The WTA action in Asia continues at the WTA Beijing. The 2024 iteration of this event saw Coco Gauff beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to win the tournament. Gauff is the No. 2 seed this year. Iga Swiatek is the top seed, but the field is absolutely loaded with top players. These are my best bets. Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
WTA Beijing
Uchijima – Zhu: Time 05:00
H2H: 1-1
Moyuka Uchijima and Lin Zhu open up our best bets coverage. Uchijima seems to have really mediocre years following years in which she performs well. 2022 saw her go 54-28, just to go 35-34 in 2023. She bounced back last year, going 51-26, and this year she’s 21-26. Zhu hasn’t played much this year, and she largely plays in hardcourt tournaments when she does. She’s coming off a finals loss in her last tournament in Guiyang ITF. Uchijima is the younger of the two and should use that to her advantage.
Best Bet to Make
The books mostly have Zhu as a solid favorite, probably because she won their last match in 2023. Uchijima beat her in straight sets in their 2022 match during the Billie Jean King Cup, and that is enough to make her a close underdog, but an underdog nonetheless. Zhu is 5-5 in her last ten matches, but that looks outstanding next to Uchijima and her record of 3-7 in her last ten. Zhu is also better on hardcourt in 2025, as she’s 16-10 to Uchijima’s 12-15 record. It’s probably best to take Zhu straight up.
That being said, Zhu winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/the best odds: Zhu winning @1.8 @Bet365
Vekic – Bucsa: Time 05:00
H2H: 1-1
Donna Vekic and Cristina Bucsa are 1-1 in their two previous matches. Bucsa took their match in the second round of Wimbledon earlier this year in straight sets. Vekic won their 2023 first-round match at WTA Nottingham in three sets. Vekic is a hardcourt player by trade with a career record of 226-161 and a yearly record of 7-12. Bucsa is 136-91, but she pretty much evenly splits her time between clay and hardcourt tournaments. If we’re being completely honest, Vekic hasn’t shone on hardcourt since about 2012. I’m not saying she hasn’t won or done well, but 2012 was her last truly standout year at 44-13.
Best Bet to Make
I am a bit befuddled by the books on this one. They have Vekic as the favorite, and I’m just not feeling it. Not only is Bucsa doing better at hardcourt tournaments this year, but she’s also having a better year overall, and recently. Bucsa is 7-3 in her last ten matches, and all of them were on a hardcourt. Vekic hasn’t had more than one win in a tournament since April of this year. I know the books see Vekic as the favorite, but give me Bucsa this time around.
That being said, Bucsa winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/the best odds: Bucsa winning @2.00 @Unibet
Frech – Seidel: Time 05:00
H2H: 0-1
Magdalena Frech and Ella Seidel will meet for the second time in their careers. The first match went to Seidel, but that was in January/February of 2024, and a lot has happened since then. Frech has seen a sharp decline in her play since 2024. She’s 13-23 this year, and is 8-14 on a hardcourt. Seidel might not be dominating at hardcourt tournaments in 2025, with a 7-10 record, but she is 41-25 overall, with several quarterfinal or semifinal appearances. The young German continues to show that she’s one of the world’s rising talents in the sport.
Best Bet to Make
The books see this one as a draw, and that’s pretty much across the board. The largest margin between the two of them is .10 points on any listed board, and there’s only one instance of that. Everything else is .05, .01, or dead even. Seidel beat Frech in Linz, only allowing Frech to win four total games. Seidel is also 8-2 in her last ten matches, and all of them were on a hardcourt. She also had a quarterfinal appearance during that time. I feel far more confident with her than with Frech.
That being said, Seidel winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Seidel winning @1.91 @Bet365
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
