The 2026 tennis season is fully into the North American hard-court swing, and this week brings our final 1000-level tune-up event with the ATP and WTA Tour stops in Cincinnati. With the US Open now on the horizon, this is where contenders continue to separate, dialing in their timing, adjusting to quicker conditions, and building real momentum against elite fields.
This tournament carries 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. That said, I’ll be posting my tennis best bets daily.
With that in mind, keep reading for my tennis best bets for the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, August 18.
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.
Nuno Borges vs. Andrey Rublev
Michael Zheng vs. Lorenzo Musetti
I have strong leans on Borges and Musetti on Tuesday, but I’ll pair the two together and change things a little bit. With Borges, I like the consistency from the back of the court against an erratic Rublev. The Russian undoubtedly has more firepower, but he also sprays errors. Rublev is also disappointing as a server. Borges, who hits nice and flat from the baseline, should be able to keep rallies alive, put Rublev in uncomfortable positions, and do solid work as a returner. All of that should amount to the American finding his way on the board. Then, in the Musetti match, I just like the Italian’s overall talent to win out. Musetti hasn’t played his best tennis since returning from injury, but I do think he does a few too many things well. Zheng will need to play flawless tennis in order to win, and I don’t see that happening.
PARLAY: Borges +1.5 Sets & Musetti ML (+130)
Sara Bejlek vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova
Alexandrova has really turned her season around, and her run in Toronto featured some results that crushed me. However, I do like Bejlek to take her down in Cincinnati. Earlier this season, Bejlek earned a 7-6(5), 6-1 win over Alexandrova in Abu Dhabi. In that match, Bejlek’s unique ability to utilize slice and overall craft was getting to Alexandrova, who is really a one-note power player. I think Bejlek will find ways to keep Alexandrova on her toes again, and the Czech’s variety should mean a ton of errors from her opponent. Bejlek is also a dangerous returner, so she should do a good job of getting into Alexandrova’s service games — with her second-serve returning potentially being an X-factor here.
Bet: Bejlek ML (+105)
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.
