4 days ago
The last tournament before the US Open! The last non-Slam event in North America until the Sunshine Double! A Saturday final! Seven different champs in the last seven years! Strap in for a weird and wild seven days.
Back to back Masters 1000 events! Cincinnati is also the last major stop on the summer hard court tour before the US Open.
Last years champion, Naomi Osaka, is tied for having the third-lowest odds, along with Ashleigh Barty, while a pair of former champions in Angelique Kerber and Sloane Stephens are next, both slightly over 10-to-1 odds.
From a betting standpoint, this is actually a pretty interesting event, as there a few red flags on the favorites and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see one of the bigger long shots sneak in there and at least the semifinals, which allows you the opportunity to hedge your wager.
The second big step on the path to the US Open gets underway on Monday. It’s a Master Series 1000 tournament, meaning it’s mandatory for the vast majority of the players on tour and the field is a solid 56 players deep.
The second hard court season gets underway in earnest with two events in North America, just as clay finally winds down, with a final tournament in Austria.
Tennis fans are blessed with a grass tournament and two clay events this week. All of which lack a certain air of importance. But, let’s dig in and find some winners.
Everyone wants to win Wimbledon. It’s The Championships. The problem is, only four guys have succeeded in the last 16 years.
Maybe one of the poorest weeks on the tennis calendar… next to the week AFTER Wimbledon. Tour stops in Antalya, Turkey and Eastbourne, England have generally failed to attract big names in recent years.
The true warm-up events for Wimbledon get underway this week. Two 500 level events, run concurrently, attract all the big names as they are perfectly situated to get ready for the grass Slam.
Grass season is finally here. It’s short and sweet. Six tournaments over three weeks in the lead-up to Wimbledon — almost no one plays more than two of the three weeks and everyone’s eyes are on the first week of July.
The Rafa Open is finally here. The second Slam of the season, the only clay court slam on tour and the roughly half-way point of the season. Oh, sorry, I meant the French Open.
It’s almost French Open time. The last things to accomplish before Roland Garros are two 250 events in Geneva, Switzerland and Lyon, France.
The last of the clay court Masters Series events, the final warm up to the French Open gets underway this week in Rome, Italy.
The clay season is in FULL swing. We’re in the heart of it now with the Masters 1000 in Madrid; the first of two back-to-back Masters and the first of three monster events in four weeks.
Estoril draws seven top 30 players this week despite being a tournament that is only four years old. Meanwhile Munich, always has a strong field, being in one of Germany’s most populous cities, the heart of a tennis playing nation.
The clay season is in high gear. Monte Carlo is in the background now and we’re gunning for Madrid. The first steps to the bull ring are Budapest and Barcelona.
After a couple of warm-up events in Houston and Morocco the Tour head to Europe for the true clay season. Six weeks of lead-up to the crown jewel in Roland Garros.
