The Copa Claro Colsanitas tennis tournament stages its first round in Bogota and so do our tennis picks. We’re moving into clay-court season as that schedule of the tennis season takes shape in South America before the tour gradually moves to Europe in the coming weeks. Will seeded players move through as expected, or will the break between tournaments and the transition from hardcourts to clay create rusty and sluggish performances which will open the door for the underdogs?
Remember that when you’re making your tennis picks for the clay-court surface, bet on players who thrive in this realm. Players who thrive on clay courts are the ones who rely on speed and defense. The clay surface slows the ball down, so the players who rely on power, ground strokes and big serves are going to be at a disadvantage while the players who consider those parts of their game to be a weakness will now get a big benefit. When you’re betting the matches, bet accordingly.
Irina Falconi vs. Emiliana Arango
Betting Odds: Falconi -10000
In the early rounds of tennis tournaments, there is always the possibility that the breaks between tournaments – possibly longer layoffs if players did not participate the previous week – will create a very familiar rust-versus-rest question on both sides of the net. One player might be rusty and unresponsive after time off. Another player might be tired after playing just a few days earlier in the same city. Another player might react to time off by showing a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Players come at these early-stage matches in tournaments from all sorts of different perspectives, and it can be tough to arrive at a determination as far as both players are concerned.
Here, in this match, exists a not-that-common situation: One of the players is a 15-year-old who has been given a wild card into the tournament. Arango is the 15-year-old. She’s from Colombia and is seen as the future of tennis in the country. She gets to play in her home-nation tournament and will therefore have a home crowd firmly and enthusiastically on her side.
Yet, she’s just 15. Falconi is not a great player, but she is a veteran who has become accustomed to life on the circuit. Falconi would have to really crumble in order for this match to get away from her, and that should not be expected here. Falconi should win with a routine score. Take her with your tennis picks in this matchup.
Pick: Falconi in straight sets
Elina Svitolina vs. Alexandra Panova
Betting Odds: Svitolina -769
This is a matchup which is also lopsided enough that any intangible factors (rust, rest) should not ultimately matter. Panova is ranked outside the top 150, and she got into this tournament due to another player’s pre-tournament pullout. She will compete with vigor and a positive frame of mind, but those kinds of things probably won’t amount to much against Svitolina, who is a seeded player and one of the main favorites to win the whole tournament. Svitolina is a former quarterfinalist at the French Open, so her capabilities on clay are above average. Is she was weak on clay, this match could be seen in a different way, but that’s just not the case. Svitolina should win this in straights. Take Svitolina with your tennis picks to cash in.
Pick: Svitolina in straight sets
Catalina Pella vs. Teliana Pereira
Betting Odds: Pereira -323
This is a match which also involves a very wide gap in rankings between the two players. Pella is ranked at 274, over 200 slots below Pereira, a player who has carved out some accomplishments on tour. This is yet another case in which an upset just isn’t in the cards. The best part here is you don’t have to lay a ton of juice with the favorite. The underdog does not seem to have the tools needed to pull off a surprise. Go with Pereira with your tennis picks.
Pick: Pereira in straight sets
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