The ATP and WTA Tours are fully into the North American hard-court swing, and this week brings our first true benchmark events with the 1000-level stops in Montreal and Toronto. With the US Open now on the horizon, this stretch is where contenders start to separate, dialing in their timing, adjusting to quicker conditions, and building real momentum against elite fields.<\/p>\n
These tournaments carry 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. I\u2019ll be posting my tennis best bets Monday through Friday, then rolling out my championship picks on the VSiN Pro Picks page for the weekend finals.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, keep reading for my tennis best bets for the National Bank Open on Wednesday, August 12.<\/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 Brandon Nakashima vs. Rafael Jodar<\/p>\n Nakashima has been playing some good tennis since jumping back over to hard courts. In Washington D.C., the American took out Jakub Mensik and Alex de Minaur before losing a tight three-setter against Taylor Fritz. He\u2019s now into the semifinals in Canada, where he\u2019s serving at a high level and doing his usual good work as a quick-strike player. Of course, Jodar continues to be one of the best players on the planet, and he\u2019ll be up to at least No. 11 in the rankings after this event. Also, his last couple of matches have featured statement victories, as the Spaniard has earned straight-set wins over Lorenzo Musetti, Jiri Lehecka, and Arthur Fils. If Jodar plays his best tennis, he should pick up yet another victory. However, Nakashima\u2019s ability to rack up holds means this could be a match that goes three sets, and any dip in level from Jodar could mean a loss. <\/p>\n Nakashima\u2019s no-nonsense approach should allow him to work himself deep into some sets, setting up some crunch-time situations in which a mistake from Jodar could cost him a set. That\u2019s enough for me to take Nakashima to get on the board, and I genuinely believe the American has what it takes to steal a victory here. <\/p>\n Bet: Nakashima +1.5 Sets (-133 \u2013 1.5 units) & Nakashima ML (+210 \u2013 0.5 units) <\/strong><\/p>\n Learner Tien vs. Ben Shelton<\/p>\n Shelton might be playing the best tennis of his career right now. Of course, we have seen the American go deep at majors before, so that might be a ridiculous thing to say about a run in a non-Slam. However, Shelton\u2019s backhand was absurd in his dominant win over Mensik, and he\u2019s also doing solid work as a returner. If he keeps this up, he should continue to post very big results \u2014\u00a0and back-to-back titles in Canada seems like a very realistic outcome. It is, however, hard to lay off Tien at +163 odds. <\/p>\n If Shelton brings his A-game to this one, he should find a way into the winner\u2019s circle. But Tien is going to do everything in his power to muck this match up, looking to extend rallies and extract errors out of Shelton. That has worked in their previous two matchups, as Tien is 2-0 against Shelton \u2014\u00a0and one of the victories came at Indian Wells earlier this season. <\/p>\n Tien\u2019s mediocre serving could ultimately do him in here, but I\u2019d feel like a fool passing up on a big plus-money price in a matchup that has clearly favored the 20-year-old. <\/p>\n Bet: Tien ML (+163)<\/strong><\/p>\n Elina Svitolina vs. Iga Swiatek I don\u2019t have any straight plays for the women\u2019s semifinals, but I like Swiatek to beat Svitolina. So, in order to get a better price on the Pole, I\u2019m parlaying the moneyline with Gauff to take a set off Rybakina. <\/p>\n With Swiatek, it\u2019s pretty clear that she\u2019s back to playing the style of tennis that won her multiple Grand Slams. She\u2019s taking some pace off the ball, putting some more shape on her shots, and moving opponents around until she has clear runways to go for winners. And if she\u2019s not ending points herself, her ability to keep rallies alive is causing her opponents to rack up unforced errors. Swiatek is also back to being a relentless returner, so she\u2019s a consistent serve away from being a Slam contender again. And I ultimately think the tennis we\u2019ve seen from her lately will be enough for her to get by Svitolina. <\/p>\n In the other match, I just don\u2019t think Rybakina is serving well enough to beat Gauff in straights. Rybakina deserves a ton of credit for coming back to beat Osaka on Tuesday, but Gauff\u2019s elite returning should go a pretty long way in this match. Also, Gauff\u2019s shaky forehand shouldn\u2019t be as big of a weakness considering Rybakina\u2019s forehand is also a bit unreliable right now. <\/p>\n PARLAY: Swiatek ML & Gauff +1.5 Sets (-120 \u2013 1.5 units) <\/strong><\/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
Coco Gauff vs. Elena Rybakina<\/p>\n