OTW Extra Email Archive - August 2025
Notes from the Tour: 28/1 winner, but still not happy...
Friday 8th August 2025
Call me greedy, but I can’t help it. We’ve just had a 28/1 winner - but I want more…
If you’ve seen any sports news today, then chances are you’ll have heard about teenager Victoria Mboko winning the WTA Montreal tournament - after putting together a dream run to the title…
The 18-year-old beat not one, not two, not three, but four Grand Slam champions. En-route to winning her maiden WTA trophy, and a huge 1000-grade event at that.
What’s more, Mboko’s Montreal debut saw her roared on by a vociferous Canadian home crowd…
She saved a match point in the semi finals. And came from behind again to win last night’s final, too. It really is sensational stuff.
I’ve had a couple of very late nights watching Mboko this week - but I’m not complaining about that…
What I am grumbling about, though, is the fact that it turns out I called Mboko’s big breakthrough, too early…
Back in May, the teenager was a members-only Ones to Watch pick for the French Open. Read it here…
I talked up Victoria’s fantastic form on the lower-tier circuit - and her underdog chances at the Grand Slam event in Paris. Ranked no.120 in the world at the time, we got on Mboko at a top price of 400/1 at Roland Garros. She reached the 3rd round.
Here’s what I said about Victoria Mboko in the closing sentence of that article dated 27th May:
She’s one to watch. It’s as simple as that. We’ll take the giant odds. As we always say with exciting newcomers and rising stars: we want to be on the big odds, while we can still get them…
Fast-forward to Montreal last Thursday, and up no.85 in the world, Mboko was back in our Ones to Watch book. After winning through the opening two rounds in Canada without dropping a set, we latched onto the teenager’s form - taking 28/1 Each Way.
The rest, as they say, is history…
Mboko went on to win her next five matches. Storming to the title, with pulsating, dramatic victories over former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina in the semi final, and then four-time Major champion Naomi Osaka in the final.
A great week and a brilliant night for Ones to Watch members…
Ian C emailed me to say:
“Amazingly I woke up at 1.30 and remembered the tennis so was able to see the end. What a result”
Doug writes it to say:
“I got 40/1 Mboko SpreadEx”
But I’m still not as happy as I could be…
On day one in Montreal, before a ball was hit. Mboko’s starting price was a whopping 200/1.
If we had a time machine, we’d be millionaires, Rodney…
But jokes aside, having initially flagged up the 18-year-old at triple-figures odds at the French Open in May, I’m kicking myself a little bit for not having the 200/1 in Montreal.
Of course, we’ll take a 28/1 winner any day of the week, thank you very much. But I’m always hungry for more…
This isn’t even the first time this year that this has happened…
At the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami in March, teenager Jakub Mensik won his first tour title… at 250/1 (!). The 19-year-old beat Novak Djokovic in the final. Mensik was earmarked for success in your free pre-season Ones to Watch in 2025 Report.
On the other hand…
Mboko was the fifth finalist and third tournament winner we’ve had in our members-only selections this year - and we’re only in early August. Madison Keys was a winning 100/1 pick for us at the Australian Open in January…
Now, the quest continues…
We’re already on some huge prices for the Cincinnati Open, which started yesterday and runs into next week. With the US Open to come at the end of the month…
It’s a fun game to play. And when the big wins come, it’s a profitable one, too…
If you’re not a member yet, join the big-odds club HERE…
Enjoy the tennis…
P.S
Want to get in touch? Email me at: oliver@spapublishinggroup.co.uk
Best wishes,
Oliver Upstone