Posted on
3/26/2008 8:24:16 PM
WTA Sony Ericsson Open First Round Tennis Picks
By Nila Amerova
Miami, Florida – On the women’s side, day two of the Sony Ericsson Open continues in the first round matches, offering tennis bettors a plethora of matchups to bet on. So without further ado, here is just a sprinkling of tennis free picks to get you started betting on this prestigious Tier I installment on the WTA Tour calendar.
Tennis Betting Line: Zi Yan +180 Dominika Cibulkova -240
Tennis Prediction: No.38 Dominika Cibulkova is my pick for a player to watch – perhaps not in this tournament, but definitely in the future. The Slovak, who could easily strut her stuff on the runways of Europe, is just one of the many Eastern European beauty’s on the WTA tour that can actually play tennis. Her best performance this season came in Doha, a straight set upset of Venus Williams in the R16. Don’t discount this rising up-and comer and take her to edge past Yan Zi of China in her Miami opener.
Tennis Free Picks: Cibulkova in straight sets
Tennis Betting Line: Kateryna Bondarenko -155 Pauline Parmentier +115
Tennis Prediction: Not much separates this pair in the opening round of Miami. In terms of ranking, they are close, with Bondarenko weighing in at No.47 and Parmentier at No.50. In height, they measure up equally 5’9” and in their season, Parmentier holds a slim edge with two match-wins more than Bondarenko. In terms of handicapping this match, I would go with the bookies favorite Bondarenko. While she did crash out of Indian Wells in the first round, I expect she will at least do one better and advance into the second round in Miami.
Tennis Free Picks: Bondarenko in three sets
Tennis Betting Line: Lucie Safarova -185 Sorana Cirstea +145
Tennis Prediction: Loads of talent and potential are just a few of the words synonymous with the Czech Lucia Safarova, but she lacks the killer instinct that is necessary to close out matches and win on a consistent basis. In spite of her shortcomings, I would still recommend taking a chance on her favorite odds in this opener.
Tennis Free Picks: Safarova in straight sets
Tennis Betting Line: Alize Cornet +135 Tamira Paszek -175
Tennis Prediction: After stretching Jelena Jankovic to a third set tiebreak that ended 12-10 –albeit in favor of the Serbian – in the first round of the Australian Open, I like Tamira Paszek to advance in this matchup.
Tennis Free Picks: Paszek in straight sets
Tennis Betting Line: Shuai Peng -120 Eleni Daniilidou -120
Tennis Prediction: Last week Shuai Peng enjoyed a good run in Indian Wells, reaching the R32 where she lost to Agnieska Radwanska. En route to the third round she notched victories over Tatjana Malek and Karin Knapp. Equally, Eleni Daniliidou reached the R32, where she met Maria Sharapova. There her run concluded. After both posted by their standards a relatively good run at a Tier I event, unfortunately only one will earn the chance to replicate it in Miami. The balance tips in favor of Daniliidou.
Tennis Free Picks: Daniliidou in three sets
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Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room