Women’s Singles - Round 1 Picks
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Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
Twenty-year old Pironkova comes into Miami ranked #73 in the world. She shocked many people in 2006 with a first round win over Venus Williams in Melbourne, but has been unable to follow that up with any major results since. She extended #1 Justine Henin to three sets earlier this year but just can’t seem to get over the hump.
Wozniacki, at only seventeen years of age, comes into this tournament ranked an impressive and career high #43 in the world. She is 11-4 so far this year, and is showing signs of a major breakthrough after a fourth round appearance at this year’s first grand slam in Australia.
Match-Up:
This will be a close contest between a young girl on the rise and another who is not afraid to lay it on the line on the big stage. Both girls bring power and solid baseline games to this match, but I believe the difference in this one will be the confidence of the young Dane. Wozniacki is feeling too good about her game for an early exit and Pironkova’s less than stellar movement will give Wozniacki the edge.
Nick’s Pick – Wozniacki in 2 sets
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) vs. Michelle Larcher de Brito (POR)
Makarova enters this event ranked a career high #75 in the world. She had an impressive 3rd round showing in Melbourne with a win over the hot young Hungarian Agnes Szavay. Her other results have been solid, and at 19 years of age she is poised to continue her steady climb.
Larcher De Brito, who trains at the NBTA, became the seventh youngest player in history to win a main draw match at last year’s Sony Ericsson Open with a win over Meghann Shaughnessy in the first round. At barely 15 years old, Larcher de Brito’s #255 world rank is deceiving. This girl can play and will not back down to anyone in the draw.
Match up:
Larcher de Brito moves extremely well and is very solid from the baseline. She has an improved serve, and her groundstrokes are as big as anyone on the WTA Tour. Larcher de Brito is still very young and doesn’t have the Grand Slam experience that Makarova does. The Russian is a lefty and that can always be tricky, especially for a young girl. I think this match will be very close, but I am going with Larcher de Brito.
Nick’s Pick – Larcher de Brito in 3 sets
Sabine Lisicki (GER) vs. CoCo Vandeweghe (USA)
Don’t let Lisicki’s #137 world rank fool you, she is a player! She qualified and reached the third round of this year’s Australian Open with a win over top 20 player Dinara Safina along the way. She also had Lindsay Davenport on the ropes in Memphis and beat her earlier in the year in Fed Cup. She is only 18 years old and is definitely a player to watch as the year goes on.
Vandeweghe is a young American upstart with solid genes to back her up (for those of you that remember Kiki Vandeweghe from the NBA). She enters her first big test in Key Biscayne ranked #501 in the world and looking to make a name for herself on the WTA tour with a good showing this week.
Match up:
Both girls received wild cards into the tournament and will be looking to prove that they deserve them. Lisicki trains at the Academy, and has come through the system to reach this point. She serves bombs and can hit the ball as big as anyone. She has already proved that she can hold up to the pressure and win big matches, and this will be another test for her. Vandeweghe is going to have to play her best to beat Lisicki, and I don’t see that happening.
Nick’s Pick – Lisicki in 2 sets
Melanie Oudin (USA) vs. Tathiana Garbin (ITA)
At 30 years of age Garbin is well traveled on the WTA Tour. She is currently ranked #46 in the world and has had a ho-hum year to this point posting a 5-7 record thus far. She is more comfortable on the European red clay, but has a great one handed backhand and a nice slice to mix it up with.
Oudin had a chance to warm up for this event in Indian Wells, where she had a first round win. She is young American with tremendous promise and is Top-5 in the world in the Junior ITF rankings. She is currently #271 in the world, but I don’t expect her to be there for long. Look for her to move up a couple of pages in the rankings before years end.
Match-Up:
This is a classic match-up between the experienced veteran and the young up-and-comer. Garbin will use every trick in the book and is a very heady player. She will fight you to the end, and in that Italian spirit she never gives up (along some of her male counterparts). Oudin won the 2007 Eddie Herr, reached the finals of the Orange Bowl, and had a 27-match winning streak along the way in the junior circuit. She has the ability to play on the WTA Tour, and I think she will show you that in this match. In the spirit of the NCAA Tournament, I am going with the upset!
Nick’s Pick – Oudin in 3 sets
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