Abierto GNP Seguros 2022 Picks for February 28 (Archive)
The WTA tournament in Monterrey, Mexico kicks off today. There are 250 ranking points on the line and many players will be trying to get some valuable competitive court time to make a run at Indian Wells. The courts play similarly, so this should be a good opportunity for players to gain a winning form going into the prestigious event next week. Let’s take a look at today’s matches to find winning WTA picks.
Heather Watson vs. Jule Niemeier
Monday, February 28, 2022 – 03:15 PM EST at GNP Estadio
Heather Watson has won four titles in her career, and two of them are in Mexico. One of them was at this tournament in 2016. Unfortunately, she has not had the same success in Monterrey as of late. Watson has lost in the first round in her last two appearances here.
Heather Watson struggled in hard court matches in 2021, only going 11-19. This was definitely a setback for the British Watson, who previously had excelled on hard courts. Watson will definitely be using this tournament to warm up to try and get some momentum going for the rest of the season. Watson is 4-5 so far in 2022. Watson failed to reach the main draw in both Doha and Dubai, losing in the qualifying rounds in both tournaments. Watson would greatly like to grab some tournament points here to try to avoid qualifying in the larger tournaments in the future.
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Jule Niemeier is an up-and-coming player who has so far only had significant accomplishments on clay. Niemeier has yet to win a main draw WTA match on hard courts. Tonight marks an opportunity for her to break through that wall. Niemeier did have to qualify for this tournament. She beat Bianca Fernandez and Catherine Harrison in order to qualify. She did not drop a set in qualifying and played quite well.
The 22-year old Niemeier has won 3 pro tournaments, all of them on clay, however. Her most recent win was at a W25 in Prague. Niemeier's success on clay is evident, and she's looking to translate that skill into the hard-court season. Niemeier prefers the slower surfaces because it gives her time to set up her groundstrokes. The slower courts in Monterrey and the upcoming Indian Wells play to Niemeier's favor.
I like Niemeier to get her first win against the slumping Watson. Although Watson has done well here earlier in her career, she is not the same player that she once was. In contrast, Niemeier is becoming better with each outing. Unfortunately for Watson, this could be the twilight of her career, while the career of Niemeier is just dawning. I will take the young and talented German Julie Niemeier to win. Our first pick is Jule Niemeier ML.
WTA Pick: Jule Niemeier ML (-117) at Bookmaker (visit our Bookmaker Review)
Renata Zarazua vs. Harmony Tan
Monday, February 28, 2022 - 09:15 PM EST at GNP Estadio
Renata Zarazua has typically done well in her home country of Mexico. Unfortunately, she was not able to overcome Magdalena Frech in Guadalajara last week. Zarazua was having problems with the right side of her body and had the physio check on both her right elbow and her right knee. She eventually lost to the talented Polish player Frech 7-6, 4-6, 6-4.
Harmony Tan had to play qualifying for this tournament. Tan played quite well and did not drop a set in qualifying. Tan is an exciting young French player who is moving up the rankings quickly. Tan had an impressive victory over Madison Keys last week in Guadalajara. The win moved Tan into the top 100. Tan is now ranked 99 in the world.
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Renata Zarazua has beaten Harmony Tan twice. However, one win was in 2016 and the second win was in 2020. This is tough to use as predictive value because Tan has gotten so much better since those matches were played. We can throw out the head-to-head when handicapping this match.
Although Tan is the rightful favorite I do think Zarazua can keep this match close. I am going to take Renata Zarazua plus the games in this matchup as I do believe it will be a hard-fought affair. Zarazua always plays well at home and I expect to see another inspired performance from her tonight, even with her health concerns. The other advantage of taking the game spread is if she does retire from the match due to her lingering injuries, our bet will be voided and not lost. Our second bet for today will be Renata Zarazua +5 games.
WTA Pick: Renata Zarazua +5 games (-111) at Bookmaker
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.