The WTA Eastbourne first-round play unfolds on Monday. It’s the week before Wimbledon begins, so this tournament is a final chance for WTA professionals to get some match play on grass and sharpen their games heading into the All-England Club. Players who made deep runs at tournaments over the previous two weeks of lawn tennis don’t need to pile up more matches. This week is for the players who don’t think they have received enough match preparation for the third major tournament of the year and the only grass major championship on the calendar. The points and the prize money matter, but getting matches is what matters most. Players who win early in the week will be able to play later in the week and achieve their main goal in Eastbourne. LWOS has our best bets for three matches. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.
WTA Eastbourne
Ruzic – Marcinko: Time TBA
H2H: 0-0
Antonia Ruzic faces Petra Marcinko. Ruzic has won four grass matches this month, but all four were in the qualifying rounds of tournaments in which she participated. She did not win a main draw match in those tournaments. Petra Marcinko has two grass match victories this month, and they were also in qualifying rounds. Marcinko did not get out of qualifying in the grass tournaments she entered. Ruzic has done slightly better than Marcinko on grass over the past two weeks, but has not dramatically separated herself from Marcinko. In the WTA live rankings, which will become official on Monday, Marcinko is World No. 51, Ruzic No. 60.
Best Bet to Make
There is not a ton of daylight between the two players, and the betting markets agree, pricing this as a toss-up with books having equal moneyline prices for both players. It’s basically a call-the-winner match. You could always go with over 2.5 sets for a match, which seems extremely close and could easily go to a third set. There’s never anything wrong with making that kind of bet for this kind of match. However, Ruzic has done better in the grass season. It’s not by an overwhelmingly large margin, but it is nevertheless a clear difference between the two players. That’s enough for us to go with Ruzic moneyline.
That being said, betting on Ruzic moneyline is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Ruzic moneyline @1.91 @Bet365
Tomljanovic – Cocciaretto: Time TBA
H2H: 0-0
Ajla Tomljanovic faces Elisabetta Cocciaretto. Tomljanovic made it through Eastbourne qualifying with two match victories to get into the main draw. She is 5-2 in seven grass matches this month, picking up her level of play after struggling a lot on clay in the spring. She has become a different player, hitting the ball with more confidence and feeling comfortable on lawns. Elisabetta Cocciaretto got injured during clay season and did not look 100-percent healthy when she did play. She did not post strong results. Wisely, she took two full weeks off after the French Open. Since she lost early at Roland-Garros, she has basically had four full weeks off to heal and regroup. How she will play after that long a break is a big question mark.
Best Bet to Make
Cocciaretto was a top-50 player in the WTA rankings for the first several months of the year before her health and bad form hurt her in the clay season. Now she has taken a very long break and is coming back to the tour on grass, a different surface. Usually, when players have long breaks, their first match back is rusty. Therefore, you should put Tomljanovic moneyline into a parlay as part of your betting strategy. However, for our single recommended bet, over 2.5 sets is the play. Cocciaretto will be physically fresh and might be able to take one set and push this to three. Mysterious matches are always the best matches in which to make the over 2.5 set bet.
That being said, betting on over 2.5 sets is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: over 2.5 sets @2.47 @Betsson
Ostapenko – Jones: Time TBA
H2H: 0-0
One of the more interesting matches at Eastbourne is Jelena Ostapenko against Francesca Jones. Ostapenko has not played since Roland-Garros, taking time off instead of loading up her calendar during grass season. She obviously felt she needed a break. Now she will try to have a productive warm-up week before Wimbledon. Francesca Jones has lost three straight matches. She has played only two matches in this grass season, losing both. She is not an in-form player. What we have here is a reality in which both players have played a combined two matches over the past three-plus weeks. They will be rested but very rusty as they try to generate new momentum in the grass season.
Best Bet to Make
The reality that neither player has played a whole lot of tennis in recent weeks makes this a match in which a lot of different outcomes are possible. For that reason, over 2.5 sets is a serious possibility. There is also the reality that Ostapenko is an inconsistent player who might have her share of ups and downs. However, Francesca Jones has lost three matches in a row. She isn’t playing well. She does not seem to be the kind of opponent who will seriously bother Ostapenko and make her struggle. This match looks like Ostapenko in straight sets all the way, and there doesn’t seem to be any reason to bet anything else.
That being said, betting on Ostapenko winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Ostapenko winning 2:0 @1.78 @1xBet
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
