Tennis Betting Advice - July 2018

Back the Russian in Moscow…

Wednesday 25th July 2018

In your Ones to Watch email today:

  • Rules are there to be broken…
  • Back the Russian in Moscow…
  • Big things ahead…

Rules are there to be broken…

Long-time readers will know I’m usually dead keen to take on the favourites. But rules are there to be broken and in this week’s inaugural Moscow River Cup tournament I like the Russian youngster in the bottom half of the draw…

That player is none other than our good friend Daria Kasatkina, already an 80/1 finalist for us this season and a fast rising star from our Ones to Watch in 2017 list.

Still only 21, Daria is a player on the up who really could go on to achieve great things in the game.

This summer Kasatkina has just reeled off her first two quarter final appearances at Grand Slam level, back to back in the French Open and then Wimbledon.

This week’s WTA International level tournament is a much smaller event with less players and less star names in the field – hence the general 3/1 price for young Dasha.

Several decent enough players have already pulled out this week through injury. Elsewhere, the top half of the draw sees top seed Julia Goerges at 4/1, but the German has plenty to do with her section looking tough with the likes of Kaia Kanepi (6/1) and Anastasija Sevastova (6/1) real threats, along with Aliaksandra Sasnovich (16/1) as a dangerous outsider.

The route looks much clearer for Kasatkina in the bottom half. I said earlier this summer that Daria has another good run to a final in her soon and this could well be the week.

Back the Russian in Moscow…

This is a brand new tournament on the WTA schedule, held outdoors on clay – as opposed to the other WTA Moscow event which is held indoors on hard court and takes place in October, and where Kasatkina was a 10/1 runner-up last season.

Backing a Russian in Russia always sounds like a sensible move, and the 2nd seed Kasatkina is plenty back-able for me in this situation with this field and size of event at 3/1+.

She breezed through her opening match 6-1, 6-1 in less than an hour and the World No.13 is a strong favourite to win her next match on Thursday against World No.90, Tamara Zidansek.

Kasatkina is class on all courts but clay is what the Americans would call her ‘most winningest’ surface with a career-to-date match record of won 83 lost 26.

WTA Moscow – Moscow River Cup

Outright Winner:

BET: Daria Kasatkina @ 7/2 or 3/1 Each Way
BOOKIES: 7/2 (4.50) Skybet, 3/1 (4.00) Bet365, William Hill, Coral, Ladbrokes 
Latest odds here

  • Each Way terms: 1/2 odds 1-2 places

Play starts in Moscow from 9am UK time. While Kasatkina isn’t scheduled to play her next match until Thursday, the bookies suspend the Outright Winner market each day during play – so get your bets on before 9am if you can (or if not, wait until the evening when the market goes back up).

Big things ahead…

I’ve taken a few days to catch up on things, post-Wimbledon – and to get my house in order, as it were, before we head to North America for the build-up to the US Open in August.

I’ll also be squeezing in a one-week summer holiday before then – I’ll keep you posted when that happens so you know when and when not to expect your Ones to Watch emails and advice.

As for this week, I’ll be back with you on Friday, if not before.

Enjoy the tennis…

Best wishes,

Oliver Upstone

Tom Wilson

Ones to Watch