2009 Sony Ericsson Open – Nick’s Picks – Women’s Singles Round 4
Nick’s Picks will be coming to you live from The Sony Ericsson Open from March 25th-29th. Follow along for predictions, picks, and insight into the tournament on the blog and on TennisWeek.com.
Venus Williams (USA) vs. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
Venus played a solid match in the third round to advance, but she is going to need to get a higher percentage of her first serves in if she wants to win this title. Against Anna-Lena Groenefeld in the third round she only got 45% of her first serves in, that is not going to cut it.
Radwanska moved past Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 6-3 in the third round, breaking Kanepi six times in 11 chances. This is the second time in her career that she has advanced to the fourth round of this tournament.
Match-Up:
This will be the third career meeting between Venus and Radwanska, and the series is tied 1-1. Radwanska is extremely solid from the baseline. She covers the court very well, but doesn’t have a monster weapon. Her first serve is solid, but her second serve is her biggest weakness. What she does is make you hit two to three extra balls which cause players to hit unforced errors. We all know what Venus can do when she is healthy and playing well. The difference in this match will be the variety of shots that Venus can hit. From anywhere on the court, Venus can beat you and her coverage is the best on the tour. This could be a close one, but Venus gets the nod.
Nick’s Pick - V. Williams in 2 sets
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) vs. Alisa Kleybanova (RUS)
Kuznetsova has been banged up recently and coming into the tournament she had lost two straight matches to players she would normally beat. She has had great success in Miami in the past, and looks to be finding her groove at just the right time.
Kleybanova is a former student of the NBTA and has worked hard over the last two years to climb the rankings to her current career high of #26 in the world. This is the first time she has been in the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her go further.
Match-Up:
This will be the first career meeting between these two Russians. Both girls are big, strong, and know how to pound the ball. Kleybanova plays extremely offensive tennis and she moves quicker then you might think. She also doesn’t make too many unforced errors and has a solid serve. Kuznetsova has a bit more variety than Kleybanova and has the edge in experience and know-how. This is going to be a battle from the baseline from the first ball and should be entertaining to say the least. If Kleybanova gambles a little bit (and it pays off) then she will be right in this match. Overall, I give a slight edge to Kuznetsova, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Kleybanova pulled it out.
Nick’s Pick – Kuznetsova in 3 sets
