Tennis - WTA Calendar: Guadalajara and Monastir…Get the lowdown on this week’s tournaments and our best bets!
by Bradley Gibbs | by Tyler Doty
Things generally tend to wind down around this time of year, but fear not tennis fans, we’re not done yet, oh no. There are still several events on both the ATP and WTA tour to get excited about, starting this week with two WTA tournaments. Let’s see what the deal is with those.
Guadalajara Open Akron: US presence in the final again?
One of two WTA tournaments taking place this week is the Guadalajara Open Akron, played on Mexican soil. Now in its third year, US players will be feeling hopeful after each of the previous finals has contained an American.
Tournament history:
2022 - Jessica Pegula defeated Maria Sakkari to become champion
2023 - Maria Sakkari defeated Caroline Dolehide to become champion
We will definitely see a new winner of this tournament in 2024 as neither Jessica Pegula nor Maria Sakkari are involved. Last year’s runner-up Caroline Dolehide, who currently sits in 44th in the WTA Rankings, will be hopeful of going one better, though she looks likely to lose out to another of the US players.
Danielle Collins is the favorite to land this prize, and in truth, it’s very hard to argue with that. The world number 11 really does look like the standout competitor in this field.
It’s been a stellar season for Collins, who has won not one, but two titles, winning the Miami Open, before winning the Charleston Open shortly after. Those wins were followed by her making the final in Madrid, while she’s generally held her form all year.
Ahead of this tournament, Collins is arguably the player who has been the most consistent in recent times, so don’t be surprised if she picks up a third win of the campaign. I certainly won’t be.
The 30-year-old has already confirmed that this will be her last year as a professional tennis player, and what a year it has been. Can she land one more title before she brings the curtain down on what’s been an excellent career? I think so.
Our Guadalajara Open Akron prediction: Danielle Collins to win
Bet on WTA tennis with FanDuelJasmin Open: Three in a row for Elise Mertens?
Also being played this week is the Jasmin Open in Monastir, Tunisia, where Elise Mertens will be looking to record a trio of wins at this tournament.
The Belgian has dominated the Jasmin Open since it began in 2022, that’s for sure, so it’s not exactly surprising that she’s considered a +220 shot in the betting to retain her title.
Tournament history:
2022 - Elise Mertens defeated Alize Cornet to become champion
2023 - Elise Mertens defeated Jasmine Paolini to become champion
Can Mertens retain her title? It’s far from out of the question. Let’s face it, there aren’t too many top-quality players in the field this week. Mertens is in fact the top seed.
Other notable names in the draw include French pair Clara Burel and Caroline Garcia, who are down as second and fourth seeds. Another French player in the form of Diane Parry is the third seed.
Could one of the French trio beat Mertens to the title? Sure, though none of that trio arrives in hot form, let’s be honest.
Instead, I’m going to throw a bigger-priced dart here. Lucia Bronzetti hasn’t exactly been in blistering hard-court form of late, though the same can be said for most of this field, so I’m not too worried about that.
We know that the Italian can beat some very good players as her wins earlier in the year against the likes of Frech, Kasatkina and Kalinina suggest. Such wins should be taken seriously ahead of a tournament of this nature.
Moreover, Bronzetti, who currently sits 86th in the WTA Rankings, reached the quarter-finals of this tournament last season, losing out narrowly to finalist Jasmine Paolini, who is now the world number five.
Our Jasmin Open prediction: Lucia Bronzetti to win
