The Billie Jean King Cup qualifying rounds take place this weekend. The international women’s tennis tournament will continue during the middle third of the year and end in late September with the finals in Shenzhen, China. The first day of the weekend’s various two-day competitions was Friday, setting up a decisive Saturday in which nations will try to get three matches and win these best-of-five battles.
WTA Billie Jean King Cup
Putintseva – Andreescu: Time 11:30
H2H: 2-0
Yulia Putintseva faces Bianca Andreescu on Saturday, as Putintseva’s Kazakhstan and Andreescu’s Canada are tied 1-1 after Friday’s matches. Putintseva will very likely need to win this match to force a deciding fifth match in this competition, given that Canada will be heavily favored to win the other singles match between Sonja Zhiyenbayeva and Kayla Cross. If Andreescu wins, chances are Canada will take the tie, 3-1. If Putintseva wins here, a deciding fifth rubber will be needed.
Best Bet to Make
Kazakhstan is hosting this event, so Putintseva will have the home crowd behind her. Andreescu, the former U.S. Open champion, has been hit hard by injuries and has not been able to revive her game over the past several years. She has had to play Challenger events and has not been able to find consistent success there either. Putintseva hasn’t had a great season, but compared to Andreescu, she certainly is the better player right now, especially in her home country during an international event.
That being said, Over 21.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Over 21.5 games @2.18 @Unibet
Paolini – Uchijima: Time 12:30
H2H: 2-0
Jasmine Paolini faces Moyuka Uchijima with Italy leading Japan 2-0 in the tie and trying to close it out at home. Paolini is heavily favored and will be playing in front of her own fans, so the price for a Paolini straight-set win is not very appealing. You will have to look elsewhere for real value and a good chance of still winning your bet.
Best Bet to Make
The play here is the game spread. Paolini winning by a huge margin might not make sense, but she’s not going to barely win, either. Finding a good spread – not too high or too low – for a reasonable market price seems like the play here. Paolini will win in straight sets, but it’s not going to be tight.
That being said, Paolini -5.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Paolini -5.5 games @1.78 @Unibet
Zhiyenbayeva – Cross: Time 13:00
H2H: 0-0
Sonja Zhiyenbayeva of Kazakhstan faces Kayla Cross of Canada after the Putintseva-Andreescu match earlier in the day. If Putintseva beats Andreescu, as she is expected to do, Kazakhstan will take a 2-1 lead. Cross will have to win this match for Canada to earn a deciding fifth match. There might be extra pressure on Cross, and she will be playing a road match in Kazakhstan. Will it matter?
Best Bet to Make
Sonja Zhiyenbayeva is ranked outside the top 1,000 in the world. Not 100, not 200, but 1,000. Cross is not an elite tennis player at World No. 198, but that’s still a gap of over 800 spots in the rankings. Cross should win in straight sets, but you won’t get an attractive price for that. You will need to look at the game spread and find a number you can accept at the market rate.
That being said, Cross -5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Cross -5 games @1.80 @1xbet
Linette–Svitolina: Time 13:30
H2H: 1-3
Magda Linette of Poland faces Elina Svitolina of Ukraine with Ukraine leading this tie 2-0 going into Saturday. Poland is at home, so Linette will have the crowd behind her. The head-to-head favors Svitolina, who is clearly the better player as an established top-10 WTA veteran. Linette is a good player, but not in Svitolina’s class. Linette is just outside the WTA top 50. Will the home crowd push Linette higher, or will Svitolina just be too good?
Best Bet to Make
Svitolina winning the match is more likely than not, but with Poland needing Linette to win just to stay in the competition, you should see a little extra urgency and intensity from Linette. With the match being in Poland, Linette – while unlikely to win – stands a pretty decent chance of being able to make Svitolina work hard in this match. This doesn’t feel like a blowout. It feels like a good battle.
That being said, Linette +5.5 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Linette +5.5 games @1.88 @Unibet
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
