The Overrule: ATP Toronto & WTA Cincinnati

By Sports Magician

ATP TORONTO

The sixth Masters Series event of the season begins this week in Toronto. The Canadian tournament rotates each year between Toronto and Montreal, so depending the way you look at it, Andy Murray is defending the title he won last year (in Montreal) and/or Rafael Nadal is defending the Toronto title he won in 2008! All of the big guns are back in action apart from US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro. The Argentine has recently started hitting on his return from injury and his participation for the US Open is still in some considerable doubt. Hopefully he’ll have the chance to defend the Grand Slam he won last year even though his chances of success in the tournament will be remote.

Novak Djokovic is flying under the radar despite being ranked number two in the world. The Serbian hasn’t been able to put consistently good performances together for much of the season but often reaches the latter stages of tournaments. Djokovic has only won one tournament in 2010 – early in the season in Dubai – and even that was a struggle. However, Djokovic’s early round draw is quite appealing. In the last eight he could meet an out of sorts Nikolay Davydenko or Fernando Verdasco, while Tomas Berdych or Roger Federer may await in the last four.

PICK: 2*NOVAK DJOKOVIC WIN TORONTO @ 9.00 (BWIN)

WTA CINCINNATI

The Williams sisters and Justine Henin miss the event in Cincinnati but the depth of the field is highlighted by a first round encounter between Svetlana Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova. Kim Clijsters returns to action in the tournament where she began her comeback to the tour last year. Clijsters reached the last eight in 2009 and enters 2010 as tournament favourite. Despite the presence of Victoria Azarenka in the top half of the draw the Belgian is a justified favourite and we will be backing her for glory.

Elena Dementieva could benefit from a relatively tame third quarter of the draw as she continues her comeback from the injury that forced her to retire at the French Open and miss Wimbledon. Kuznetsova, Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki are all placed in the fourth quarter of the draw, which also features other players capable of moving on to the latter stages. Dementieva reached the last four in Cincinnati last year and she has the draw to help her get at least that far this year.

PICK: 3*KIM CLIJSTERS WIN CINCINNATI @ 5.00 (BET365 / SKY BET)

PICK: 1*(EACH-WAY) ELENA DEMENTIEVA WIN CINCINNATI (1/2 ODDS 1-2 PLACES) @ 19.00 (VCBET)

Sports Magician