The WTA Berlin first-round action continues on Tuesday. The WTA Tour 500-point tournament carries a central goal for all of its competitors: Get match play before Wimbledon. There are only two weeks left before Wimbledon, and some tour pros will want to rest the week before Wimbledon so that they are physically fresh for the event. That means this week is when players hope to get grass form and develop confidence on the surface. Grass is basically a one-month season from early June through early July. Players spend most of their time training on hardcourt or clay, so this is the time of year when they need to get real-world experience on grass. Advancing at this tournament is important. LWOS has our best bets for three matches. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.
WTA Berlin
Vekic – Eala: Time 4:00 EST
H2H: 0-2
Donna Vekic faces Alexandra Eala. This is a battle of grass champions in 2026. Vekic just won the 500-point tournament at Queen’s Club, beating Emma Raducanu in the final on Sunday. Vekic actually lost in qualifying but got into the main draw as a lucky loser. She certainly took full advantage of the opportunity. Alexandra Eala recently won the smaller grass tournament in Birmingham. She didn’t last long in Queen’s Club, losing early to Iva Jovic, but she has accumulated several grass match victories and has reason to feel confident about her game going into this match.
Best Bet to Make
This is a very specific situational bet. Vekic, having won Queen’s Club, is the more in-form player of the two. If you looked strictly at the quality of competition played and the comparative results of both players, you would lean to Vekic simply because her Queen’s Club run was fantastic. Emma Raducanu was a very in-form player, and Vekic was about to beat her anyway. Yet, we are going to take Eala to win. Why? It’s simple: Vekic winning a title was a very emotional experience for her. It’s a great achievement, but also the kind of thing that makes an athlete drained and mentally worn out. Vekic has very little time to turn around and prepare for this match. She will probably be spent while Eala is physically and mentally fresh. Take Eala.
That being said, betting on Eala winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Eala winning @2.10 @Interwetten
Svitolina – Kalinskaya: Time 4:00 EST
H2H: 3–1
Elina Svitolina faces Anna Kalinskaya. Svitolina and Kalinskaya have both decided to take time off since the end of the French Open. Neither player has played a match since Roland-Garros. They both did a lot of hard work in the clay season, so they realized they needed to take a break. They skipped the first week of grass season and will make this their main week of preparation before Wimbledon. If one of the two players has a deep run this week, that player can then take next week off. The loser of this match might need to play a tournament next week to get match play.
Best Bet to Make
This is a good match to bet on because both players are coming into the match on equal footing. Neither player has played since Paris at the French Open, so it’s not as though the schedules or the levels of energy are different. It’s not as though one player is more rested or less motivated. You can pretty much bet on the better player, and that is Svitolina. The Svitolina moneyline price isn’t good enough to warrant a standalone wager, so what you could do is fold that into a parlay bet. We think Svitolina can and will take charge of this match to win in straight sets. That’s the single bet that will provide a strong return on your investment.
That being said, betting on Svitolina winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Svitolina winning 2:0 @2.16 @Unibet
Keys – Wang: Time 4:00 EST
H2H: 3-0
Madison Keys faces Xinyu Wang. As is the case with Svitolina-Kalinskaya, these two players have not played a match since the French Open and will be making their 2026 grass debuts. Keys had the better clay season this year, going 11-4 in 15 clay matches, whereas Wang went 5-6 in 11 clay matches. Those clay stats aren’t meant to suggest that they will be carried over to grass, but they do represent the point that Keys has played more tennis and generally better tennis than Wang over the past few months. It’s up to Wang to show she can push back and make this a tough match.
Best Bet to Make
Keys has a big serve and a powerful game, which gives her a good chance to beat inferior players on grass. These players aren’t separated by a large number of spots in the WTA world rankings, but Keys is the more proven and accomplished player, having a major championship and a separate appearance in a major final. Keys is rested. Wang is too, but with Keys’ power game being the main variable in the match, the fact that Keys comes in fresh should give her the precision and quality needed to win this in straight sets.
That being said, betting on Keys winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Keys winning 2:0 @1.89 @1xBet
Main Photo Credit: Jay Calderon-USA TODAY Sports
