The ATP and WTA Tours are fully into the North American hard-court swing, and this week brings our first true benchmark events with the 1000-level stops in Montreal and Toronto. 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. There’s no shortage of high-level matches to break down, so we’ll have plenty to work with as the week unfolds. I’ll be posting my tennis best bets Monday through Friday, then rolling out my championship picks on the VSiN Pro Picks page for the weekend finals.
With that in mind, keep reading for my tennis best bets for the National Bank Open on Saturday, August 8.
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.
Amanda Anisimova vs. Elina Svitolina
Anisimova is one of the best players in the world, but we haven’t see her A-game in quite some time. After going to back-to-back Slam finals last summer, the American looked like she was poised for a massive 2026 season. However, she’s just 17-9 since the start of the year, and we haven’t seen her deep in tournaments as often as we expected.
Anisimova has started to look a little bit sharper lately, and a big North American swing is definitely in the cards for her. But this matchup with Svitolina should be a tough one. The Ukrainian is just such a good mover and counter-puncher that she’s going to get Anisimova into a ton of longer rallies. As of right now, it’s not clear whether the American can handle that over the course of a best-of-three match. Svitolina is also a very solid returner, so she can punish the Anisimova serve if the American isn’t on point with it.
Svitolina also happens to be 4-1 in this head-to-head series, and one of the wins was a straight-set victory in Canada last year. She’s going to like her chances in Toronto.
Be: Svitolina ML (-145)
Marta Kostyuk vs. Iga Swiatek
Kostyuk snapped a three-match losing streak to Swiatek with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over the Pole at Roland Garros. That was a tremendous win for Kostyuk, as she beat Swiatek on her favorite courts in the world.
Kostyuk has also been a much better player than Swiatek recently. The Ukrainian is 23-2 in her last 25 WTA-level matches. Of course, most of those matches were played on clay and grass courts, but that’s not a problem heading into this one. Kostyuk is just as comfortable on hard courts as Swiatek is.
It’s just hard not to like the way Kostyuk defends the baseline, as this 2026 version of Swiatek is prone to unforced errors. As long as Kostyuk is digging in from the back of the court, she should make Swiatek very uncomfortable. I also like Kostyuk’s elite returning against a shaky Swiatek serve.
Bet: Kostyuk ML (+130)
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.
