzhen and then going 2-4 in his final six matches before deciding to end his season. However I think the last few weeks will have given him time to get healthier and I think the power from his side of the court is going to put the pressure on Giannessi.

Some of the serving from Berdych in the second half of the season was not up to the standard you would expect from him and he needs to protect serve better than he did. Giving away any breaks in this one might make it too difficult to cover the number, but I think Berdych will have the majority of break point chances and can wear down Giannessi in a 64, 62 win.

MY PICKS: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Paul-Henri Mathieu - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Tomas Berdych - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 3-1, + 3.68 Units (8 Units Staked, + 46% Yield)