My WTA French Open 2016 Finals Pick

I was expecting some surprises and upsets to reach this Round of 16 and compete for the second week of the WTA 2016 French Open. Unfortunately, my upsets did not pan out, leaving me with a 50% output of picks correctly selected. 

Names in red were not my original selection, so I most likely will not pick them to go too far but I will give credit where it is due.

Bracket	Player	Player	Player	Player
ONE	1 S. Williams	18. E. Svitolina	12. C. Suarez Navarro	Y. Putintseva
TWO	K. Bertens	15 M. Keys	9. V. Williams	8 T. Bacsinszky
THREE	25 I. Begu	S. Rogers	13 S. Kuznetsova	4 G. Muguruza
FOUR	6. S. Halep	21. S. Stosur	T. Pironkova	2 A. Radwanska

PICKS

BRACKET FOUR

6. S. Halep -- Shockingly, I picked against Simona Halep. That’s partly due to the opinion that I don’t believe she’s physically at her best. There has to be a nagging injury or something, as I don’t see the blazing speed and the relentless pursuit of the ball. She’s facing Samantha Stosur who never gives up.

21. S. Stosur – Faced the toughest trio of any seeded player and she made it through a section of the draw where I expected to see the most seeded players falter. Hats off to her, and since I picked neither Stosur nor Halep to get this far, I have to go with Halep.

T. Pironkova – Don’t know much about Tsvetana Pironkova but she demolished Sloane Stephens. She brought out the quitter in Sloane, who seems to only play the name and not her game. Since I had Stephens facing Radwanska and coming through this round, I am apt to give Pironkova the benefit of the doubt.

2. A. Radwanska – A pro’s pro! A boxer who is content to win on points. She’s facing a less-esteemed player and Aga Radwańska rarely loses when she’s favored unless there’s a major variable missing, such as the other player has been on a roll. So, look for her to win two more rounds, as I had losing to Sloane Stephens who faded early.

 

PICKS 

BRACKET THREE

25. I. Begu – She had one job and she did it. Expect one more win from her.

S. Rogers – This portion of the draw proved to be a battle and I had slated Karolina Pliskova to steady herself and get to this point. Instead Shelby Rogers gave her a first round knockout and finished the job. Kudos to her, but I do think I have to stick with Begu to get another win.

13 S. Kuznetsova – Svetlana is one of those veterans who, when healthy, can beat anyone on any given day. Had the draw been different, I would easily pick her to meet Serena in the Finals.

4 G. Muguruza – It looks like Garbine is fully healthy – first time since the year-end championship in Singapore. Muguruza has the chance to be the next dominant player in the WTA. This match will prove whether she’s ready – to face Serena in the Finals.

 

PICKS

BRACKET TWO

K. Bertens – I expected an unseeded surprise to come out this part of the draw but it was not Kiki Bertens. To her credit, she has battled through tough matches and will likely put a scare to Madison Keys.

15. M. Keys – It’s all about focus and effort. If she manages these two variables, few players on the tour can beat Madison Keys. As such, I have her going through these next two rounds to face Serena in the semifinals.

9. V. Williams – Though she’s gotten through, what’s on paper, an easy section of the draw, I still give Venus credit for not being upstaged by a young upstart. Next she faces Bacsinszky and if she cannot get through a two-setter, this will be a loss for Venus Williams.

8. T. Bacsinszky – I am impressed by Timea’s performance in recent months. Before it had been because of her ability to hang in tough matches, but now she’s at the point where she comes and imposes her identity on the game. I did not have her facing Venus this round, so I had Bacsinsky making it to the quarterfinals. She can still get through this round, either by breaking Venus early or stretching the points to tire out Williams.

 

PICKS

BRACKET ONE

1. S. Williams – No surprise here, as I have Serena winning it all.

18. E. Svitolina – Never really sure what to expect from Elina Svitolina, but she has a solid game and has won in straight sets all tournament. I don’t see her beating Serena in this round.

12. C. Suarez Navarro – tough player and she beat Cibulkova to get here. I now expect her to get through this round and then bow out to Serena.

Y. Putintseva – Yulina has taken advantage of the gap left by Azarenka’s injury in that quarter of the bracket. This will be an interesting matchup where Putintseva’s power will be tested by the experience of Suarez Navarro. Edge to Carla Suarez Navarro.