2022 BNP Paribas Open Picks for March 11 (Archive)
The first day of the second round of the WTA bracket in Indian Wells starts today. On the men’s side, the second day of the first round is here. On the women’s side, this is our first chance to see the top-seeded players in action, due to the fact that they received their first-round byes. With all that in mind, let’s take a look at today’s schedule to find the winning tennis picks.
Simona Halep vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova
Friday, March 11, 2022 – 02:00 PM EST at Stadium 3
Ekaterina Alexandrova was lucky to win her first-round match-up with the eighteen-year-old Elvina Kalieva. Kalieva is ranked 317 in the world, but she pushed Alexandrova to the brink in their first-round match. Kalieva had five aces with two double faults. Alexandrova had four aces, not too bad right? But she had 18 double faults. Giving away this many free points will not hold up well today against Simona Halep.
Ekaterina Alexandrova had a woeful 46% first-serve percentage in her first-round match. This put too much pressure on her erratic second serve. Alexandrova is a player that can beat the best players in the world when she's playing her best, but that is not currently the case for Alexandrova.
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She is just 3-7 in her last 10 matches. Her highest-ranked win this year was over the world number 100 Bernarda Pera. Simply put, Alexandrova is in poor form.
When you are in poor form, Simona Halep is a nightmare opponent. Simona Halep is one of the most consistent players on tour. When Halep gets in a rhythm, it is tough to get her to commit unforced errors. Halep also has underrated aggressiveness. Due to her defensive prowess, many label Halep as a pusher or purely defensive player.
However, Halep is one of the best ball strikers when she is given an opportunity to put away a point. Halep also has what I consider to be an underrated serve. Because of her smaller stature, she's not able to hit the ball at the high speeds of the bigger, more powerful women on the WTA tour. Yet Halep has excellent placement on her serve and it allows her to have a high percentage of service game wins.
The Pick
I like Simona Halep to get it done here against the erratic out-of-form Alexandrova. Halep is an excellent player and the slow hard courts in Indian Wells are perfect for her style of game. A player of Halep's consistency is the worst matchup for a player struggling to find their best level of tennis. That is the case today here with Alexandrova. Our first bet for today in Indian Wells is Simona Halep/Ekaterina Alexandrova under 19 games.
WTA Pick: Halep/Alexandrova Under 19 games (-106) at Bookmaker (visit our Bookmaker Review)
Liam Broady vs. Miomir Kecmanovic
Friday, March 11, 2022 – 04:40 PM EST at Stadium 7
Miomir Kecmanovic is a Serbian player ranked 61 in the world. He is 22 years old and is definitely having an excellent start to the 2022 season. Kecmanovic is 11-5 on the season. Kecmanovic has played his last three tournaments on clay. He will be transitioning back to the hard courts in this match. He is favorite at top-rated sportsbooks.
Liam Broady will be used to the conditions here at Indian Wells because he was forced to qualify. Broady played well in both matches. Broady is a 28-year-old player from the United Kingdom, and he is ranked 124th in the world. Broady is playing well this season. He is 11-4 on the year.
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I expect this to be a close match between the two big servers. Although the slower courts of Indian Wells make it harder to just "serve bot" your way into service holds. A “serve bot” is a slang term that refers to men who just hit big serves and that is all there is to their games. Over time, most men have the potential to “serve bot”, because the serve has become such a crucial part of ATP strategy.
The Pick
Both men have the power that will shine through even on the slower surface. I expect many holds of serve in this matchup. It definitely has the potential to go three sets. This should be an excellent test for Kecmanovic's development, as he is definitely been playing better this year.
Broady will be more of the gatekeeper in this match. However, I do think it will be a close, hard-fought affair that will go over. Our second bet for Indian Wells is Liam Broady/Miomir Kecmanovic Over 22.5 games.
ATP Pick: Broady/Kecmanovic Over 22.5 Games (-110) at Bookmaker
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