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 Thursday, August 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. Luciano Darderi
Shang’s opening-round win over Andrey Rublev hurt me, as I had a little on the Russian to win his quarter. However, I can’t say that result was surprising. When healthy, Shang is pretty easily a top-30 player on the planet. Well, the southpaw is looking healthy right now. As long as Shang’s body holds up, he can put a scare in anyone he faces. And he really should be able to beat Darderi.
There’s a good chance Darderi eventually becomes a much better hard-court performer, as he has a big game and doesn’t play like most clay-court specialists. However, Darderi is just 13-34 on hard courts at the ATP level. That’s a miserable record. Shang will also have the crowd in his corner, which definitely helped him against Rublev. On top of that, Shang being a lefty should be a factor, as his cross-court forehand will find the weaker Darderi wing.
Bet: Shang ML (-117 – 1.5 units)
Talia Gibson vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova
Alexandrova beat Camila Osorio on Tuesday, but that wasn’t an impressive performance from the Russian. Osorio just wasn’t serving well, and she was also a little off from the back of the court. Alexandrova still comes into this match with some major question marks, as her serve has been worse in 2026 and her baseline play has been sloppy. That said, she still seems like a good player to fade at the right numbers. Well, this feels like a generous number with Gibson.
Gibson has already posted some big results this season, and she should be a tough matchup for Alexandrova. She has the power to really hit with Alexandrova, and that means the Russian is going to need to be striking the ball cleanly.
Gibson also happened to earn a 6-3, 7-5 win over Alexandrova at Indian Wells. That was a much slower court, but I don’t think too much should change. I think Gibson will have a chance to win this one late, making her worthy of a one-unit play at +136.
Bet: Gibson ML (+136)
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.
