Fantasy Tennis Insider: It’s Petra time!

Well compadres, we’re at that time in the fantasytennisleague.com year where you should be finalising your squad. Look to trade in-form players who aren’t withdrawal risks and have a good track record of finishing seasons off strong.

So who are those players? Let the Insider help you…

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ATP: Three to pick from

Dominic Thiem ($8.64m) and Alexander Zverev ($14.33m) are the obvious choices. Fresh from the Laver Cup, Thiem and Zverev will be top seeds in Chengdu and Shenzhen respectively. If I had the trades and could afford it, I’d bring in both. If not, I’d prefer the higher ceiling of Sascha Zverev. The German has won five titles this year compared to Thiem’s one.

You might not think it but Tomas Berdych ($8.63m) can be a handy point of difference if you’re looking to make up ground. Wimbledon aside, Berdych has only topped 50 Fantasy Tennis points once this year. That stinks. But unlike the similarly priced Grigor Dimitrov ($9.17m) and John Isner ($9.5m) he’s never dipped below $8m (the other guys have dropped as low as $6m). The reliable Czech is never going to burn you. What’s more, Berdych loves the Asian swing. He’s going for a three-peat in Shengzhen and is 30-11 in Asia since 2011.

If you’re struck for cash, David Goffin ($6.03m) and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga ($6.22mm) are your best options. Goffin’s had the better year but historically struggles in Asia, where as the Frenchman has struggled miserably in 2017 but performs quite well in this upcoming series. Gun to my head – Tsonga.

WTA: Pick Petra!

With the Wuhan Open we’ve got a Premier tournament that, depending on the player you choose, can really make or break your rank. With that in mind, Petra Kvitova ($6.39m) is my pick of the week. Petra has won Wuhan twice before and is 9-3 since Wimbledon. She also has a healthy win percentage on outdoor hard courts and recently came up big at the US Open with 70 Fantasy Tennis points. At that price it’s hard to say no.

Last week it was The Week of Caroline Wozniacki ($12.53m) and if you couldn’t find room to bring her in, well then here’s your second chance. The Dane leads all women for Fantasy Tennis points and has only dropped below 25 points once (Elina Svitolina and Garbine Muguruza have done it four times apiece). She’s 5-3 in Wuhan to-date.

Americans Sloane Stephens ($10.29m) and Madison Keys ($10.23m) have both enjoyed a lengthy rest since the US Open final and should be ready to go. It’s the less fun pick, and probably less logical too, but I prefer Keys. The 22-year-old played the best tennis of any man or woman in New York and got stage freight when it came time to seal the deal. I think that pain will fuel her to produce big things on the home stretch of 2017.

Dominika Cibulkova ($7.46m) has been rising in price and it might be time to jump on board. Normally a season record as abysmal as 23-19 would have me racing for the red ‘T’ button but Cibulkova has been building nicely. Her strong finish to 2016 is also enticing – the Slovak went 15-4 after the US Open, which included a title in Linz, a final in Wuhan and a WTA finals crown.

Check out who is playing next week with the Player Calendar

Splitting Hairs

• Tomas Berdych or Dominic Thiem? Thiem
• Daria Gavrilova or David Goffin? Goffin
• Angelique Kerber or Agnieszka Radwanksa? Neither…fine, Radwanksa
• Alexander Zverev or Garbine Muguruza? Zverev
• Simona Halep or Johanna Konta? Halep
• Jo-Wilfred Tsonga or Dominika Cibulkova? Tsonga

Buy/Sell

Buy: Simona Halep ($13.45m) — not cheap but not overvalued either.  Since Madrid she’s 35-8.
Honourable mention: Tomas Berdych

Sell: Pablo Carreno Busta ($7.99m) — easy US Open draw inflated his price tenfold. If you’ve got him, he’s done his job.
Honourable mention: Sam Querrey