The Picks in Barcelona, Stuttgart, Munich: Sunday, April 23

Iga Swiatek
Mal Taam/MALT photo

Stuttgart
Iga Swiatek over Aryna Sabalenka

You have to wonder how  the No. 1 Swiatek became so excellent, again. Maybe it is during this week, when she is in the amazing clay, as she did win Roland Garros, twice. However, this year, she has been up and down, with her hard strokes.

She does know that against the 2023 Australian Open Sabalenka is mighty with her forehand and her backhand, that she can kick down anyone. However, on the hardcourts, she can control what she has to do, and she can also decide if she wants to switch it. At times, she can, but while she knows on the dirt for years, she would over hit, with a lot of errors. Sabalenka has certainly improved her serve, but it is mediocre. That is why Swiatek will be more patient, and also, she will hit some ridiculous shots. The Poland person will win in two, long, sets.

Barcelona
Carlos Alcaraz over Stefanos Tsitsipas

The Spaniard just said that he is feeling great, on court, and he is playing so steady. Alcaraz  grew up when he first started how to play on clay and on the hardcourts, and it took him a while,  but he did it very quickly. He is just so fast when he is running, and he can do almost everything, with his forehand, his backhand, his serve and at the net. Yes, Alcaraz will likely become No. 1 again, but he still isn’t perfect, yet. Maybe in a few years, but he is young, so he still has to conclude exactly the right shots.

Tsitsipas is playing darn well, and he can look great, but then he hits some odd errors. However at least he really concentrates, and he can also seriously alloy it with his one-handed backhand. His forehand is very sturdy, and his first serve is rap good.
However, Alcaraz  has beaten him all three times, including in Barcelona last year, winning in three sets. He will do it again, in another three sets, when Alcaraz hops in the line and put it away, again and again.

Two quick pics
Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina


Andrey Rublev over Dusan Lajovic
The Serbian veteran Lajovic has had a surprising week, but apparently, he is playing wonderful ball. However, the Russian Rublev is much more secure again, and he will win it in straight sets.

Munich
Holger Rune over Boticvan Van de Zandschulp

That could be a very long match, and while Rune has played insane over the past two weeks, yet he is still not playing as well as he can. However, he is rising quickly, but Van de Zandschulp also playing very devout, taking down against Taylor Fritz. The Netherlands seems to think that he can chop him down, but Rune  will out steady him in a bizarre three sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Iga Swiatek over Aryna Sabalenka
Correct: Carlos Alcaraz over Stefanos Tsitsipas
Correct: Holger Rune over Boticvan Van de Zandschulp

Andrey Rublev over Dusan Lajovic

Matt’s picks this week

15 out of 18: 83.3% correct

The Picks in Barcelona, Munich, Stuttgart: Thursday, April 20

Dan Evans
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Picks written on Wednesday, before play started.

Barcelona

Daniel Evans over Karen Khachanov
This is somewhat surprising  that Evans has a 3-0 head to head, not because that he can be so steady, but also, he found away to trouble him. Khachanov is ranked No. 11, and he has gone somewhat deep at the big tournaments on the hard courts, but he cannot figure him out on the clay. They have played only on the hard courts, so this time, it will be on the dirt. Because of that, there will be long rallies, and while the Russian can crush the ball, he can fall down. With that, the veteran Evans will win it again, with two, odd, sets.

Munich

Alexander Zverev over Christopher O’Connell
You never now how the German stands up, on the court and off.  There has to be thousands of fans, watching Zverev, on the court, hitting some tremendous shots, and throwing in a number of winners. Yes, he can be angry when he is not playing well, but now he is more patient with his thoughts.

The Australian O’Connell has had a mediocre year, losing a lot, but at least he upset over Roberto Bautista Agut in Doha, and then believe it or not, in Dubai, he beat Emil Ruusuvuori. Then he tried to shock Zvereva, but he went down  7-5, 6-4. Not so bad, but it was gone. O’Connell can be steady, yet  Zverev really knows how to play, and he will win in two, simple sets.

