This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
Saturday brings quarterfinal play in both the men's and women's singles draws of the Cincinnati Open. A pair of electrifying American men will look to ride the crowd's energy to victories against top-10 opponents, while the three chalk players to make the quarterfinals in the women's draw will try to avoid upsets in a tournament that has been filled with them.
All Tennis Odds & Lines are taken from DraftKings Sportsbook, but you can sometimes find more favorable odds on some of these matches by checking mobile sportsbooks such as FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, or any of the other best sports betting sites. We offer exclusive sign-up bonuses for some of those sportsbooks in states where sports betting has gone live.
All men's and women's singles matches at the Cincinnati Open are best of three sets. A mix of players' previous hard court results, recent form and stylistic matchups can help pinpoint intriguing betting opportunities, both among favorites likely to cruise to victory and underdogs ready to pull off upsets. The aforementioned underdogs are highlighted in the Upset Alert section, the Lock It In section covers players who can safely be viewed as overwhelming favorites, while the Value Bets section recommends enticing options in matchups that are considered closer to toss-ups.
Cincinnati Open Tennis Picks: Upset Alert
Ben Shelton (+310) vs. Alexander Zverev
Break opportunities will likely be hard to come by in this battle between big servers, and Shelton's powerful delivery could be extra hard for Zverev to read since these two have mever played before. The 14th-ranked Shelton has all the tools to hang in there against his fourth-ranked opponent, and the fast hard courts in Cincinnati are just about a perfect fit for the American's aggressive, high-octane game. Zverev was eliminated by an opponent ranked outside the top 10 in each of his previous four events, including Sinner's American compatriots Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda.
Andrey Rublev (+270) vs. Jannik Sinner
Sinner should definitely be favored in this match, but Rublev's a nice value at these odds after beating Sinner 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 last week at the Canadian Open. That upset cut Sinner's head-to-head lead to 5-3 overall and 3-2 on hard courts, so Rublev has generally been competitive in this rivalry. While Sinner has taken his game to the next level in 2024, he has cooled off a bit lately, losing in the quarterfinals of his last two events entered after making at least the semifinals of all but one prior tournament this year. Rublev likes the fast court conditions in Cincinnati and reached the final here in 2021, while Sinner came into this year's edition with a 3-3 career record at this event.
Honorable Mention
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (+185) vs. Paula Badosa
Cincinnati Open Tennis Odds: Lock It In
Aryna Sabalenka (-330) vs. Liudmila Samsonova
Samsonova has a 2-1 career head-to-head edge over Sabalenka, but the favored Belarusian is likely to turn the tables in this match based on their recent play. Sabalenka seems to be returning to top form in her fourth tournament back from a shoulder injury, with a pair of straight-sets victories in this event bolstering her 2024 record to 36-11. Samsonova has taken out three players outside the top 40 and been pushed to three sets twice in this event, but even with those wins, she's just 23-18 overall in 2024 and 9-10 on hard courts.
Iga Swiatek (-575) vs. Mirra Andreeva
Andreeva has the talent to be the next Swiatek in a few years, but at just 17 years old, it will be hard for the 24th-ranked Russian to upset the world No. 1 here in their first head-to-head matchup. Swiatek quickly grabs control of rallies if you don't get her on the defensive immediately, and Andreeva prefers to try to redirect her opponent's power rather than get on the front foot early at this stage of her career. Both of these players prefer courts that play substantially slower than the hard courts in Cincinnati, but Swiatek has shown a better ability to adapt to unfavorable conditions in 2024, and he's 24-3 on hard courts overall this year compared to Andreeva's 9-4 mark.
Honorable Mention
Jessica Pegula (-225) vs. Leylah Fernandez
Cincinnati Open Tennis Predictions: Value Bets
Frances Tiafoe (+120) vs. Hubert Hurkacz
Tiafoe plays his best tennis when he's channeling the support of favorable American crowds into energy on the court, and he has come alive during the summer hard-court swing after posting subpar results for much of 2024. Both of Tiafoe's top-20 wins this year have come in August, as he took out Rublev at the Citi Open and beat Lorenzo Musetti in the first round here. The 27th-ranked American can keep pace with the 6-foot-5 Hurkacz on serve, and Tiafoe will have a substantial advantage in forehand-to-forehand exchanges, as Hurkacz has one of the lowest forehand speeds among top-50 players. Hurkacz is still searching for his best tennis in his second tournament back from a knee injury suffered at Wimbledon, as he has yet to notch a straight-sets win in any of his five matches since returning, and the seventh-ranked Pole has uncharacteristically faced at least 19 break points in two of his last three matches.
Honorable Mention
Jack Draper (+105) vs. Holger Rune
