OTW Extra Email Archive - November 2025
Notes from the Tour: Two rising stars for 2026...
Thursday 13th November 2025
The early bird catches the worm is probably our top saying here at Ones to Watch…
After all, who wants to miss the bus… be late to the party… on a bet once the horse has already bolted…?!
That’s enough proverbs. What I’m talking about here are players – and prices…
Two standout examples from the Ones to Watch service in 2025 (join here if you’re not already a member):
And in the men’s…
Okay, I’ll say it one more time today: the early bird gets the worm…
With the season winding down, it’s at this time of year that I start to delve into my records and spreadsheets… identifying pertinent points from what’s gone before… and making notes to assist us with what’s to come…
The new tennis season starts in early January. Before then – before Christmas, in fact – I’ll be in touch next month, with the 2026 edition of your free annual Ones to Watch Report…
That exclusive report will contain some entirely new names – players who have not made our official pre-season shortlists before…
I’ve already got several exciting youngsters in mind. Look out for your Ones to Watch in 2026 report landing in your inbox in December. I’ll keep you posted.
Two young women looking to strike it big in 2026…
Another important part of the Ones to Watch game - where we go after appealing outsiders at attractive Each Way prices in the tournament Outright Winner markets – is to keep tabs on former players from our watchlists…
Two talented ball-strikers are in my thinking today: LINDA NOSKOVA, and CLARA TAUSON.
I’ve spent some time going through my files and the formbook this week. These young ladies have featured several times in Ones to Watch before. And while they are certainly rising up the rankings and progressing very well, the Major breakthrough has not come yet… and that, my friend, means we can still regularly find them at massive odds…
Noskova was a leading name in this year’s pre-season report, The Czech List. Linda was previously listed in my 2024 report, when she was still a teenager, yet to win a senior WTA title, and ranked outside the world’s Top 40. Noskova is now 20 years old, and ends 2025 at a new career-high ranking of no.13. She turns 21 next week.
Tauson featured in my annual report ahead of the 2022 season, when the Dane was also still in her teens, and also ranked outside the Top 40. Clara is now 22 years of age, and also finishes 2025 at a career-best ranking (no.12). She will celebrate her 23rd birthday next month.
Making strides…
Noskova (one title) and Tauson (three) have both already tasted trophy-winning success on the WTA Tour…
With the Czech player landing tournament odds of 12/1. While Clara has collected silverware from starting prices of 16/1, 16/1, and 22/1.
But perhaps these other results could prove more significant as we look to 2026 and beyond – and the main target of Top 10 status and Grand Slam success…
For example, Noskova beat multiple Major champion Iga Swiatek in a statement win on the way to reaching a debut Grand Slam quarter final at the Australian Open in 2024. Ones to Watch members were on Linda for that run, backed as an early-bird 100/1 shot.
More recently, Noskova was a 50/1 Each Way runner-up for us at WTA Beijing this season, generating a 25/1 place payout.
While Tauson was 66/1 runner-up at WTA Dubai this season – beating world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka that week.
Breaking-even from these two – so far…
As with my recent article on another rising star of the women’s game, Ones to Watch regular Diana Shnaider (‘Chasing Diana…’ – read it here)…
We have backed both Noskova and Tauson before. But are still anticipating the big breakthrough… still waiting on the Big One in terms of a truly giant-odds payout…
As with the 21-year-old Shnaider, these talented young players have time on their side. And while the formbook still shows limited Grand Slam success, we can still obtain big, outsider prices in the Outright Winner markets.
Here’s my story so far for Noskova and Tauson, in terms of putting them up as tournament bets in my Ones to Watch service…
Linda Noskova:
2023:
Australian Open 150/1
WTA Miami 150/1
US Open 350/1
WTA Tokyo 50/1
2024:
WTA Brisbane 33/1 - Semi Final
Australian Open 100/1 - Quarter Final
WTA Doha 33/1
French Open 200/1
Wimbledon 150/1
WTA Cincinnati 125/1
2025:
WTA Indian Wells 80/1
Wimbledon 66/1
WTA Montreal 50/1
WTA Cincinnati 40/1
US Open 80/1
WTA Beijing 50/1 - RUNNER-UP (Each Way payout @ 25/1)
Clara Tauson:
2021:
WTA Charleston 12/1
WTA Luxembourg 16/1 Each Way - WON
2022:
Australian Open 100/1
WTA Indian Wells 100/1
WTA Miami 80/1
WTA Madrid 100/1
Wimbledon 250/1
2023:
French Open 100/1
2025:
WTA Indian Wells 66/1
Wimbledon 150/1
Across those two young ladies, that’s a total of 26 Outright Winner, Each Way bets (EW terms: 1/2 odds 1-2 places). And at 1 point Each Way every time, that’s a total of 52 pts staked…
Noskova returns = 26 pts (50/1 EW runner-up)
Tauson returns = 26 pts (16/1 EW winner)
= 52 pts total returned
That’s 52 pts staked on Noskova & Tauson combined since back in 2021, with 52 pts returned. Break-even. But I’m very much anticipating that the best is still to come from these two rising stars…
The official WTA end-of-season 2025 stats certainly paint a promising picture. With a pair of new career-high rankings, as we’ve discussed. And both Linda and Clara finishing Top 3 this year in a noteworthy stats category: Most Aces…
WTA 2025 – Most Aces Leaderboard:
My advice:
Look out for Linda Noskova and Clara Tauson doing great things next season and beyond – including at big prices in the Grand Slams.
Between now and the start of the 2026 campaign, I’ll be sending out any early-bird, ante-post selections to Ones to Watch members…
Enjoy the tennis…
Best wishes,
Oliver Upstone