Tennis Betting Advice - August 2018
Big matches in Cincinnati tonight…
Thursday 16th August 2018
In your Ones to Watch email today:
Close calls and big prices…
We’ve had a couple of close calls this summer. Several of our Ones to Watch picks have been just squeezed out of matches that could genuinely have gone either way.
That’s tennis, of course. That’s sport.
The important thing is that the players we back are running for us at healthy prices. Because then, when they do get through to the finals (and they will), we benefit nicely from an Each Way payout. Along with the prospect of the big win in the final itself.
Getting to the final has been the tricky bit lately…
In the last week of June, 12/1 pick Angelique Kerber had match point for a 2-0 win in the WTA Eastbourne semi finals – only to go on to lose the match 2-6, 7-6, 6-4.
At the start of this month we had 40/1 Nicolas Jarry just miss out in the ATP Kitzbuhel semi final, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4.
The same week, 33/1 shot Danielle Collins got even closer…
Collins was leading her WTA San Jose semi final 6-3, 4-1 – with a double break in the second set putting her within touching distance of a 2-0 win and a place in the final. However, she couldn’t get over the line, winning just three more games after that and going on to lose the match 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.
This week we went for four big prices in Cincinnati…
In the Men’s event, 50/1 John Isner fell at the first hurdle – edged out in a final set tiebreak, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6. Before that match, opponent Sam Querrey had lost each of his last eight final set tiebreaks.
In the Women’s, 33/1 Daria Kasatkina also suffered a 1st Round defeat in a match that went the distance, winning the first set but going down 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Her opponent Petra Martic won 8 more points in total than Kasatkina in the entire match; Kasatkina gifted her 12 points through Double Faults.
Hope springs eternal. We have two players still in the Cincinnati draw – 80/1 Grigor Dimitrov in the Men’s and 50/1 Elise Mertens in the Women’s…
Big matches tonight…
Dimitrov is now 33/1 at best, from highs of 80/1 and 66/1 at the start of the week. He’s the reigning champ in Cincinnati, and after a 2-0 win over the tricky Mischa Zverev last night, looks ready to take on Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic in what should be an entertaining match on the centre court tonight. Djokovic dropped a set to a 6/1 match outsider yesterday, and lost to a 3/1 underdog last week – so our man Dimitrov certainly has a chance today. He’s 3/1 to beat Djokovic.
Mertens is now 22/1, from 50/1 on Monday. The 22-year-old Belgian has won through two rounds so far. She now takes on last week’s WTA Montreal runner-up, Sloane Stephens. The bookies make Mertens 7/4 (2.75) to upset the US Open champion.
It should be a good night for watching the tennis in Cincinnati – providing it’s not stopped by the rain again – with a couple of other exciting match-ups on the schedule, too….
Milos Raonic v One to Watch in 2018 Denis Shapovalov should be fun, with the big serving Raonic taking on the swashbuckling youngster. These two are neck and neck in the battle to be Canadian No.1 this season.
Hyeon Chung is another of our youngsters to watch and faces the ever popular ‘gentle giant,’ Juan-Martin Del Potro – who is now a Top 5 player again after coming back from multiple injuries.
US Open report coming up…
We’re just 10 days away from the next Grand Slam tournament.
This weekend I’ll be sending you my latest Ones to Watch report, for the US Open 2018.
After picking out 50/1 runner-up Kevin Anderson at Wimbledon last time out, we’ll be looking to find another big price outsider for Flushing Meadows.
Last year we had the 40/1 winner Sloane Stephens in our US Open report. Those are the kind of prices I’ll be looking for again in New York.
Lookout for an email from me with your US Open 2018 – Ones to Watch report on Saturday. Then of course, once the tournament comes along on 27th August, I’ll be going daily with your US Open emails, analysis and advice.
Enjoy the tennis…
Best wishes,
Tom Wilson