Eastbourne, Mallorca and Bad Homburg predictions and best bets for June 26th
Wimbledon is now a week away and that means that things are about to heat up. There are grass-court events in all different parts of the world (Eastbourne, Mallorca and Bad Homburg), and there are also some Challenger-level events being played. I’ll be taking a bit of a scattered approach over the next few days, taking advantage of the insane amount of tennis to find value wherever I can. Below you’ll find some tennis best bets for the Mallorca Championships in Spain and the Rothesay International in Great Britain for Wednesday, June 26th.
I’m going to quickly hit on some of my favorite picks below, but I usually have a lot more tennis predictions on the Pro Picks page. I also occasionally add some picks throughout the day, as schedules can get wonky with the international nature of the sport. I also like to see how odds are moving. That said, keep checking the 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!
2024 Record: 423-427 (+35.81 units)
Emma Raducanu vs. Jessica Pegula – Eastbourne
Pegula is coming off a massive title run in Berlin. The American earned wins over Donna Vekic, Katerina Siniakova, Coco Gauff and Anna Kalinskaya to claim that title. All four of those players are dangerous on grass, and Pegula had to beat Kalinskaya in the final only a few hours after beating Gauff in the semis. All in all, it was a tremendous effort from Pegula, who really needed a title to help her show the world that she’s still one of the elite players in the women’s game. The issue here is that Pegula has a really tough matchup in Raducanu, who has a perfect game for grass.
Raducanu doesn’t like to get involved in long rallies, so she tries to rip winners whenever she can. Raducanu’s backhand should be the biggest weapon on the court here. However, unlike most ball bashers, she has the ability to extend points when she needs to. The Brit also happens to make a lot of first serves. And while there’s not a lot of power behind them, she hits her spots and the grass will do the work in speeding those serves up.
Overall, I just don’t think there’s much that separates these two right now, and Raducanu is arguably a little more talented. Pegula is also in a bit of a letdown spot, both physically and emotionally. So, it’s worth taking a shot on Raducanu at plus-money odds.
Bet: Raducanu ML (+110 – 1.5 units)
Juncheng Shang vs. Emil Ruusuvuori – Eastbourne
Shang has played really well since transitioning over to grass, as he’s 5-2 in the seven matches he has played. Of course, a few of those matches were played at the Challenger level, or in qualifying. But those matches at least gave Shang a nice feel for the surface, and Ruusuvuori has only played two grass-court matches this year. On top of that, Ruusuvuori has played only 10 matches since the start of April. Ruusuvuori was banged up for most of March and April, so he’s just getting his feet underneath him right now. And that makes it hard to envision a scenario in which he beats an in-form Shang.
Ruusuvuori should theoretically have an edge in power in this match, as he’s a lot bigger and is viewed as more of an aggressive-minded player. But Shang can really rip shots from the baseline, especially from the forehand side. He plays bigger than his size and should be able to hit with Ruusuvuori. But what I like about Shang here is that he plays a bit of a cleaner game. I don’t think there will be as many mistakes coming from his side of the court. At plus-money odds, that is pretty hard to turn down.
Bet: Shang ML (+120 – 1.5 units)
Caroline Wozniacki vs. Veronika Kudermetova – Bad Homburg
Wozniacki took a spill in her win over Elina Svitolina last round, and that match then needed to bleed over into the next day because it got dark out. So, I wonder if Wozniacki will be entering this match at a little less than 100% health. This is also just a tough matchup for Wozniacki, as Kudermetova is coming off a nice run in Berlin and is starting to find her form after a really poor start to the year. Kudermetova is a player that people generally fear in the grass season, as she can go big on her serve and plays a super aggressive style from the baseline. With that in mind, I can see her tripping up Wozniacki, even if the former Australian Open champion is healthy. Wozniacki’s style of play is very defensive. That doesn’t mesh well with how matches are played on these faster courts.
Bet: Kudermetova ML (-138 – 2 units)
Added 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 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.
Tuesday Plays
The following plays were on the Pro Picks page yesterday:
Albert Ramos Vinolas ML vs. Gonzalo Bueno + Giovanni Fonio ML vs. Mathias Bourgue [Milan Challenger] (+116 – 1.5 units)
Veronika Erjavec +5.5 Games (-200 – 1.5 units) vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich [Wimbledon Qualifiers]
Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez ML (+120 – 1.5 units) vs. Gianluca Mager [Milan Challenger] – STILL PLAYABLE
Katie Boulter ML vs. Petra Martic [Eastbourne] + Jule Niemeier +4.5 Games vs. Paula Badosa [Bad Homburg] (+102 – 1.5 units)
Noah Schachter +1.5 Sets (-154) vs. Dali Blanch [Ibague Challenger]
Federico Cina +5.5 Games (-140 – 2 units) vs. Marco Cecchinato [Milan Challenger] – STILL PLAYABLE
Alexander Stater +4.5 Games (+140 – 2 units) vs. Hady Habib [Ibague Challenger]
Johan Alexander Rodriguez Rodriguez +5.5 Games (-105 – 2 units) vs. Nicolas Mejia [Ibague Challenger]
Johan Alexander Rodriguez Rodriguez +1.5 Sets (+175) vs. Nicolas Mejia [Ibague Challenger]
Roberto Cid Subervi ML (-143 – 1.5 units) vs. Adria Soriano Barrera [Ibague Challenger]