Stuttgart

Coco Gauff over Anastasia Potapova
The American Gauff somehow came over from the ocean and apparently, she wasn’t tired, so in the court, she won it 7-6 in the third set over Daria Kasatkina.  She is a teenager, so she rarely gets tired, but this time her legs can start to crumple, but not that time. She did reach into the 2022 Roland Garros final,  and then she lost, but her backhand was tremendous.
 
The 22-year-old Potapova is rising, as each month, she is improving her volley. Last year, she had some solitary matches, but on clay at Istanbul, Turkey, she won it all, not against the great players, but good enough. The Russian is so intense, on the court, and while at Indian Wells and Miami, she lost against Jessica Petula, twice, but it was super close. This is a toss up, as they are both want to win a gigantic tournament, yet right now,  Gauff will edge her in three, very long, sets.

Elena Rybakina  over Beatriz Haddad Maia
The Russian Rybakina played a terrific tournament, winning Indian weeks, and at Miami when she reached the final, beating Jessica Petula in the semis. She did lose in the final, but she played so hard with some incredible strokes.  She never really became tired, which means she is incredible shape.
However, even though Rybakina won at the 2022 Wimbledon, she has yet to understand on the clay, when you have to totally change it up. 

Believe it or not, the Brazilan Haddad Maia beat in Abu Dhabi in February, in the quarters, in three crazy sets. Maybe  Rybakina  was mentally tired, but Haddad Maia  had some insane shots. She is fast, and steady, but there are times when she becomes confused. Because of that, Rybakina wants to revenge her, and she will win it in three, fun, sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Marcos Giron over Alexander Ritschard
Correct: Novak Djokovic over Luca van Assche

Matt’s current week picks

7 out of 7: 100% correct

The Picks in Barcelona, Banja Luka, Stuttgart: Tuesday, April 18

Cameron Norrie
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadel
Cameron Norrie over Pavel Kotov
The Britain is always playing and he rarely loses very early, as over the past two years, he changed a lot of his strokes. He is very strong, and he can thud his forehand and his backhand. Norrie had a fine year, upsetting a number of good people, yet right now, he has been up and down, very good, or so-so.

However, when he is playing solid, then he should be able to out-think Kotov, who is fairly young, and the 24-year-old did just reach into the semis in Morocco, upsetting Benjamin Bonzi. Clearly, he is rising a little bit, but he is out of the top 100, so he still has to really improve his shots. Norrie will beat him in two, somewhat easy, sets.

Denis Shapovalov over Jozef Kovalik
Is it time for the Canadian to stand up? Shapovalov can look terrific, with his leaping backhand, and smashing his forehand. His first serve is solid, but not fantastic, while at the net, he still needs to improve. Without a doubt, last year, he knocked out a number of very good players, but in 2023, he has done very little. This week, he will try to wake up.

The Slovakian Jozef Kovalik is 30-years-old, and in the singles, he has yet to take down the excellent players. That is why he is ranked No. 155, which mean that he is struggling to stay in the ATP. Maybe he can one day, but not now, as Shapovalov will beat him in two sets.

Banja Luka
Novak Djokovic over Luca Van Assche
Maybe it looks like that Djokovic will crush him, but Van Assche is only 18-year-old, so in the next five years, he can improve himself a tremendous amount. The Frenchman has won two small events this year, and while they did not beat any players outside of the top 100, but still, just to win it all, he certainly is rising, fast. On clay, he can mix it around and vault on the ball. While he must be so psyched to play against the 21 Grand Slam winner Djokovic, but he will likely be nervous, so the No.1 Serbian Novak will win it in two decent sets.

Stuttgart
Iga Swiatek over Qinwen Zheng
The No. 1 Swiatek has not had a great year, but she has been hurt, physically, so this week, assuming that she is healthy, she will be ready to re-set her life. Both her forehand and her backhand are so hard, and almost immediately, she will attempt to nail a winner, fast. At times, she can go too early, and she can also become upset when she cannot hit it in the right way, but if she can breathe, then eventually, she can turn it around.

Zheng is only 20-years-old and already, she is ranked in the top 25. That is not easy for anyone, so while she has not had a great 2023 season, at least last year, she upset a number of good players, such as Paula Badosa and Veronika Kudermetova. The problem though, it that while she is superfast when she is running, but at the 2022 Roland Garros, Swiatek beat Zheng in three sets. Currently, it is all about the clay, ever though in Germany, it is indoors, so it will be faster. Regardless, Swiatek will beat Zheng in three sets, just like they did in Paris.

