2016 US Open Women’s Singles Round of 16 Picks and Predictions
*Find the complete list of the 2016 US Open Women’s Singles fourth-round betting lines HERE!
Serena Williams (-1,750) vs. Yaroslava Shvedova (+900)
Serena Williams, without question, is the hands-down favorite here. After all, her form’s been completely unmatched and almost perfect in the tournament thus far. She’s yet to lose a single set and her latest victory over Johanna Larsson in the third round was arguably the American’s most dominant performance.
During that match, the six-time US Open champion played excellently, as she won 82 percent of her first serve points and converted on 68 percent of her second serve points, while also having blasted a total of 24 winners and six aces. That incredible display of strength, aggression and overall accuracy should be more than enough to overcome Yaroslava Shvedova, whom Williams’ has beaten in all of their four head-to-head meetings.
And by the way, the win over Larsson was quite special as Williams finally surpassed the great Martina Navratilova for the most Grand Slam match victories (307) in women’s tennis. Congratulations to you, Serena!
Writer’s Prediction: Serena (-1,750) stays hot, as she quickly disposes of Shvedova in straight sets.
Like Serena, the second-seeded Angelique Kerber has looked phenomenal as well. She’s yet to concede a set in the tournament, but her next opponent—Petra Kvitova—should prove to be a very difficult one to take down. Both female stars have split their eight career head-to-head encounters.
Having that considered, this match is pretty unpredictable and is likely destined to go straight down the wire. Kerber’s form, as mentioned earlier, has been sensational lately, but the same could be said for Kvitova, who safely navigated to the Round of 16 via a straight-sets win, 6-3, 6-4, over Elina Svitlona in the previous round. The German beaut, however, appears more primed to win since she’s arguably the better hard-court player and has had a more successful career. The World No. 2 is 31-7 on that surface this season and was crowned as this year’s Australian Open winner, which was her first-ever major tournament title.
Writer’s Prediction: Kerber (-240) wins it after three tightly-contested sets.
Simona Halep (-320) vs. Carla Suarez Navarro (+240)
Another heavyweight matchup is in store for us, as Simona Halep and Carla Suarez Navarro collide in the fourth round. Both are tied at 5-5 in their head-to-head matchups, but two of the last three meetings have gone towards the latter’s favor.
Suarez Navarro has looked very solid in the US Open, having yet to drop a set. She also kicked of her campaign on a strong note, demolishing Teliana Pereira, 6-0, 6-0, in the opening round.
Still, the Spaniard can’t afford to lose any of her focus against Halep, who has won four of their five clashes on hard courts. The latest of which occurred in last year’s Indian Wells Masters, where the Romanian bested Suarez Navarro in the quarterfinal, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
Writer’s Prediction: Halep (-320) slips past Suarez Navarro in two closely-fought sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Complete Listing of 2016 US Open Women’s Singles Round of 16 Matches
Matches
Prediction
Johanna Konta (-400) vs. Anastasija Sevastova (+300)
Konta
Roberta Vinci (-300) vs. Lesia Tsurenko (+220)
Vinci
Madison Keys (-225) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (+175)
Wozniacki
Angelique Kerber (-240) vs. Petra Kvitova (+180)
Kerber
Serena Williams (-1,750) vs. Yaroslava Shvedova (+900)
Serena
Simona Halep (-320) vs. Carla Suarez Navarro (+240)
