The 2026 tennis season is fully into the North American hard-court swing, and this week brings our final 1000-level tune-up event with the ATP and WTA Tour stops in Cincinnati. With the US Open now on the horizon, this is where contenders continue to separate, dialing in their timing, adjusting to quicker conditions, and building real momentum against elite fields.<\/p>\n
This tournament carries significant weight on both tours, giving us a strong read on form, fitness, and potential title paths heading into New York. There\u2019s no shortage of high-level matches to break down, so we\u2019ll have plenty to work with as the week unfolds. That said, I\u2019ll be posting my tennis best bets daily.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, keep reading for my tennis best bets for the Cincinnati Open on Friday, August 21.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Check out the VSiN picks page for picks and best bets from all of our talented VSiN hosts and analysts! <\/a><\/p>\n NOTE: Gill Alexander, host of A Numbers Game, posts a bunch of tennis plays to the VSiN picks page. He does a great job handicapping tennis. That page is also where I post all of my Challenger-level picks + plays for all of the tournaments I\u2019m not writing up daily. <\/p>\n Frances Tiafoe vs. Lorenzo Musetti Of course, Tiafoe ended up being the player to burn me and my Felix Auger-Aliassime futures. Big Foe is just a different player on American soil, even when playing only a week removed from a minor surgery on his hand. However, even if Tiafoe wins his match on Friday, I strongly believe Musetti will force him to scratch and claw his way to a victory. It\u2019s just starting to look like the Italian is recapturing his top-10 form, and I really value his steady baseline play in this specific matchup. He has so many different ways he can get to opponents, and he should be able to do some damage against Tiafoe in this one. So, on a day in which I really don\u2019t have much, I\u2019m taking Musetti on an alternate set spread of +1.5. <\/p>\n To get a better price with Musetti, I\u2019m also taking Gauff on an alternate set spread of +1.5. I always worry about the American\u2019s serve breaking down in big matches, but I never worry about her returning, ability to grind from the baseline, and willingness to fight. The returning is the big one here. Kostyuk has a shaky serve, so Gauff should be able to give herself a ton of break point chances. I expect her to cash in enough to take a set \u2014\u00a0and I ultimately do like her to win this match. <\/p>\n PARLAY: Musetti Alt +1.5 Sets & Gauff Alt +1.5 Sets (-152 \u2013 1.5 units)<\/p>\n Added Plays<\/p>\n I usually have A LOT MORE on the Pro Picks page<\/a>. Those plays count towards my record and have been a big part of my success this season. Make sure you check them out. I\u2019ll probably add a few more over there, so refresh that page throughout the day if you\u2019re looking for action.<\/p>\n Tennis Links\u00a0<\/p>\n VSiN Tennis Betting Splits<\/a><\/p>\n
Marta Kostyuk vs. Coco Gauff<\/p>\n