Doha, Buenos Aires, Delray Beach, Marseille tennis best bets for February 10th
This week, the top women in the world are in Doha for the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. This is the first 1000-level WTA event of the season, and I’ll be writing up tennis best bets for this one all week. Meanwhile, the men are scattered all over the globe, as there are 250-level tournaments in Buenos Aires, Delray Beach and Marseille. However, I’m only going to be writing up the 500-level events this season, so you’ll find my men’s plays on the Pro Picks page this week. That said, keep reading for my Doha best bets, and check out the picks page for all of my action for Buenos Aires, Delray Beach and Marseille.
I’m going to quickly hit on some of my favorite picks below, and I occasionally add some picks throughout the day. Schedules can get wonky with the international nature of the sport, and I also like to see how odds are moving. That said, keep checking the picks page every couple of hours if you want more of my picks.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts are betting!
Sofia Kenin vs. Ashlyn Krueger- Doha
Krueger is fresh off a run to the final in Abu Dhabi, so she’s going to be mentally and physically drained when she arrives in Doha. Not only did she play five matches last week, but four of them were three-set battles. Well, Krueger now heads to a tournament in which she’s going to be tested right away. Kenin might not be the player she once was, but she can still hammer the ball when her feet are set. And the slower conditions in Doha should allow her the time she needs to produce some good tennis.
Krueger might also have some trouble finding easy points with her serve, as the courts are going to give her opponent chances to put returns back in play.
I do also like that this is a meeting between two Americans. You can sometimes throw results and rankings out the window in battles between two compatriots. Kenin might not be playing her best tennis lately, and Krueger is peaking right now. But Kenin is going to head to the court believing she should still beat her 20-year-old opponent. And belief can go a long way for a talent like Kenin.
Bet: Kenin ML (+136)
Linda Noskova vs. Donna Vekic – Doha
McCartney Kessler vs. Ons Jabeur – Doha
Noskova also made a deep run in Abu Dhabi last week, and that concerns me as she takes on Vekic. So, instead of backing her to win this match outright, I’m taking her to win a set against Vekic. The reality is that Vekic is just 3-4 to start the 2025 season, and I’m not sure the Croatian has played anything near her best tennis yet. And if the 28-year-old can’t find her A+ level against Noskova, she’s going to be in some trouble. Noskova’s serve is definitely a bit of an issue. She’s not consistently hitting her spots, and that is preventing her from reaching another level. However, everybody’s serve is going to look pretty bad in Doha this week, so baseline ability is more important. And Noskova crushes the ball from back there. She’s going to effortlessly hit through the slow conditions, and the slower bounces are only going to help her track down more shots. That said, I’d be surprised if she doesn’t force a third set against Vekic — at the very least. I genuinely think this is a match she should win.
As for Jabeur, it just looks like the Tunisian is back to playing at a top-10 level in 2025. Her run in Abu Dhabi solidified that, and she’s up to 8-4 in her 12 matches this season. Well, with Jabeur playing like one of the best WTA players in the world again, it’s hard to imagine her losing to Kessler in gritty conditions. A slower court brings out the best in Jabeur, as she can run down every ball and then have time to decide how she wants to piece together each point. And with her variety, that extra time to construct points is lethal.
PARLAY: Noskova +1.5 Sets & Jabeur ML (-114 – 1.5 units)
Marketa Vondrousova vs. Elina Svitolina – Doha
Before running into a red-hot Belinda Bencic in Abu Dhabi, Vondrousova had earned straight-set wins over Emma Raducanu and Yulia Putintseva. The 25-year-old also played some doubles last week, so she’s really ramping up and spending some valuable time on the court. And in terms of form, the 2023 Wimbledon champion looks to be playing some high-level tennis. I’m not sure the same can be said about Svitolina. The Ukrainian did play some fantastic tennis in Melbourne, going all the way to the semifinals and barely losing to eventual champion Madison Keys. However, she then went to Linz and lost in straight sets to Anna Blinkova. We haven’t seen her since.
Recent form is one of the main things I look at when handicapping a match. However, head-to-head history is also big. Well, Vondrousova has won three consecutive matches against Svitolina. Also, while Svitolina has a career 64.5% winning percentage at the WTA level, she’s just 33-28 against left-handed players. And she also hasn’t faced one in the last 52 weeks. That could throw her for a loop early here.
Another thing I look for in this type of match is style of play. Svitolina now has a nice mix of power and defensive ability. But Vondrousova is crafty, which is something I like in these court conditions. As long as she’s able to stay healthy throughout this match, I like her chances a lot.
Bet: Vondrousova ML (-138)
Doha Futures
Iga Swiatek To Win (+400 – 1.5 units) – If you can still find a way to play some futures for this event, I did take Swiatek to win it all. The Pole has won this event three years in a row, and I like her chances of doing it again. Of course, it’s going to be hard for Swiatek to handle expectations here, but she’s undoubtedly the best slow-court player in the world. And I’ll take her ability to grind out wins on a slower hard court over Aryna Sabalenka’s ability to over-power everybody when not playing on a natural surface.
Additional Plays
I usually have A LOT MORE on the Pro Picks page. These plays count towards my record and have been a big part of my success in the past. Make sure you check them out. I’ll probably add a few more over there, so refresh that page throughout the day. My 250-level and Challenger-level action will live exclusively on the Pro Picks page.
