The world’s best female tennis players head for Cincinnati for one last jaunt ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season, the US Open.
The Western & Southern Open is a WTA 1000 Series event with #6 seeded Caroline Garcia set to defend her title on the hard court.
Eyes will be on US star Jessica Pegula (8/1), however, after a stunning performance at the Toronto Masters, where she defeated Liudmila Samsonova 6-1 6-0 in emphatic fashion in the final. On her way to the title, she overcame world number one Iga Świątek and compatriot Coco Gauff.
Pegula has also been in decent form throughout 2023, especially in the WTA 1000 series with two semi-final appearances and one quarter-final berth. She also reached the quarter-final of the Qatar Open WTA 500 event in February. Five of her seven WTA series final showings have come on the hard courts.
In addition, she was a beaten quarter-finalist at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Pegula is 13/8 to reach the semi-finals, with her main rivals Maria Sakkari, Karolina Muchova and Madison Keys in the third quarter of the draw.
Iga Swiatek is the 9/4 favourite in what has been a quiet year compared to her success in 2022. A year ago, the Polish star won a pair of Grand Slams and four WTA 1000 series events. However, in 2023, she lost two finals, two semi-finals and a quarter-final in six 1000 series events – although she did retain her French Open title.
Swiatek (4/6 to win the quarter) does have three tour wins this term, two 500 series victories in Qatar and Stuttgart, as well as a 250 triumph on home soil in July. Defending champion Garcia could be the main threat in her quarter of the draw. Those looking for a nostalgic bet in the opening quarter could turn to Venus Williams at 125/1.
The most competitive quarter of the draw appears to be the second with the likes of Elena Rybakina (7/5 to win the quarter), Coco Gauff (11/4), Samsonova (5/1), Petra Kvitova (15/2) and Belinda Bencic (10/1) all capable of a strong run in the competition.
Elena Rybakina (11/2) has a pair of WTA 1000 series titles – and another final appearance – on the season but did lose out at the semi-final stage of the Toronto Masters to Samsonova – a potential quarter-final opponent.
As the #4 seed, her route to the final is incredibly difficult – she could face Grand Slam winner Jelena Ostapenko in round two, #13 seed Bencic in round three, Samsonova or Gauff in the quarter-finals before running into Aryna Sabalenka or Ons Jabuer in the last four.
Aryana Sabalenka (11/2 tournament) and Ons Jabeur (16/1) are the most likely candidates to advance from the fourth quarter of the draw, Sabalenka is another who lost to Samsonova in Toronto, but her resumé this season is impressive with wins in Adelaide, the Australian Open and Madrid.
Jabeur, meanwhile, has won in Charleston and reached the final of three of the last five Grand Slams, including the 2022 US Open, showing her proficiency on the surface. The price for Sabalenka to meet Jabeur in the quarter-finals is 5/2.
Samsonova has claimed a lot of big scalps in recent months but lacks the tournament victories to show for it. She is 5/2 to advance to the quarter-finals, a solid return.
