It might feel like the US Open marks the end of tennis season, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We still have a few 1000-level events left — plus the ATP and WTA Finals — and some of them are taking place right now. The men are currently in Shanghai for the Rolex Shanghai Masters at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. Meanwhile, the women are in Wuhan for a 1000 of their own: the Wuhan Open. With that in mind, keep reading for some tennis best bets, focusing on the action on Sunday, October 5 and Monday, October 6.
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.
Juncheng Shang vs. Nuno Borges
Borges has been playing some up-and-down tennis for months. Since getting back on hard courts in Canada, he’s just 5-5 and has suffered losses to Arthur Rinderknech and Kamil Majchrzak. Part of the reason Borges is struggling is inconsistent serving.
Borges did make 71.2% of his first serves against Aleksandar Vukic last round, which is obviously a good number. However, Vukic is such a bad returner that there was less pressure on Borges to go big or aim for fine margins. He won’t have that luxury against Shang, who is way better from the back of the court.
Shang is also starting to find his groove. After some disappointing results earlier in the Asian Swing, he has earned wins over Aleksandar Kovacevic and Karen Khachanov here. And really, the match against Khachanov felt like Shang’s big return to the ATP Tour. He’s one of the most dangerous hard-court players in the world, but injuries have forced him out of high-level action since the Australian Open. Now he’s serving well, his movement has returned, and he’s hitting big from the baseline.
Shang is also playing in his home Masters event, so he’ll have the motivation and the crowd support he needs to beat an out-of-form Borges.
Bet: Shang ML (-140 – 1.5 units)
Katerina Siniakova vs. Diana Shnaider
Siniakova has played very well since arriving in Asia. Despite having to go through qualifying in Korea, she won five matches and went all the way to the semifinals. One of the wins was a straight-set victory over Daria Kasatkina. The Czech is also looking good in Shanghai. In qualifying, she didn’t drop a set against Caty McNally or Yafan Wang. Those are two strong opponents. Now, Siniakova is in form, comfortable with the playing conditions, and facing a struggling Shnaider.
Shnaider needed three sets to be McNally in Seoul, so she struggled with a common opponent. Then, the southpaw lost in straight sets against Suzan Lamens. That’s a match an in-form Shnaider would never lose. And when she went to Beijing, things weren’t much better. She got pummeled by Maya Joint in straight sets in the Round of 64.
If Shnaider’s ball-striking isn’t on, she can play her way out of matches quickly. She badly wants to blast shots and aim for small targets. Well, that’s not working right now.
This match is going to feature a lot of quick-strike action, as Siniakova plays an aggressive brand of tennis as well. But I’ll take a chance with the Czech, as she’s playing better at the moment.
Bet: Siniakova ML (-106)
Yue Yuan vs. Lucia Bronzetti
Victoria Mboko vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova
I like this plus-money two-leg parlay in Wuhan. Bronzetti is just 15-22 in 2025, making this a very winnable match for Yuan. This has been a brutal year for Yuan, as she’s 7-16 after a 2024 season that saw her finish 29-26. However, now that she’s healthy, and playing in China, she has to be viewing this as an opportunity to finish the year strong. And that, among other reasons, is why she’s nearly -200 against an opponent with a better ranking than her.
As far as the other match goes, Mboko hasn’t won a match since winning her home 1000 in Montreal in July. She lost to Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets at the US Open, then she lost in straights against Anastasia Potapova in Beijing. She’s struggling to find her game right now, and she might be struggling for motivation. Well, the latter is never a problem for Alexandrova — especially on hard courts. That said, the Russian slugger should be able to win this match. Alexandrova made the quarterfinals here last year, and she has won titles in Asia before.
PARLAY: Yuan ML & Alexandrova ML (+130)
Wuhan Open Futures
Iga Swiatek To Win (+400 – 1.5 units) & Karolina Muchova To Win (25-1 – 0.25 units) – The bottom half of the draw looks a hell of a lot easier than the top. That means Swiatek should have a great shot at winning this event. And if it’s not her, let’s hope for Muchova. The Czech is back to being a top-10 player in the world, and the top-seeded players in her quarter are Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff. Those are two vulnerable stars at the moment.
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.
