ATP Hamburg, WTA Bastad Thursday Predictions: Verdasco-Janowicz, Pennetta-Halep

Fernando Verdasco v Jerzy Janowicz (Hamburg, R3)

Fernando Verdasco

A showdown between two in-form players will be the one to watch in Hamburg as Fernando Verdasco takes on Jerzy Janowicz.  Verdasco pushed Andy Murray all the way in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon and he built on that with a final appearance in Bastad last week.  The Spaniard came through a tight three setter against Roberta Bautista-Agut in his first match in Hamburg, 6-4 3-6 6-2.  Janowicz went one step better than Verdasco at Wimbledon in making the semi-finals and in his first match since that historic occasion, he overcame Robin Haase 6-4 3-6 7-6(4).  This will be a first career match-up and it promises to be a close affair.  I am definitely going for a three setter, but I fancy Verdasco to have the edge on clay...

Prediction - Verdasco to beat Janowicz in 3 sets

Flavia Pennetta v Simona Halep (Bastad, R2)

Bastad has certainly attracted some interest this year with the inclusion of Serena Williams, but tomorrow's star match features the number two seed, Simona Halep up against Flavia Pennetta.  Halep has won three titles this year, all in the last two months, which actually puts her second behind Serena for titles won this year.  Pennetta made her comeback in February following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.  Results have not come easily for the Italian, but she has played better in the last two months with a semi-final run in Strasbourg (coming through 3 qualifying rounds too) and a last 16 showing in Wimbledon.  Pennetta won her first match in Bastad over Mariana Duque-Marino, coming through in three sets.  Halep has played a lot of tennis lately and I did hear she was feeling the effects of it last week on the way to winning in Budapest.  For that reason, I am going with Pennetta to stop the Halep train.

Prediction - Pennetta to beat Halep in 3 sets

ATP Hamburg: 3rd Round Predictions

Roger Federer to beat Jan Hajek in 2 sets

Florian Mayer to beat Feliciano Lopez in 2 tight sets

Federico Delbonis to beat Dmitry Tursunov in 3 sets

Benoit Paire to beat Juan Monaco in 2 tight sets

Nicolas Almagro to beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in 2 tight sets

Marcel Granollers to beat Fabio Fognini in 3 sets

Tommy Haas to beat Carlos Berlocq in 3 sets

WTA Bad Gastein: 2nd Round Predictions

Mandy Minella to beat Annika Beck in 3 sets

Yvonne Meusburger to beat Irina-Camelia Begu in 2 tight sets

Petra Martic to beat Patricia Mayr-Achleitner in 2 sets

Estrella Cabeza Candela to beat Arantxa Rus in 3 sets

Elina Svitolina to beat Chanelle Scheepers in 2 tight sets

WTA Bastad: 2nd Round Predictions

Lesia Tsurenko to beat Richel Hogenkamp in 2 tight sets

Serena Williams to beat Anna Tatishvili in 2 sets

Mathilde Johansson to beat Andrea Gamiz in 2 sets

Bastad is now the only tournament where my two predicted finalists are still in the tournament.  I had a pretty ropey day in Hamburg :-S