WTA 125k Limoges - Clash of styles

Crushed by Kanepi

Although the read was there, I took the wrong bet in opposing Kaia Kanepi yesterday. After squandering two early break points, the Estonian got completely run over. There was a little bit of hope when she got another opportunity in the last service game, but Brady was able to save it and cruise to a 6-2 6-3 win as a 2.60 underdog. In hindsight, playing the handicap on the unfairly priced American would've been the better bet, but we'll move on.

Altogether, the trend of long matches in Limoges didn't last as there have been five straightforward wins yesterday. Sasnovich, Blinkova and Pera lived up to their role as favorites and on top of Kanepi, #3 seed Alison Van Uytvanck also lost at odds of 1.30.

Different Opponent for Cornet

There are still some first round matches on today, but I will preview the second round match between local hero Alizé Cornet and Liudmila Samsonova who treated us well on Monday when she beat Camila Giorgi 6-4 4-6 6-4.

Frenchwoman Cornet didn't have any problems with Stefanie Voegele in round one as she cruised to a 6-2 6-1 victory. The Swiss had nothing to oppose and only won 54% of her first serve points. Against one of the better returners in the field, that wasn't enough and Cornet took full advantage, winning 54% of the points on return.

Samsonova's serve will have a lot more to offer though. The young Russian hit 14 aces in her first round match and won 83% of her first serve points. Despite putting up 5 doubles faults, she also scored on her second serve, winning 61% of the points. Overall, she won an impressive 72% on serve. Even against a returner like Giorgi, that's not too shabby.

Surface Advantage Samsonova

So we have two different kinds of players facing off today. Cornet's consistency stands out and playing at home should motivate her as well. Anyway, fast surfaces don't suit her and she's winning less than 50% of her matches on indoor hard courts. Her winning percentage changes drastically from faster to slower surfaces as she wins 39% of her matches on grass, 48% on indoor hards, 54% on outdoor hards and 62% on clay.

In contrast, I really like Samsonova's game on a faster indoor court. She always tries to attack and end points quickly. Her first serve percentage can still improve, but it's part of her aggressive game. Also on second serves, she's not as attackable as other players as she doesn't just put it in but still tries to be aggressive. The Russian possesses a good kick serve as well which opens up the court for her nicely.

It will be exciting to see which style prevails, but I'm here for another close match. While I do think Samsonova has the surface advantage over Cornet, I don't expect the Frenchwoman to put up a shocker at home. That's why I'm going for the over rather than the handicap here again.