betprepare.com

Karolina Pliskova and Mattek have played to times so far and have gone over this margin on both occasion. Last year in three sets, two years ago in two sets. I expect at least one extended set in this match and this will largely increase the chances for this bet. Both players have a solid serve, especially Pliskova but Mattek is not too far behind, especially as Pliskova's return is fairly comical sometimes, but her serve is stronger than Mattek's. Both are offensively oriented players, both try to be aggressive on the return and they get a high number of errors. The set figures in head-to-heads are very good, even great for the first serve. The details, that is, the ability to use the break chances have decided both matches and I expect the same today, especially as the court is good for more aggressive players both on the serve and in rallies. Details

Medina's best days are well behind her. I predicted that she would be knocked out of Top 100 last season and it almost happened. An aggravating factor for her at the start of the new season is the fact that the she had major problems with her knees. She admitted that herself and there was some talk of chronic problems which can't be solved overnight. On the other hand, Riske has played good tennis so far and that's a continuation of her good performances from last season. She didn't ask for an excuse after any of her defeats, but her statements after her match against Kerber imply that she wants more. She is aware that she had her chances in this match and defeats can sometimes be very motivating. She is brimming with confidence and now that she is in Top 50, she will not let it go so easily. She has all the assets to beat Medina smoothly today. The opponent is in poor form, he knee is in questionable condition and is playing on the surface that is not her favorite. Hard court is what Riske prefers and the aggression that she announced for this match is definitely bad news for Medina today. Especially when you look at Riske's form from the start of the year. Details

The odds set for this game suggest this match should be a one-way street. But in my opinion, this match will be anything but that. Cibulkova's performance is at a very high level and she is playing the tournament of her career in my opinion, if not the best in her life. Everything is going great for her, from footwork, reading the opponent's play, attacking, backhand parallel that has been particularly noticeable. Even though she has a negative score against Aga in her career, a match between Wawrinka and Đoković can only fill her with confidence and show her that no one is unbeatable, and this applies to Agnieszka, too. Agnieszka played her best match since the start of the season against Azarenka but a high number if winners is a result of soft balls by Azarenka who simply didn't find a way to finish a point on numerous occasions. And she did have her chances. This will not be the case with Cibulkova, she is more aggressive, more intelligent up front. Agnieszka may be the favorite, but not to the extent that the odds would suggest. Cibulkova's performance here in Melbourne cannot be ignored, especially not her confidence from the start of the tournament. She is capable of matching Agnieszka on the court, she has the game to do so and I expect a much bigger struggle here than the bookmakers foresee. Details

McHale's current ranking does not give justice to her quality and value. Two seasons ago she was on the threshold of Top 20 (ranked 24th in the world), and this season I expect her to climb in ranking. Last season was troubling for her as she was coming back to courts and playing with less confidence. However, she did good work in the preseason and McHale should be on the upswing once again. Her career score vs Wozniacki is two wins and one loss in a rather difficult match. In my opinion McHale is underrated here for several reasons. She is obviously more confident in the court, her game is improving and it shows. She is finally fully fit, which makes her a very unpleasant opponent. The courts here are fast, fitting her serve, and she said herself that she is playing with more power in her swing now. Wozniacki is at a crossroads, she is focusing on offense but this makes her defense suffer, and she is left in the middle too many times. She has not displayed good tennis at the start of the season, and the results show it. She was supposed to lose to Goerges, lost to Safarova, and her frist match in this tournament is nothing to judge by. She has too much credit while not impressing this season, unlike McHale. On a good day I believe she can get wins here, but I'm certain she can lead the match to uncertainty. After all, she twice managed to beat her current opponent so far, and played an even match in their third bout. Details

Even though they have a similar ranking, there is a difference between Hsieh and Zhlavova. While Hsieh is going down and will soon, in my opinion, be out of Top 100, I believe Zahlavova will soon be in Top 50 where she used to be and where she deserves to be. Their last head-to-head and the start of the season is in favour of Zahlavova. Last year, she had every answer to Hsieh's tricks and she used her slices to return her shots and then played an aggressive game to which Hsieh had to answer. I don't expect things to pan out any different today as well. The surface is fast, as many have said, and this suits Zahlavova more both on the serve and in rallies. I believe Zahlavova can continue playing well as she has been from the start and if her game is at the level of the first two matches this season, a convincing win should not come into question. Details

Mladenovic hasn't had any real wins since Madrid, so we are talking about a five month period. She has only two wins at her last seven hardcourt tournaments and those were against one clay player and at this tournament against Wozniak. Wozniak is still not ready for a real return, that is obvious from her matches this season and her self-confidence is her biggest issue. If she had more confidence, today we would not see Mladenovic in the second round. Zheng plays a style that does not suit Mladenovic, she has low center of gravity, has various strikes and most importantly - she fights till the end of the match and does not give up regardless the score and she always gives her best. That does not suite Mladenovic. It is expected that Mladenovic will have her share of winners, but lately they are overshadowed by her mistakes. I expect nothing different today and lately her first serve is her only strength, but even that can not last forever. If Zheng stands back a bit, she will get her chances and Mladenovic was never considered a great return player and she will prove today she really is not. Details