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 Tuesday, October 7 and Wednesday, October 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.
Katerina Siniakova vs. Maya Joint
Siniakova is rolling right now. She won five matches in a semi-final run in Seoul a couple of weeks ago, earning some impressive wins in the process. She has also won three straight-set matches in Shanghai, with qualifying victories over Caty McNally and Yafan Wang, plus an awesome showing against Diana Shnaider in the Round of 64. It’s just clear that Siniakova is comfortable playing in Asia, and I like her to keep it going against Joint.
These players will be looking to do some of the same things in this match. Both of them like to play quick points, meaning there will be some aggressive all-court play throughout. It is, however, Siniakova that is striking the ball a little cleaner right now, triggering a play at the reasonable price of -110.
Bet: Siniakova ML (-110)
Shuai Zhang vs. Sorana Cirstea
Zhang, fresh off a three-set win over Emma Navarro, has to be taken seriously as an underdog in this match. She’s coming off a decent showing in last week’s event, where she beat Anastasia Zakharova and Xinyu Wang. She also pushed eventual champion Amanda Anisimova to a first-set tiebreaker in their Round of 32 encounter, but she ran out of gas and got bageled in the second set.
This match against Cirstea should be interesting. After a rough run of health for the better part of two years, Cirstea is finally healthy. And she’s playing some great tennis on this surface. She won a title in Cleveland in August, and she has looked solid in the action we’ve seen since then. Cirstea also just pummeled Jelena Ostapenko in the Round of 64, winning the first set 6-0. The Latvian then retired in the second. However, this is a match in which Zhang’s crafty baseline game, plus ability to win points at the net, should give her a chance to prevail. That’s worth a play at +144 odds.
This is an important event for all players, as it’s a 1000 and there’s significant prize money on the line. So, Cirstea will undoubtedly want to win. But there’s going to be a little more hunger from the Zhang side, as she’s playing her home 1000 — and doesn’t have many more chances to do so at 36 years old.
Bet: Zhang ML (+144)
Linda Noskova vs. Naomi Osaka
Felix Auger Aliassime vs. Lorenzo Musetti
I have been having some success with these two-leggers, so I’m firing in another one for the overnight. This time, I’m backing Osaka to beat Noskova and Auger Aliassime to win a set against Musetti.
I was pretty spot on in my thinking that Yulia Putintseva would have a shot against a tired Noskova last match, but the Czech was able to prevail in a third-set tiebreaker. Well, let’s see how she responds as she takes on a player that’s arguably better than her. If she has tired legs, this match is going to be very tough for her to win. Osaka is also a little more reliable as a server, which should tilt this match in her favor.
In the other match, I’m not even sure Auger Aliassime should be an underdog on a hard court. However, just to play things safe, I’m taking the Canadian to win a set. At the very least, his serve should keep him in the match and give him chances to get on the scoreboard.
PARLAY: Osaka ML & Auger Aliassime +1.5 Sets (-112 – 1.5 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.
