WTA Monterrey Quarters: Cibulkova vs. Szavay

Monterrey, Mexico – Slovak Dominika Cibulkova, the No.4 seed, was one of my dark horse picks at Monterrey this week, and I am happy to report she has come through for me so far. She is in the quarters, set to clash against fifth seed Agnes Szavay.

Theirs is the only billing in the quarters featuring two seeds, which means where it comes to favourites they have shown exactly why they are so.

Cibulkova began her campaign against Roberta Vinci and handled the Italian admirably, sending her packing 6-4, 6-3. In the second round, she came up against another Italian, Sara Errani. This time it wasn’t smooth sailing for Cibulkova as she dropped the first set but credit to her for coming back from a set down to take out Errani 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Agnes Szavay has had to face German opposition in both rounds leading into the quarters and she had to battle for each win. Julia Goerges involved her in a three set marathon from which she barely emerged 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. In the next round, Anna-Lee Groenefeld tested her with a 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-1 victory.

Tennis Betting Line: Cibulkova vs. Szavay

Match Time: Not before 05:00 PM Eastern Time Friday March 5, 2010

Tennis Betting Verdict: Markets are yet to be determined on this matchup but no reason why we can’t have a little tête-à-tête, and determine the positioning scheme of these two players.

Cibulkova has the slightest ranking edge over Szavay, ranked at No.29 and No.31, respectively and hence she is seeded just above Szavay in the tournament. However the slight ranking edge is insignificant in the broader sense. Moreover, Cibulkova trails Szavay 1-3 lifetime.

That said, 2009 mark is more representative as it stands 1-0 to Cibulkova. Szavay took all three victories over Cibulkova in 2007 – a year in which Szavay reached several milestones and, in turn, Cibulkova was still very much a novice at the pro-level. Szavay has never tapped into that form since.

Last year, Cibulkova reached several milestones of her own, one of which was to reach the semis of a Grand Slam. This occurred at the French Open and interestingly she beat Szavay in the R16 6-2, 6-4, en route to the semi-final appointment against Dinara Safina that she lost.

I expect the bookies to come up with a tight betting line in this match as there is no one real deciding factor to tip the balance in favour of either player. As such, this match is a tossup. If I were to play with house money, I would back Cibulkova. I would also expect her to be the slight favourite (although I could be wrong as the bookies might favour Szavay because she is making her third quarterfinal in a row after reaching the quarters in Paris and Acapulco). If Szavay were the favourite my pick would still be the same; in fact, the value on Cibulkova would be that much more improved as her risk-to-return ratio would offer a more attractive take out.

Tennis Free Picks: Cibulkova in straight sets

Get in on the action now – SIGN UP HERE!