Australian Open picks for Tuesday, January 20

Rod Laver Arena

Stosur MALT7761

Sam Stosur can’t seem to get going in front of her country audience.
Photo: Mal Taam/MALTphoto

20-Samantha Stosur v Monica Niculescu
It is almost impossible to know how well Stosur will play. She has been terrific on times, but rarely in Australia. Sometimes she is very nervous, other times she is not, but that doesn’t mean she will be playing her best either way at home. She will find a way to best Niculescu, but after that, who know?

4-Stan Wawrinka v Marsel Ilhan
The defending champion Wawrinka appears very happy in Australia and did win Chennai the week before last. At times, he can lose his head, but he loves his somewhat slow hard court. The Turkish Ilhan wants the fans to notice him and perhaps they will, but the Swiss is much more bravado.

1-Novak Djokovic v Aljaz Bedene
The Serbian has been sick over the past week but he is feeling better and he is the man to beat. While Djokovic is not perfect at the Grand Slams, he almost always gets close. He will take down the Slovenia Bedene in straight sets.

Lleyton Hewitt v Zhang Ze
Hewitt admitted that he did not play well in Brisbane, but he has been at Australian Open many, many times before. However, he has aged and even though he is very smart, that doesn’t mean that he can crack the ball. Hewitt will win the match, but it will take him five long sets against China’s Ze.

Ajla Tomljanovic v Shelby Rogers
The young Tomljanovic is now an Australian … so that’s why she’s on the Rod Laver Arena schedule. The once Croatian is powerful, and moves fairly quickly, and played a solid win over Jelena Jankovic in Brisbane. However, the American Rogers has slowly rising and she outlasted Tomljanovic in Montreal last year. Rogers wouldn’t be nervous, while Tomljanovic will be. Take Rogers in three sets.

Margaret Court Arena

5-Kei Nishikori v Nicolas Almagro
The Japanese is a real threat to win the tournament, but finding out the former top 10 Almagro is back in the court after being hurt much of the year could be troubling. It could be, but the Spaniard isn’t ready for prime tie yet. Nishikori will win in straight sets.

8-Caroline Wozniacki v Taylor Townsend
Wozniacki has been pretty darn good since last August, but she hasn’t won a big title in a long time. However, if her wrist is hurting she could be in trouble. The 18-year-old Townsend still has a way to go, but she is very strong and ambitious. But she is not ready yet, as Wozniacki will win in two interesting sets.

17-Gael Monfils v Lucas Pouille
The flying Monfils can be so good – recall his amazing win over Roger Federer in the Davis Cup final (although the Swiss won the title) – and so impossible to figure out. Monfils has a lot more experience against 20-year-old fellow French Pouille, but is the kid ready to shock him? Perhaps, just not yet. Monfils will win in five aching sets.

Hisense Arena

Sloane Stephens v Victoria Azarenka
Imagine these two are not seeded when two years ago they played in the semifinals here in the Aussie Open. Azarenka says that she essentially wasn’t around much at all during 2014. Stephens faded quickly after June. So who know is ready to make a serious push again? Stephens might this year but she didn’t start during the past two weeks. Azarenka lost to Karolina Pliskova in Brisbane, but the Czech is very good now and it went 3 hours and 20 minutes. Azarenka is ready to battle again. She will take it in two sets.

8-Milos Raonicv v Ilya Marchenko
The Canadian is ready for prime time. Yes, he still needs to improve his return and his backhand, but his forehand is massive and so is his first round. The Ukraine Marchenko can hit the ball, but he won’t be able to hurt him enough. Raonic will win in straight sets.

The Wrap, week April 21-28: Sharapova, Nadal repeat in Stuttgart, Barcelona

 

sharapova win stuttgart 13


Maria Sharapova may have been the defending champion in Stuttgart, but given what a beat down Li Na had laid on her in the Aussie Open semis, she was not the favorite to win the final. Going in, it was tossup between the Roland Garros last two champs, but Sharapova more than proved her mettle when she contested one her best matches of the season in a 6-4 6-3 victory. She served very well, both with speed and placement, and did not allow Li to attack her serve at will like she did in Melbourne. She returned aggressively and accurately and this time around it was China

The Wrap: Week of Feb. 18: Tsonga is at home at home

Tsonga IW 12 TR MALT3267

Tsonga has won five of his titles in France

Imagine if a fast court Slam were played in France? Do you think Jo-Wilfried Tsonga would have a better chance of winning a major? I sure do. On Sunday, Tsonga captured his 10th ATP title by fending off a match point against Tomas Berdych in a 3-6 7-6(6) 6-4 triumph in Marseille. Tsonga also saved five match points in his quarterfinal win over Bernard Tomic, many of them with winners, which clearly indicates clutch play.

Tsonga has won five of his 10 career titles at home, including his sole Masters Series crown in Bercy back in 2008. Maybe home country advantage doesn’t mean that much in the grand scheme of things given that many players tend to perform better on surfaces and in conditions that are more to their liking, but recall that last year that Tsonga came reasonably close to taking out Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros, and clay is without question his worst surface.

As an attacking player, Tsonga likes quick conditions and presumably Marseille was to his liking. Berdych is tough indoors too, and quite tough on Tsonga given that the Czech had beaten him the last three times they played.

Now both men will head to Dubai, where Novak Djokovic is back in ATP action (he did play Davis Cup) for the first time since the Australian Open, and Roger Federer returns in an attempt to defend his title. Djokovic has a huge lead over Federer in the rankings and isn

Obsessed from a young age

Djokovic recalled his roots

FROM THE BNP PARIBAS OPEN AT INDIAN WELLS -Picture the little Novak Djokovic peering out of the windows of his family pizza and pancake restaurant when he was a kid, watching laborers dump a ton of crushed red brick on the ground, roll it over and over, nail down some white plastic tape, raise some fences and eventually, view a proud woman stride onto the surface and begin hitting balls.

Such was the scene in Serbia back in the early 1990s and one day little Novak walked across the street, and met the woman who would teach him to play, Jelena Genie, whom he still keeps in contact with. You can still see a few videos of the two working together online and it was clear then she knew exactly what she was doing and pretty soon, he had his base down.

He could have played water polo or basketball, but he liked the self-reliance that tennis presented to him

2011 ROLAND GARROS MEN’S PREDICTIONS

Federer is really an underdog this time.

Djokovic and Nadal Miles Ahead of Field Murray, Federer, DelPo Capable, but Longshots

Two men stand out here, and we all know who they are. If anyone other than Novak Djokovic or Rafa Nadal reaches the final it will be a stunning development unless one of both of them are hurt.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Djokovic has never reached the final at Roland Garros and totally choked against Jurgen Melzer last year, but in so many ways we may well toss out his entire career prior to the 2010 US Open when he really picked up steam and nearly won the tournament, falling to Rafa Nadal in the final. Jump to December 2010 and the man hasn

Latin Sweeps in Delray, Acapulco

It took only eight weeks of the 2011 season and as somewhat expected, the incredibly talented Juan Del Potro, won his first title since the 2009 US Open, taking down Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 6-4 to win Delray Beach. Del Potro will crack the top 85 on Monday and has put himself in outstanding position to be seeded at Roland Garros, as the Argentine has essentially no points to defend the rest of the year.

Spain