The Picks in Rolex Monte-Carlo, Sunday, April 16

Andrey Rublev
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Andrey Rublev over Holger Rune
That was quite a day on Saturday, when Holger Rune out-lasted Jannik Sinner 7-5 in third set. He could have folded, as he had early  in the year, but on the court, he is playing so physically. Rune can run for hours, and he can also mix it some terrific forehands, and his backhands. He also can crack his first serve, and he can also read when he is returning. Last year, all together, Rune was rising up, much faster, but in the start of the year, he lost his way.

Rublev did beats Taylor Fritz in the third set, when he began to smack the ball, very deep, and he would also be extremely consistent, finally. The Russian tries  to mash the ball, pretty quickly, but now he can a victim. In the third set against Fritz, he decided to knock him out in the third, and he kicked his chin.

But Rune said, “I expect for myself to push full. It’s the last push, it’s the last match of the tournament. Obviously [Rublev] had three sets today as well, so he must be feeling the legs a little bit, I hope. It’s going to be great. We played each other twice. It’s 1-1 head-to-head, so it’s going to be interesting, for sure.”

Yes it will be. Without a doubt, Rune is playing very wold,  but on Saturday, he had to play around three hours. That could be too much, and  Rublev will win the tournament in three bashing sets.

Matt’s picks

Correct: Andrey Rublev over Holger Rune

Matt’s current week picks

10 out of 16: 62.5% correct

The Picks on clay in Monte-Carlo Masters: Thursday, April 13

Alexander Zverev
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Daniil Medvedev over Alexander Zverev
The Russian has had a tremendous year, on the hard courts, but now he has to stay very aggressive on the clay. Most of the time, Medvedev can rally, side to side, and wait until he has a chance to nail on the lines. However, on clay, it is clear that you have to be patient for a long, long time.

The German Zverev is gradually back, on the court, as the No. 2  became hurt, he had to stay for a while. Just like with Medvedev, Zverev almost won the 2020 U.S. Open, but he could not do it. Zverev can be very steady, and also, he can crush the ball with his forehand and his backhand. Mentally, he is fragile, so if he wants to go back into the top five, he has to measure up.  Zverev will continue to play better, gradually, yet Medvedev is right there, who wants to be No. 1 this season. Medvedev will defeat Zverev in three, brutal sets.

Novak Djokovic over Lorenzo Musetti
The Italian appears to be  playing a decent match, given that this year, he has been mediocre, at best. The 19-year-old did throw in some terrific contests in 2022, but then he went down, fast. Against the No. 1 Djokovic, Musetti has to play almost perfectly to upset him. The Serbian can do almost everything, but his forehand can miss it during the rallies. His backhand is super steady, and his return is phenomenal. It will be a huge opportunity, to upset Djokovic, but Musetti is still not ready to reaching into the top 10, yet. Djokovic will win in two, hard sets.

TWO OTHER QUICK PICKS
Matteo Berrettini will upset Holger Rune in three sets, as they are both struggling, but the Italian wants to rise, ASAP. … Hubert Hurkacz has had a pretty good year, but on the clay, he cannot handle it, yet. Therefore, Jannik Sinner will win it,in two sets over Hurkacz as he has played amazing at Indian Wells and Miami. Mr. Rising.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Holger Rune over Dominic Thiem
Stan Wawrinka over Taylor Fritz

Matt’s current week picks

3 out of 6: 50% correct

The Picks on clay in Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters: Tuesday, April 11

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Novak Djokovic over Ivan Gakhov
The current No. 1 is finally back, after missing  at Indian Wells and Miami. He is healthy, physically, but he could not because he refuses  to be vaccinated, against the COVID-19. That might be controversial, and it really is, but now on the court, he is ready to win another title. His terrific first serve, his amazing backhand, and his fiery return makes him the favorite.  “I’ve done more training on clay, which is positive if you think about the clay season,” said Djokovic. “I’ve not had much success in Monte Carlo in the past two seasons. I haven’t played great tennis here, so I’m hoping this year I can start the clay season better than previous years and build my form.”

