Tennis - ATP & WTA Calendar: Winston-Salem, Monterrey, Cleveland... Check out this week's tournaments and our favourites!
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
This is the last week of preparation before the US Open, the fourth major of the season. It will be an opportunity for many players to gain valuable points and build up their confidence ahead of 2024’s final Grand Slam tournament. The week before a major is often very interesting to follow. The best players on the planet will be resting, so there could be a few surprises in store...
ATP Winston-Salem: final round before the US Open!
First up we head to North Carolina for the Winston-Salem tournament. There will only be one player in the top 20, Argentina's Sebastián Báez. The number 1 seed is not exactly a specialist on this type of court. In fact, his results on hard courts have been pretty poor all season, with only 40% of his victories coming on this surface. Last week in Cincinnati, Sebastián Báez miraculously overcame Marcos Giron thanks to a 7-6 third set tiebreak, only to lose (6-2, 6-4) to Jordan Thompson in the next round.
Suffice to say, we don't think the Argentine is in a position to win this tournament... And yet he is the defending champion! Last year, he had an excellent week, dominating Borna Ćorić after a 3 hour 17 minute battle (6-3, 6-7, 7-6) before winning the final against Jiří Lehečka (6-4, 6-3). So we'll have to be wary of the Argentinian even if, given his momentum, we don't think he can do the double here.
The draw is all the more open because there is no number 2 seed. Britain's Jack Draper has withdrawn after a string of victories in Cincinnati, where he reached the quarter-finals by beating Félix Auger-Aliassime and Stéfanos Tsitsipás. In other words, the field is looking very open which will make for some very interesting tennis predictions. In this respect, it's hard to pinpoint a clear favourite for this tournament.
A very open tournament awaits us, where only one member of the top 20 will be present.
We're inclined to think that Francisco Cerúndolo won't be a big fan of this tournament either. Similarly to Báez, the number 3 seed is not a hard court specialist. In fact, he didn't make much of an impression last week, losing in the first round in Cincinnati (6-0, 6-3) to Karen Khachanov. Cerúndolo doesn't have a very good record on this surface either, with 3 wins in 9 matches. What's more, he hasn't beaten a single player in the top 50.
In these conditions, we advise you to bet on the winner of a section of the draw rather than on the winner of the tournament... As a result, the final section of the draw (part 4) is quite interesting with the absence of Jack Draper. Our advice is to go for Alex Michelsen, the 19-year-old American. He's coming on strong and put in some fine performances last week, losing in the 2nd round, with honours, to Jannik Sinner (6-4, 7-5).
The draw is fairly open and he has a chance of reaching the semi-finals. His main rival in his section of the draw is likely to be Tomás Martín Etcheverry, whom he could meet again in the last eight. The American will be supported by his home crowd, and that could make all the difference...
Our ATP Winston-Salem prediction: Alex Michelsen reaches the semi-finals @3.00
WTA Monterrey: is a new title in store this season for Danielle Collins?
For this WTA 500 tournament, we're heading to Mexico for a week full of twists and turns. The big favourite for the tournament will be American Danielle Collins. She will be seeded number 1 and will have a fairly open draw. The world No.10 is having an excellent season, with a total record of 42 wins and 13 losses. She has won two hard court tournaments this campaign, the Miami Masters 1000 and Charleston (WTA 500).
In other words, she knows what it takes to win tournaments, and she shouldn't hesitate to add another title to her trophy cabinet this season. However, she will have to contend with other formidable players, notably Elina Svitolina and Emma Navarro. They are both capable of producing some excellent tennis, as has been the case in recent weeks.
We advise you to place your bets on Danielle Collins, who has a rather favourable draw and who should, in all logic, be able to reach the final of the tournament. What's more, she's the top seed in the draw and is full of confidence this year, particularly on this surface.
Our WTA Monterrey prediction: Danielle Collins wins the tournament @3.50!
WTA Cleveland: Sorribes Tormo to do the double?
This is only the fourth edition of the WTA 250 tournament in Cleveland. Last year's winner was Sorribes Tormo. The Spanish player was a lucky loser and took advantage of a last-minute withdrawal to enter the main draw. She went on to beat three seeded players (No.2, 3 and 9) and dominated the field. Will the magic be there again this year?
It's hard to believe when you consider how difficult it is to retain your title... The young Canadian Leylah Fernandez will be a key player. The world No.27 is seeded second and played very well last week in Cincinnati, where she reached the quarter-finals, losing 7-6 in the third set to Jessica Pegula (world No.6). If she can maintain the same level of play, the Canadian could break through the draw and make a run to the final.
We'll also have to keep an eye on the performance of the number 1 seed, Beatriz Haddad Maia. The Brazilian has not been at her best in recent weeks. She dropped out in the second round of Toronto against Katie Boulter and then lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round of Cincinnati. It has to be said that this was a reflection of her season...
Our WTA Cleveland prediction: Leylah Fernandez wins the tournament @5.50!
