The second round of WTA Madrid begins on Thursday. The opening round is the Round of 96 at this expansive tournament. Now we move into the Round of 64, with players who got first-round byes beginning their journeys in Spain. Will the winners of first-round matches have the momentum and form needed to knock off those who have been sitting idle for a few days, or will the quality of the higher-ranked players overwhelm the underdogs? We will find out soon enough. Here are our select matches for Thursday, and their best bets.
WTA Madrid
Siegemund – Paolini: Time 8:00 EST
H2H: 1-2
Jasmine Paolini has played in very big matches, competing for the biggest titles in tennis. She rose as high as No. 4 in the rankings. Now she enters Madrid as the No. 9 seed. She has clearly fallen off the pace and is struggling. She needs to regroup soon, especially since the Italian will be playing in Rome in a few weeks, at a tournament where she really wants to do well. Paolini meets Laura Siegemund, a tough veteran, in her first Madrid match of the week.
Best Bet to Make
Paolini’s struggles are obvious. She has lost three of her last five matches. She lost her first match of the clay season to Zeynep Sonmez. The score was 6-2, 6-2. The margin of defeat was more of a surprise than the loss itself. Given that Paolini is not in good form, Siegemund has a very good chance of winning at least one set, and the books offer a very good price for that scenario.
That being said, Siegemund +1.5 sets is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Siegemund +1.5 sets @2.00 @Betway
Sabalenka – Stearns: Time 8:30 EST
H2H: 2-0
Aryna Sabalenka returns to the tour after having to withdraw from Stuttgart due to injury. She won Miami but was not able to play in Germany as a warm-up for Madrid. It will be interesting to see how she performs in her first match of the European spring clay season. Peyton Stearns looked very good in her first-round Madrid match. She easily defeated Lois Boisson, who made the French Open semifinals one year ago.
Best Bet to Make
Sabalenka is bound to be a little rusty after her longer break and her injury. She probably won’t play at her best. Stearns doesn’t have to play great to keep the match close; just a decent, slightly above-average performance will probably be good enough to make this match competitive. Sabalenka will win, but Stearns probably won’t get blown out. The bet should lean in that direction.
That being said, Stearns +6.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Stearns +6.5 games @2.20 @Betway
Linette – Jovic: Time 9:30 EST
H2H: 0-2
Iva Jovic is ranked in the WTA Top 20, but she isn’t playing like it. She has lost her last three matches and four of the last seven. The teenager is talented, but teenagers are going to go through tough times as older and more experienced tour professionals learn how to play against them. Magda Linette is one of those older tour pros. She is nearly 15 years older than Jovic and will try to create a game plan that gets Jovic off balance.
Best Bet to Make
This match is a situation in which it’s hard to trust Jovic. A teenager going through a losing streak is not the kind of player to bet on. The bet should go in Linette’s direction. You don’t get a great price for Linette +1.5 sets (1.68). Therefore, you should try a game spread bet to get value on Linette. Keep in mind that if you bet on the game spread and not the match winner, Linette could still lose the match and still cash your ticket. She just has to keep it close, which is the likely outcome.
That being said, Linette +3.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Linette +3.5 games @1.92 @1xbet
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-USA TODAY Sports
