The ATP and WTA Tours are fully into the North American hard-court swing, and we’re going to wrap up the 1000-level stops in Montreal and Toronto on Thursday, August 13.
With the US Open now on the horizon, this stretch is where contenders start to separate, dialing in their timing, adjusting to quicker conditions, and building real momentum against elite fields.
These tournaments carry significant weight on both tours, giving us a strong read on form, fitness, and potential title paths heading into New York. With that in mind, keep reading for my tennis best bets for the National Bank Open finals on Thursday, August 13. On the men’s side, we’ll see Brandon Nakashima and Ben Shelton clash in Montreal.
If you’re looking for Cincinnati picks, I wrote up some of my tournament futures. I also posted my Thursday picks to our picks page.
NOTE: Gill Alexander, host of A Numbers Game, posts a bunch of tennis plays to the VSiN picks page. He does a great job handicapping tennis. That page is also where I post all of my Challenger-level picks + plays for all of the tournaments I’m not writing up daily.
Brandon Nakashima vs. Ben Shelton
Shelton is 5-0 in five career meetings with Nakashima, and the southpaw is heavily favored to improve to 6-0. However, the last meeting between these two was extremely close, with Shelton winning 6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-6 (5) on his way to winning a title in Toronto last year. Nakashima has forced a tiebreaker in seven of the 12 sets that these two have played, and we have seen three other sets end with a score of 7-5. That said, there’s very little that separates these two players, and I like the idea of taking Nakashima to win a set — and sprinkling some moneyline.
Shelton is playing some of the best tennis of his life right now, as he continues to be a massive server but has made significant strides as a baseliner. Right now, the southpaw is looking like a serious threat to win the US Open. However, Nakashima is also playing the best tennis of his life, and his straight-set win over Rafael Jodar in the semifinals featured some brilliant ball-striking and sound decision-making.
As long as Nakashima isn’t extremely nervous here, I think we’ll see him serve his way deep into a set or two. From there, he should be able to take one. I know this is the biggest match of Nakashima’s life, but he is cool, calm, and collected out there. Also, playing against his compatriot should allow him to settle in and focus on simply beating someone he has always been competitive with.
I also like that Nakashima faced someone with a big game in the semifinals. He’ll be used to going up against someone that plays with power, but Shelton faced an interesting opponent in Learner Tien. It might be somewhat hard for him to re-adjust — at least early on.
Bet: Nakashima +1.5 Sets (-159 – 1.5 units) & Nakashima ML (+175 – 0.5 units)
Added Plays
I usually have A LOT MORE on the Pro Picks page. Those plays count towards my record and have been a big part of my success this season. Make sure you check them out. I’ll probably add a few more over there, so refresh that page throughout the day if you’re looking for action.
