Former champion Barbora Krejcikova used her experience on this surface to upset Andreeva and has effectively taken a seeded player’s spot in the draw. Sabalenka overcame a significant deficit in the second set to get through in straight sets.
The top seed is very eager to blow her opponents off the court using brute force. She will need to proceed with caution here as Ostapenko has the most aggressive playing style on the WTA Tour. Points generally end with a Ostapenko or unforced winner with the latter being more prevalent when she faces higher ranked opponents. Sabalenka has won 3 of the 4 prior meetings and none of them have been close with 7 of the 9 sets they have played producing no more than 8 games. The Unders is enticing.
Best Bet: Under 21.5 games ($1.83)
Prior to Gauff making an instant impact on the WTA as a teenager, Claire Liu was the young American that was supposed to become the next household name. She won the Wimbledon junior doubles in 2016 and the next year claimed the title in the Girl’s Single after having finished runner-up at the French Open. Surprisingly, her game did not transition well to the main tour and in 19 prior Grand Slam appearances she has never made it past the 2nd Round. Has capitalised on an advantageous draw beating Vandewinkel (103) and Sonmez (51) but will have to overcome a 0-2 record against her countrywoman. Gauff has attacked the Liu serve and have generated 9 breaks of serve in the four sets played. Multiple breaks each set this time around will result in a comfortable win.
Best Bet: Under 19.5 games ($1.83)
With potential matchups against Jovic and Bencis/Gauff to follow, Pegula has the opportunity win that elusive maiden major title. Wins over Keys and Sabalenka in the lead-up are a great indicator of her current form and she is yet to drop a set in the tournament. Bouzas Maneiro can be a dangerous player when at her best but she is too inconsistent to get the better of Pegula. She dropped serve 5 times in her win over Yastremska but that is not sustainable leading into the weekend of the first week. Expecting her to break serve 1-2 times but it will not be enough to deny Pegula a spot in the 4th Round.
Best Bet: Sets Pegula 2-0 ($1.40)
There have been no signs of the ankle injury that forced Osaka to retire in the Bad Homburg final which is great news for the four-time major champion. What we have witnessed is her dramatic outfits when taking the court and she will be at it again today. She will need to shift her focus to her opponent very quickly as Kasatkina is a former quarter finalist here. In comparison, Osaka has never made it past the 3rd Round at The Championships which suggests she could be vulnerable. Kasatkina took a set off Osaka at the US Open last year and a repeat of that would not surprise. She is also good odds for the outright win.
Best Bet: Kasatkina +1.5 Sets ($2.15)
Value Bet: Kasatkina WIN ($4.10)
Alexandrova v Jovic: Jovic WIN ($1.60)
Bencic v Kalinskaya: Sets Bencic 2-0
Kasatkina v Osaka: Kasatkina +1.5 Sets ($2.15)
Liu v Gauff: Under 19.5 games ($1.83)
Muchova v Sawangkaew: Over 18.5 games ($1.82)
Pegula v Bouzas Maneiro: Sets Pegula 2-0
Sabalenka v Ostapenko: Under 21.5 games ($1.83)
Bartunkova v Krejcikova: Krejcikova WIN ($1.46)
