Mertens vs Pliskova (Approx 08:30pm AEST)
This looks to be a fantastic first semi final, with contrasting styles on offer with Kristyna Pliskova and Elise Mertens taking the court on the completion of the match between Begu and Sorribes.
Pliskova was very lucky to make her way through to the semi final, as she was the beneficiary of Bogdan injuring her hamstring whilst up 5-1 in the first set. Pliskova looked lethargic, struggling in particular off the backhand wing through those six games. This looks to be a tricky match-up today for her, with Mertens very solid on serve and consistent off both wings in rallies.
On the surface the quarter final win over Eugenie Bouchard doesn’t set the world on fire, however I think we have certainly seen performances from the Canadian this week that are far and away better than the majority of the last 12-24 months. I am fascinated to see how her collaboration with Rennae Stubbs in the coming months. The quarter final struggle of Mertens perhaps opens up a bit of value on her at the game handicap, especially when you consider how well she handled the power of Giorgi the other day in similar conditions.
I like the -3.5 game handicap in this one, albeit at a slightly juiced price. I also like the -4 games at Topsport if you can access that. I will play this for 2 units.