WTA - Monterrey: Iveta Benesova (+140 @ Sportbet) vs. Anastasija Sevastova
Sevastova beat former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic yesterday in an upset that no one saw coming. Nobody knew why JJ ever appeared at this tourney, and it's possible that Sevastova just caught a lucky break against an opponent desperate to collect an appearance fee. She gets a completely different match today as she faces Benesova, a semifinalist here last year and a player with a game tailor-made for this rare high-altitude hard court in Latin America. Benesova has ranking points to defend here, having fallen from No. 25 to No. 52 in the last year, and risking a fall into the high sixties if she fails to make the semis here again this year. Sevastova has had some solid results lately, reaching a career high ranking of No. 72, but also some inconsistent performances and has never backed up a big win before, always losing after a breakthrough match. All the value is on Benesova as the more motivated player here.
~R. Scholar