Perhaps he does, and while he absolutely likes playing on the hardcourts and the grass, Djokovic has been pretty darn good on the slippery  clay.

The Russian Gakhov is almost out of know where, as he is ranked No. 198, which  is way back. He is 26-year-old, and he has gone to many challengers. The one, fine positive was  he recently won Girona, Spain. He must have been thrilled. However, how is going to out-hit against Djokovic, who was won 21 21 Grand Slams? That is impossible. The Serbian Djokovic will win in two, easy. sets.

Stefanos Tsitsipas over Benjamin Bonzi
The Greek has been injured, as the No. 3 lost three tournaments very early at Rotterdam, Indian Wells and Miami. Even last year, the aggressive man rarely lost early when he was ready to grab a tournaments, but in February and March, he collapsed. But Tsitsipas does want to start rolling again, just like he did at the 2023 Australian Open, when he reached into the final and he almost won. OK, then, let’s see if he can turn the tide.

The Frenchman Bonzi did go endless at the ATP 250s, when he went into the final at Pune, India, and also in Marseille, France. That was more than decent, and he was thinking that he would shift to move up, but he doesn’t seem to play excellent, month after month. Maybe Bonzi isn’t sure what he has to do, should he thump the ball, early, or just sit near the baseline.

If he wants to upset Tsitsipas, he is going to have to really drive  himself, constantly. Even if he goes, Bonzi will hit some fine shots, but Tsitsipas is sturdy on the court, and he will win in straight, simple, two sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Andy Murray over Alex de Minaur

Richard Gasquet over Dominic Thiem

Matt’s current week picks

0 out of 2: 0% correct


The Picks on clay in Houston: Sunday, April 9

Frances Tiafoe
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Frances Tiafoe over Gijs Brouwer

There has been so much rain in Houston that there   were three days when no one was able to play, or court. But finally, on Friday, it was time to play, and if the players won, they had to play once again, that day. It can be physically very tough. Yesterday, Tiafoe played sufficiently,  winning two matches, and somewhat solid. At the start of the tournament, it looked like that he was struggling, and he needed to forget about the loses and move on. Here, it should be that when he is playing well, he is the top-seed, so he should win it all. But he still is not comfortable with the clay, but just like Rafa Nadal does, who is addicted to the dirt, and he also added with the grass, and the hardcourts. He knew it, but it took him for a while.

Believes it or not, Brouwer was born in Houston, Texas, even though he lives in the Netherlands. He did have some terrific wins last year, but he has yet to reach the top 100, so he has to fly into the sky. Yes Tiafoe will stop him, and crash him. The American will win it in two fun sets. 

Tomas Martin Etcheverry over Yannick Hanfmann

It can be really odd to see that the two players have reached into the semis, as they have  gone deep, hardly at all. But eventually, during a week, they can see exactly what they do and to push themselves. The Argentine is only 23-years-old,  and at Indian Wells, he almost upset Andy Murray. That was a real grinder, and at least Etcheverry had some long, tough rallies, especially with there solid backhand. At Santiago, on clay, he reached the final, upsetting Sebastian Baez . Etcheverry  likes a lot of the clay, grinding for  along time, and he would try with his forehand quite deep. He has a long way to go, but at least over the past year, the 6-foot-5 man has added with some strong shots. 

The German Hanfmann has yet to be into the top 90, and he is ranked No. 134, of course he wants to play so much better. This year, he had a few very good matches, when he reached into the quarters in Santiago, which was pretty fine. However, Etcheverryand will win it in two tough sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Frances Tiafoe  over Gijs Brouwer
Correct: Tomas Martin Etcheverry over Yannick Hanfmann

Matt’s current week picks

14 out of 18: 77.7% correct

The Picks on clay in Charleston and Marrakech: Friday, April 7

Belina Bencic
Ron Cioffi/TR

Jessica Pegula over Paula Badosa
Every week, the American is trying to plan whether should she be more aggressive, or stay back until she can nail a difficult winner. She is almost very consistent, and on court,  she can really think, until she can figure her opponents. This time, though, Pegula does know who Badosa is, and her specific style. Both of them love to do the rallies, and where down the opponents until she becomes  exhausted. The Spaniard Badosa needs to decide that if she wants to go into the top 10, then she has to improver her serves, and at the net, too. However, in the past year, Pegula became a terrific doubles player. Pegula will win in two tough sets.

