OTW Extra Email Archive - October 2025
Notes from the Tour: Doors opening in Beijing...
Thursday 2nd October 2025
The top seed is out at the women’s China Open - and opportunity knocks for the outsiders this week…
While the bottom half of the WTA Beijing draw offers no surprises. With defending champion Coco Gauff set to face Amanda Anisimova in the semi finals. World no.3 Gauff went off at 7/1, and no.4 Anisimova at 9/1…
In the top half of the draw, things are a lot more open…
No.1 seed Iga Swiatek was knocked out by Emma Navarro on Wednesday. Opening the door for one of these four to get to the final…
Friday morning’s remaining two WTA Beijing, China Open quarter finals will line up as follows (day one Outright Winner price in brackets):
Emma Navarro (66/1) v Jessica Pegula (20/1)
Sonay Kartal (500/1) v Linda Noskova (50/1)
For 23-year-old Brit, Sonay Kartal, this is a career first WTA 1000 quarter final. Coming off the back of a first Top 10 win, beating teen star Mirra Andreeva in the last round.
From starting odds of 500/1 at this tournament, world no.81 Kartal is now 28/1 at best (BetVictor) and 20/1 in general to go all the way.
To get to the semis though, Sonay will need to get past one of our Ones to Watch in 2025 picks, Linda Noskova…
The 20-year-old Czech featured in your free pre-season report, published last December:
Kartal v Noskova…
Noskova is currently ranked no.27 in the world. She went off at 50/1 in China last week - backed at that price as a members-only Ones to Watch selection, Each Way.
Ahead of tomorrow morning’s Beijing quarter final - her second WTA 1000-level quarter final of the season - Linda is now just 8/1 for the title.
Having won a maiden title at the WTA 500 event on hard courts in Monterrey last year, Noskova is now aiming to reach a 1000 final for the first time.
The bookies make our Ones to Watch youngster Noskova - the youngest woman left in the China Open draw - an 8/15 (1.53) favourite to beat Kartal tomorrow…
They’ve met once before on the tour, with the Czech player beating the Brit in straight sets in Rome earlier this year, on clay. That was also a high-status WTA 1000 event
Friday’s quarter final in Beijing will be the first time Kartal and Noskova have met on hard courts; the career match win-loss records say hard courts are both players’ best surface.
If Sonay wins that match, there will be a 500/1 shot in the semi finals. If Linda wins, there’ll be a 50/1 player in the last four. Here at Ones to Watch, we’re very much hoping it’s the latter…
P.S
If you’re not a Ones to Watch member yet, and not on Noskova at 50/1. Fear not. The next big one is always just around the corner…
We’ve currently got three open bets on the ATP Rolex Shanghai Masters. All at big prices, and all due to play in the 2nd round over the next couple of days…
And next week, there’s another WTA 1000 event taking place, in Wuhan…
Enjoy the tennis…
Best wishes,
Oliver Upstone