The U.S. Open is just a week away, but there is plenty of tennis betting yet to be had this week in North Carolina. There are two dynamics to this tournament to take into consideration; with this just being a 250 event, motivation to go far is not top priority, but getting tuned up for next week is still a goal. The tournament is not loaded with big names, which can make decisions difficult in these closer Round 2 matchups. There are a few favorable tennis betting odds to pounce, so let’s dive into some of the best tennis picks today.
Tennis Odds & Betting Picks: 2021 Winston Salem Open
Emil Ruusuvuori (-109, SugarHouse)
Opponent: Alexander Bublik
Venue: ATP Tour, Winston Salem (Hardcourt)
Emil Ruusuvuori is a dog at less than even money, which is not ideal but still favorable going up against Alexander Bublik. Bublik is notorious for not giving a whole-hearted effort, and with a grand slam on the horizon, this seems like an ideal quitter’s spot. Ruusuvuori will have to handle the big serve of Bublik when not on serve, but his near 40% return points won on hardcourts is well above average and should combat the strongest part of Bublik’s overall game.
Ruusuvuori’s preferred surface is hardcourts, where he has won nearly 75% of his career matches (16-9 record in 2021). Bublik’s game is well known, but his motivation and ability to get serves past Ruusuvuori are both questionable. Ruusuvuori also has value at +1.5 games (-136) considering Bublik’s propensity to hand away games with double faults.
Gilles Simon (+125, SugarHouse)
Opponent: Benoit Paire
Venue: ATP Tour, Winston Salem (Hardcourt)
Any tennis betting involving Benoit Paire is never strongly advised, but when he is the favorite it is a lot more fun to endure. Gilles Simon has always enjoyed playing Paire, with six wins in nine meetings and winning each of the last three. Simon’s success comes from keeping the ball in play and forcing mistakes — and mistakes are Paire’s specialty. Simon also comes into the match with a win already under his belt against Arthur Rinderknech.
Paire is an entirely different ballgame from Simon’s first-round matchup and has shown some decent form over the last six weeks. Paire is like Bublik in that he often hands games over. If Simon can take advantage of a few breaks and force Paire to play good tennis, he will be in good position. At +125, coming in with a win and owning the head-to-head advantage, Simon is the value play here.
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