OTW Extra Email Archive - September 2025
Notes from the Tour: The return of Storm Hunter...
Thursday 11th September 2025
Let’s get the name ‘banter’ out of the way first…
Yes, Storm Hunter is her real name. The 31-year-old Australian, nee Sanders, got married a few years back, and took her husband’s surname.
While it’s good for headline writers, there’s no nominative determinism about ‘Storm Hunter’ - unless she’s got a sideline in chasing twisters, that is…
If it’s tennis-specific name fun that you want, then look up Katie Volynets, or Tennys Sandgren.
Anyway, I digress…
First win in over a year…
Storm Hunter is on the Ones to Watch radar this week, as the left-hander is in action at the WTA Guadalajara event in Mexico. In the 1st round on Tuesday night, she won her first match on tour for over a year…
Hunter had been out injured since April last year, with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Her last match win on the Singles circuit was back in March 2024. Consequently, the former world no.114’s ranking has dropped to no.1269…
This week’s hard-fought 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 victory over current no.78 Katerina Siniakova paid 5/1 with the bookies. That’s a big upset in a two-horse-race tennis match.
In hindsight (always brilliant for betting, of course…), that match was between two Doubles specialists - both former world no.1 players in Doubles. And maybe Siniakova was as such, an opposable favourite. But then again, the Czech looked fit and sharp last time I watched her on court, at the US Open - while Hunter arrived in Mexico this week as an unknown quantity.
On TV tonight - the battle of the 200/1 shots…
Granted a Wildcard into the main draw, Storm - who has never won a full-tier WTA Singles title - started the week as a 200/1 shot for the WTA Guadalajara trophy. She’s trading at 40/1 at best in today’s Outright Winner market. Play starts at 9pm UK time.
Hunter takes on Emiliana Arango tonight, with a place in the quarter finals at stake. The 24-year-old Colombian is also searching for a career-first WTA title - and also started the week as a 200/1 rank outsider at this 500-grade event (now as short as 8/1).
In today’s Match Winner betting, the bookies make Arango a 1/2 (1.5) favourite, with Hunter the underdog at 13/8 (2.63).
I’ll be tuning in to watch that match, which is live on Sky Sports Tennis from 9pm - and also available via live streaming with bookies such as Bet365.
After that, I’ll also be staying up for one of the late matches in Guadalajara, which involves this week’s members-only Ones to Watch pick, Camila Osorio. Flagged-up at top prices of 28/1 and 33/1 Each Way, Osorio is now 18/1 to go all the way…
P.S
There are three tournaments on the schedule for us next week, in Seoul, Chengdu, and Hangzhou. With the China Open in Beijing to come later this month, too…
Enjoy the tennis…
Best wishes,
Oliver Upstone