While Austin also sees first-round action today, the eyes will likely be on the WTA Mérida tournament, with several matches featuring players ranked within the top 100 of the World. We grabbed the most competitive matches we could and put together a best bets article for you. Do you think we did well? Please share your thoughts on our choices in the comments section.
WTA Mérida
Bucsa – Vekic: Time 13:30
H2H: 2-1
Cristina Bucsa vs Donna Vekic should be a fairly interesting match if Bucsa can find her game. Bucsa only has a single win in all of 2026, and that came in the first round at WTA Brisbane. Vekic is 5-5, but she also has a final appearance at WTA Manila, losing in a three-round tiebreak to Camila Osorio, also featured in this article. Bucsa is 2-1 all-time against Osorio in this match, with both of those wins coming last year. One came in the first round of WTA Beijing, and the other was a second-round victory at WTA Wimbledon. Their only other match came at WTA Nottingham in 2023.
Best Bet to Make
The books have Vekic as a 2.38-1.57 favorite, and I fully agree with them. If this were last year, I would be more inclined to pick Bucsa, even though she’s almost always a .500 player. She has only gone to a third set twice in 2025, winning one and losing one. She’s generally been competitive, even winning her first set, but she folds in the second set, winning fewer than two games in 50% of her 2026 matches.
That being said, Vekic winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/the best odds:Vekic winning 2:0 @2.45 @1xBet
Linette – Maria: Time 12:00
H2H: 1-0
Magda Linette vs Tatiana Maria will be the first time these two have met in ten years, with their last meeting at WTA Miami in 2016. Linette is 9-5 in ’26, and Maria is 2-7 overall. Linette was a quarterfinalist here at WTA Mérida back in 2023. This is the third time that Maria has played a first-round match here, but can she win here? She has yet to accomplish that.
Best Bet to Make
Linette is a pretty big favorite, and I agree. If you’re going to bet on this match, then take a correct score bet. Linette is likely to make quick work of Maria, which is why you can grab Linette 2:0 for 1.83 on 1xBet. The only other bet I would consider is under 19.5 games for 2.0 on Betway. I would still stick with the correct score bet, though. It’s the smarter of the two options.
That being said, Linette winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/the best odds: Linette winning 2:0 @1.83 @1xBet
Osorio – Tjen: Time 12:00
H2H: 0-0
Camila Osorio vs Janice Tjen is our featured match. Osorio is off to a 9-4 start in 2026. Not only did she make the round of 16 in her last tournament, but she won the tournament before that in Manila, beating Donna Vekic in the final after a three-set tiebreak. Tjen is 5-6 this year, but she won a total of eight tournaments last year, with only two coming at the WTA level: Chennai and Jinjan. Osorio also won a title in 2025, with hers coming at WTA Bogota.
Best Bet to Make
The bookmakers largely see this as a push, maybe a slight lean toward Osorio. There are a few ways to approach this match. You can pick one of the two and take them straight, with either one available at 1.9, at least. I like Osorio more than Tjen in this tournament. I would take Osorio straight up at 1.91 on bet365 or William Hill. It’s smarter than playing around with a correct score bet or picking between two game total bets.
That being said, Osorio winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/the best odds: Osorio winning @1.91 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey–USA TODAY Sports