Belinda Bencic over Ekaterina Alexandrova
Without a doubt, this is a toss- up. The Swiss is so into when she is feeling good, and the Russian can feel that if her forehand is locked in, then she can beat anyone. Bencic  is still trying to win another huge event, which she did a 2015, when she won in Toronto. Just like last year, she won Charleston, and she is close to be in the top 3, but the great players can out hit her. Alexandrova beat Bencic  at Indian Wells, in a close match, but she was more stable, and she really mixed it up, too. The match should go into the third sets, with some huge rallies, and and this time, Bencic will bash the Russian, tired or not.

Lorenzo Musetti over Alexandre Muller
The young Italian had a fine year in 2022, but this year, he has done absolutely nothing in the past three months. Of course they want to rise up again, and at Naples, he won the tournament, beating Matteo Berrettini in the final during the fall. And then, Musetti upset Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz, so when he started in 2023, it appeared that the current No. 21 would go further. But he did not, perhaps because he started to be confused. He is going to have to turn it around, as the Frenchman, Muller, had a couple very good week, reaching the quarters in Doha, before he lost against Andy Murray. Muller has yet to be in the top 100, and he certainly wants to, but he is not there, yet. Musetti will win in it in two sets, finally.

Andrea Vavassori over Daniel Evans
The Brit is another person who has lost so many matches this year, even though in 2022, he put together some fine wins. But in 2023, he has won three matches and nine losses. Maybe Evans is physically tired, as like a number of people, he plays constantly, week to week. He is very consistent, and the 32-year-old can throw in a number of terrific shots. However, when he is out of sorts, his backhand and his forehand can be short. Vavassori did have a wonderful win when he upset Taylor Fritz at the 2023 Australian. The fans where screaming for him. The Australian from Sydney appears to becoming better, gradually, and the tall person will knock out Evans in three sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Ons Jabeur over Caroline Dolehide
Correct: Ekaterina Alexandrova over Julia Grabher
Ben Shelton over Dominic Thiem
Hubert Hurkacz over Bernabe Zapata Miralles

Matt’s current week picks

6 out of 10: 60% correct


The Picks on clay: Charleston and Houston: Wednesday, April 5

Paula Badosa
Mal Taam/MALTphoto


Leylah Fernandez over Paula Badosa (written before play began)
The 20-year-old Fernandez can look startling, but then, she will stop where she is going. She is very briskly, running, and she can be fitting, but she doesn’t go enough to smash the ball.  At the 2021 U.S. Open, she reached the final, and it looked like that she is going close to the top, but now, she is ranked No. 51. That is surprising, and currently, she has to do a lot more work.

The Spaniard Badosa had a decent  year in 2022, as she finally realized that if she can kick down the excellent players, when she could grab a lot of matches.  She looked very good, in the three months, and then after that, she began to slink. This year,  she was respectable in Adelaide, but after that, she did very little. Fernandez has come close to winning some matches in 2023 against the very terrific players, many times, but she lost. However, she will nail some fine lines. This time the Canadian Fernandez  will win in three long sets.

Shelby Rogers over Caty McNally
Can Rogers come back and won more matches this year? It is up in the air, because while she can compete, the 30-year-old has no answers when her forehand and her backhand can be to short. Yes, she can be adventurous, but she doesn’t fool enough. However, at some point, she will start to surge again.

At the end of the year, McNally won Midland, an old tournament. Very few of the top players will play in early November, but there are other people who are trying to move up the latter, especially with the young set. The 21-year-old  has scored a couple good wins over the past 12 months, but she isn’t there yet to knock down with the fantastic players. Because of that, Rogers will win in two sets.

