Tennis - ATP & WTA Calendar: Tokyo and Beijing...Discover this week’s tournaments and our best bets!
by Bradley Gibbs | by Tyler Doty
While there were four tournaments for bettors and fans to sink their teeth into last week, we're focusing on just two this week, but we’ve got two good ones to look forward to. There will be plenty of big names on show in both Beijing and Tokyo, that’s for sure. Don't forget to check out our tennis predictions as the tournaments progress this week.
Japan Open: Shelton can retain his title in Tokyo
The ATP train moves on to Tokyo this week, where some of the best in the business will be in action, including defending champion Ben Shelton, who a year ago, picked up his first ATP title by winning this tournament.
The youngster will certainly have his work cut out to defend that title, as there are some big players in attendance this week, as is illustrated by the fact that Shelton comes in as the eighth seed.
Recent tournament history:
2023: Ben Shelton defeated Aslan Karatsev to become champion
2022: Taylor Fritz defeated Frances Tiafoe to become champion
2019: Novak Djokovic defeated John Millman to become champion
2018: Daniil Medvedev defeated Kei Nishikori to become champion
2017: David Goffin defeated Adrian Mannarino to become champion
The courts in Tokyo favor aggressive play, which is what Ben Shelton is all about, so it’s far from difficult to see the 21-year-old thriving.
Of course, it’s not going to be easy, as there are lots of serious competitors. The list of dangers for Shelton is headed by fellow US player Taylor Fritz, who won this event two years ago and who has enjoyed a promising year.
Fritz comes into the tournament as the top seed, with Polish player Hubert Hurkacz down as the second seed, followed by Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas, so it’s definitely a stacked line-up in Tokyo.
I’m finding it hard to ignore the fact that Shelton really enjoyed these courts last year, while it’s not as if he hasn’t matured as a player since then.
Let’s face it, Shelton has been grinding away, playing some very good tennis of late, rarely losing, pushing some of the sport’s best. He put up a decent fight against Carlos Alcaraz in the Laver Cup, before beating world number four Daniil Medvedev.
Given his recent level of form, considering that he’s back on courts that clearly suit him, Shelton looks a great bet to thrive this week.
Our Japan Open prediction: Ben Shelton to Win
Bet on the ATP Tour with FanDuel
China Open: Shnaider to surprise a few?
Most of the world’s best female players will gather in the Chinese capital of Beijing this week, where there’s a very interesting tournament taking place.
One notable absence is world number one Iga Swiatek, though don’t be fooled by that absence as there are still lots of big players in attendance. World number two Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed, with Jessica Pegula coming in as the second seed.
Players like Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro will both be looking for good weeks, as will Daria Kasatkina and Beatriz Haddad Maia, who shared the final in Seoul last week.
Last season’s runner-up Liudmila Samsonova should be taken very seriously, especially as her conqueror isn’t playing this time around, though it’s another Russian that I really like the look of, especially given her huge odds in the outright market.
Recent tournament history:
2023: Iga Swiatek defeated Liudmila Samsonova to become champion
2019: Naomi Osaka defeated Ashleigh Barty to become champion
2017: Caroline Garcia defeated Simona Halep to become champion
2016: Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Johanna Konta to become champion
2015: Garbine Muguruza defeated Timea Bacsinszky to become champion
Diana Shnaider won two matches in Seoul last week, before losing out to the eventual finalist Kasatkina, while she hasn’t lost many hard-court matches in recent times, that’s for sure.
She won the hard-court tournament in Thailand last season and has been shaping for a while as she’s on the brink of a big win, so don’t be surprised if she goes far here.
Listen, there are some big players here, so Shnaider is going to need something close to her best this week. But we know that she can be at her best in this part of the world, while she also has the benefit of being on the less demanding side of the draw.
Looking at her bracket, she’d only need to beat one higher-ranked player, who isn’t in the first five seeds, to reach the semis.
Our China Open prediction: Diana Shnaider to Win
