Other than Nadal winning, I'm not comfortable with my picks for the men or the women, both because of form and the draw. 

ATP

Quarterfinals

Nadal over Kohlshcreiber
Edmund over del Potro
Djokovic over Goffin
A. Zverev over Thiem (Niishikori)

Semifinals

Nadal over Edmund
Zverev over Djokovic

Final

Nadal over Zverev 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1

BL: Querrey

WTA

Quarterfinals

Halep over Bertens
Ka. Pliskova (Sharapova) over Muguruza
Ostapenko over Svitolina *
Kasatkina over Stephens 

Semifinals

Halep over Pliskova
Ostapenko over Kasatkina

Final

Halep over Ostapenko 6-4, 7-6

BL: Wozniacki

* I do not believe Halep can beat Svitolina on any clay or hard court unless Svitolina chokes like she did last year at Roland Garros when she blew a set and 5-1 lead to Halep. When they play, it looks like Svitolina does everything better than Halep. Everything. Thank God she had a bad head. I have to pick her to lose to someone for Halep to win the tournament, so might as well go with Ostapenko, who could flame out early if the pressure gets to her but can beat anyone when she has her A game. She's exactly the type of player who can fluster Svitolina. 

EDIT: I did not look at your picks before I made mine. Funny that we both have Wozniacki as the biggest loser. If I had not gone with her, I would have gone with Venus. 

Your Kvitova pick to go deep could happen, but I've watched her under-perform too many times at every slam not on grass (and sometimes at Wimbledon, too) to trust her. She certainly can beat anyone if she plays well. 


 

Last edited by funches (5/26/2018 6:30 pm)

I think Halep will beat Stephens, but whether she does or not, I'm so sick of the storyline AP and others keep propagating that Halep has collapsed in previous finals. It's complete bullshit. 

She played incredibly well against Sharapova in the 2014 final. That was the best match I've ever seen Sharapova play, and Halep was lucky to extend it to three sets, needing Sharapova to get tight at the end of the second set. I believe that match ended with eight consecutive Sharapova winners. 

She never played particularly well last year at Roland Garros, needing a complete gag job by Svitolina just to get past the quarters and playing a mediocre match against Pliskova in the semis. Unable to hit out with confidence, she went into the final with the game plan of playing safe and letting Ostapenko beat herself. It worked for a set and a half, and then Ostapenko begin cracking winnings from everywhere. Halep got a little tight in the second set, but her level barely dropped. Ostapenko won that match. Halep did not lose it, although this year's Halep would beat last year's Ostapenko 3 and 3 the way she he is hitting 

Halep certainly did not choke in Australia against Wozniacki. Physically spent because of her titanic struggles earlier in the tournament, she battled for three sets but did not have enough energy to get over the finish line. Woz deserved to win that match. 

Maybe Halep will choke against Stephens, but there is no evidence to support that conclusion. She's a 5-6 player with limited power who has been No. 1 in the world for most of the year. That requires a lot of mental toughness. 

Stephens is very good in her own right. Halep is more comfortable on clay, but it's not like this should be an epic mismatch. 





 

Last edited by funches (6/07/2018 4:24 pm)