Frances Tiafoe over Steve Johnson
At this point, Tiafoe is struggling, inside the courts. Of course he can beat just about anyone, except on the clay, when he is still is not comfortable when he is crawling. Of maybe not, as on the hardcourts, he is almost all of it. Off court, he is a very nice person, but when he is competing, he can frustrate himself. However, he can crash his forehand, his backhand and his first serve. It is really hard to see that he can win a major title in Europe on the clay, and on the grass in England, but at least this week in Houston, he is the top seed. So right now, he really has to bring it.

As we wrote yesterday, Johnson does like to play almost every week, and he does have some solid stokes, but Tiafoe is more potent and fierce. Tiafoe will win in two sets.

John Isner over Gijs Brouwer
Where is Isner going? Yes he will play until he realizes that it is time to stop, because the 37-year-old is playing OK, in the singles, but this year he has not beat a player in the top 40. The former No. 8 American did win some tremendous matches, but physically he is slowing down, when he is running. However, he does think that when he continues to play more, he will begin to throw in his massive serves, and his forehand, too.

His first match in Houston will be against the against the Netherlands,
Brouwer, who has yet to crack the top 100, ever. However, he wants to. given that he is 27-year-old. If he does that, the No. 123 will have a candle. Isner will win in two tiebreakers, once again.

Matt’s current week picks

Correct: Jason Kubler over Fernando Verdasco 
Correct: Steve Johnson over Facundo Bagnis 
Correct: Victoria Azarenka over  Sloane Stephens
Claire Liu over Bernarda Pera

3 out of 4: 75% correct


The Picks in Miami: Sunday, April 2

Daniil Medvedev
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Perhaps Jannik Sinner  can win Miami, but he has played Daniil Medvedev five times, and he has not been able to beat him. Yes the Italian has played extremely well during the past month, and he certainly has improved, but overtime he has played with the Russian, he has only won three sets, and he lost ten. Yes, back in the 2021 ATP Finals in Italy, Sinner almost upset him, but in the third tiebreak, Medvedev edged him 7-6 (8).

The 21-year-old has more wise, and his strokes are deeper.

“I never beat Daniil. We had already one final in Rotterdam [in Febraury],” Sinner said. “I was able to win one set there. We had a couple of matches where we went [to a] third set. Also there I need to make some changes, trying to mix up the game a little bit also.  I feel ready to compete.”

The problem is that Medvedev is more steady, and while he can push the ball, he can problem solve. He can hit it courtcourt, he can flat it out, and he also can jerk the opponents, until they become exhausted. Medvedev can get tired, too, but that is rare. This year, he has won a huge amount of matches, so his confidence is so high.

However, he does think that Sinner has improved so much.

 “I cannot hit a 110 mph forehand. That’s an advantage, and Sinner is capable of doing this,” Medvedev said. “Jannik is progressing really, really fast, especially this year. In terms of baseline game, Jannik can hit the ball very strong. I think that’s where [he beat Carlos Alcaraz] have this kind of ping-pong tennis. That’s where he can bring him trouble.”

Yes he can, as when he finish in the match, he goes home to a hotel, he will turn on the TV to watch who is playing, and then he can study. As long as you can to add some new shots, and put them on the court, then while you can miss some shots, still, eventually, you will nail the winners.

Maybe people just give it up, but other people has stayed in there, such as Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal, who knew that years ahead, you will finally learn to do it. When Djokovic  won his first Slam, he was very good, but his forehand was OK, yet not great. Now he is. The same goes with Nadal, who also won his first major. His backhand was somewhat soft, but currently, it is so much better, and deeper.

The 27 -year-old Medvedev has won some huge events, but he has only won one Grand Slam. That is good, but not enough, yet. However, he has won 18 singles titles, with not only when he won the 2021 U.S. Open, but he also grabbed three ATP 1000s and one at the ATP Finals.

Sinner has won seven tournaments, but he has yet to win a Grand Slam, or an ATP 1000, either. Yes, he is trying to reach up in the mountain, and he knows that, so at Miami, he has to throw in some risky shots.

However, as long as Medvedev  is ready to crush the ball on Sunday, the Russian will win it in three wild sets.

Matt’s Miami picks

Correct: Daniil Mededev over Jannik Sinner
Correct: Petra Kvitova over Elena Rybakina

Matt’s Miami scoreboard
19 out of 28: 67.8% correct