The halfway point in the week is signified with the arrival of all of the big names in Cincinnati. Karolina Pliskova is once again the woman to beat and there are plenty of potential suitors looking to claim not only here Cincinnati title from last year, but her world number 1 ranking spot. Plenty of big names have already departed this week, with Ostapenko and Radwanska headlining the casualties in round 1 – lots of other players will be hoping this is their week.
As always with the 1000 events, no matches are easy to call but here are some of the standout ties:-
Match Betting: Elina Svitolina vs Lesia Tsurenko
An all-Ukranian battle in Cincinnati is sure to capture the imagination of the crowd. Number 5 seed Svitolina will be eager to build on her win last week in Toronto and continue her form into the US Open in a fortnight – she is the strong favourite here at 1/4 with Coral. Tsurenko is knocking on the door of the top 40 and will be desperate to find some consistency and she’s 10/3 to upset the form book with Sky Bet.
Head to Head
Although these 2 players have met at challenger level and have doubtless trained together on many occasions, this is the first WTA tour level meeting between them.
Top Bet
This is a well-suited match up on paper for Svitolina but playing a fellow countrywoman can have a strange effect on some. So backing Svitolina to win by 2 sets to 1 (16/5 with Paddy Power) looks a good shout.
Match Betting: Venus Williams vs Ashleigh Barty
Venus’s demolition of Alison Riske in round 1 will have sent shockwaves through the draw. At the sage of 37, she’s still one of the most feared women on the circuit and is showing no sign of letting up. She’s 4/7 with Sky Bet to get the job done here. Barty has been showing great resilience of late – battling through qualifying to make the last 16 in Toronto and progressing through the prelims then dispatching of Lepchenko to get to this stage. The Aussie justifies outsider status here though at 5/4 with Bet 365.
Head to Head
This is the 1st meeting between these two players on the WTA tour.
Top Bet
Barty is a plucky character and is sure to enjoy the big occasion – but she could be blown away here as Venus is looking imperious. Under 20 games in the match looks a valuable punt at 6/5 with Bet 365.
Match Betting: Yulia Putintseva vs Svetlana Kuznetsova
Yet another tasty looking early round match up takes place on Wednesday with both players sure to be happy with their place in the draw. Jelena Ostapenko’s defeat last night has left a small gap in the draw that both of these players will be looking to exploit. Seeded number 8, Kuznetsova’s longevity and consistency over the years have been the envy of many and she’s 4/11 with Coral to bag the win here. Putintseva is another consistent performer and she will be looking to topple the Russian – best priced 5/2 with Sky Bet.
Head to Head
The only previous meeting between these 2 players took place earlier this year, with Putintseva claiming the win on Kuznetsova’s home turf, in 3 close sets.
Top Bet
These 2 players are very evenly matched and will both be feeling slightly aggrieved to be playing each other so early on in the tournament. Backing Kuznetsova to win by 2 sets to 1 seems good value at 14/5 with UniBet.
Multi-Bet Accumulator:
Alize Cornet vs Dominika Cibulkova – Cibulkova to win
Daria Kasatkina vs Madison Keys – Keys to win
Camila Giorgi vs Daria Gavrilova – Giorgi to win
Karolina Pliskova vs Natalia Vikhlyantsev – Pliskova to win
Backing these 4 players – all to win pays 3.62/1 with Sky Bet.