WTA Sydney - Aravane Rezai vs Agnes Szavay

Even though Agnes Szavay is coming from a huge win over Jelena Jankovic yesterday, I don't think she will have the weapons to beat Rezai today. The Hungarian used a lot of energy to beat Jankovic and I don't believe she will be at 100% physically for today. Besides that, Szavay is still struggling and far from her best, especially on her serve, which has clearly regressed if we compare to how good it was her serve back in 2007. On the other side, Rezai was down 6-7 0-2 against Groenefeld yesterday, until she gained momentum and won 12 of the remaining 14 games of the match. That's how Rezai is and when she gets confident, it gets just impossible to handle her. I have no doubt that Rezai is the better player of the two right now and with Szavay coming from a very tiring physically and mentally win yesterday, I have no doubts in taking Rezai to win in here.

Pick: 1 unit (Single Dime) on Aravane Rezai ML @ -118 on 5Dimes

WTA Hobart - Alona Bondarenko vs Alize Cornet

At first sight, Alize Cornet may seem to be the correct side to take in here, but the truth is that I expect Alona to actually win this match pretty comfortably. While both players are defensive specialists with no major offensive weapons, Alona is surely a bit quicker and more consistent from the back of the court, possessing also a better first serve and forehand wing, which will allow her to finish off the points more easily. Cornet absolutely destroyed Dulgheru in the first round of this tournament, but the Romanian is absolutely useless on fast surfaces. Now against Alona, I expect Cornet to struggle big time just like she did against Schiavone (another defensive specialist) last week in Auckland, where she lost the match by 2-6 3-6. Alona has won the only match between the two in the past and I expect her to repeat the win today.

Pick: 1 unit (Single Dime) on Alona Bondarenko ML @ -115 on 5Dimes



WTA Sydney - Vera Dushevina vs Elena Vesnina

In theory, this should be a 50/50 match, as both players have basically the same level on hardcourt. However, Dushevina is in much better form than Vesnina right now and with Dushevina carrying the momentum from four great wins already on this tournament, I expect her to prevail over the more inconsistent Vesnina. As I said, Dushevina has already won four matches on this tournament against Shenay Perry, Patricia Mayr, Barbora Strycova and Casey Dellacqua, having had absolutely no problem in taking them down. On the other side, Vesnina struggled in Auckland last week (lost 1-6 1-6 against Cornet) and on the first round of this tournament, she saw her opponent Zvonareva retiring at 3-3 in the first set. Dushevina is in much better form right now and she's a pretty reliable player, while Vesnina is more of a hit-and-miss player and so, I expect Dushevina to use her momentum to have a comfortable win over a struggling Vesnina. Take Dushevina to win in here.

Pick: 1 unit (Single Dime) on Vera Dushevina ML @ -151 on 5Dimes



ATP Sydney - Mardy Fish vs Carsten Ball

The odds seem absolutely out of place in here. The public is pounding Ball to win in here and I don't know if this is related to the fact that Fish/Knowles doubles team had retired at 0-1 in the first set yesterday, but it was Knowles who got injured and so, there is no problem whatsoever with Fish. The American is coming back from an injury and the truth is that even though I was with Baghdatis in that match, Fish played very well in the first round of Brisbane and he was close from winning at least a set against a Baghdatis who played really well. He is a very good hardcourt and even though his forehand is weak, he possesses a huge serve, a great backhand and a really effective net game that allow him to be a good player on fast surfaces. On the other side, Ball is just a serve & volleyer, who is getting some love due to his home factor and Fish's latest results. However, Fish is still a few levels above Ball and I believe that even though some tie-breaks may be needed, Fish's better return game and experience will give him the upperhand in this contest. Take Fish to win in here.

Pick: 1 unit (Single Dime) on Mardy Fish ML @ -125 on 5Dimes



ATP Sydney - Peter Luczak vs Jose Acasuso

This is the last match of the day and I am really expecting to see Luczak giving his crowd a reason to celebrate today. Peter Luczak is a really decent hardcourt player, even though he is mostly known for his abilities on clay, especially mainly to the fact that he is a defensive player. However, he is really capable on hardcourt and he gave Roddick a huge fight in the first round of Brisbane last week, where he lost by 7-6 6-2. He is match fit and pumped to get a win in this match against a quite accessible player for him. Jose Acasuso isn't known for playing very well Down Under and he even skipped this part of the season in 2009. The Argentinian will play the first match of the season tonight and I expect him to be rusty and to commit loads of errors, just like he typically does when he is rusty. I don't expect Acasuso to struggle today on his first match of the season, while Luczak will be fully ready to play today with the support of the crowd against a clearly accessible player for him. I believe Luczak should have been a marginal favorite on this contest and with him being the underdog, I'm taking him to win in here.

Pick: 1 unit (Single Dime) on Peter Luczak ML @ -117 on 5Dimes