Tennis best bets for the women's semifinals at Indian Wells
If you're looking to bet the women's semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, then you came to the right place. We have a pair of tennis best bets for the "fifth major" for Friday, March 17th, and we're hoping that you decide to tag along. These picks have been very profitable to this point in the tournament. Keep reading for our tennis predictions for the day and make sure you keep coming back for more!
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on March 17
Maria Sakkari vs. Aryna Sabalenka
It's tough betting against a competitor like Sakkari, as the Greek star lives to battle. She's never out of a point and can always be counted on to compete until the match is officially over. That's a trait that you'd like to see in more players. However, it's hard not to view this as a tough matchup for her.
Sabalenka is coming off one of the most impressive performances of the tournament thus far, as she earned a 6-4, 6-0 win over world No. 6 Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals. These conditions were supposed to be perfect for Gauff, but Sabalenka had no trouble hitting the ball by her and through her. And overall, this matchup isn't all that different.
As long as Sabalenka can keep things together on her serve, this should be a relatively straightforward match. The Belarusian had a serious case of the yips with the ball on her racquet last season, but her hold percentage is up at a ridiculous 87.2% in 2023. She has turned her only weakness into a legitimate weapon, and that's ultimately going to be the difference between these two. Sakkari is holding serve just 74.6% of the time, and that number is bound to be a little worse against Sabalenka.
All in all, the difference in power here is just massive. And Sabalenka should do better work as a returner, which makes a lopsided set or two likely. That makes it hard not to love the game spread.
Bet: Sabalenka -3.5 Games (-140)
Elena Rybakina vs. Iga Swiatek
It's important to look at all your betting options in a match like this, as you can sometimes find some value just by being patient enough to click every tab on a page. And in this specific matchup, that's exactly what happened. You'd have to take some lousy odds in order to bet Swiatek on the game spread, or even the set spread in this one. However, there's an option on DraftKings that lets you bet Swiatek to win 2-0. That's the same thing as backing her at -1.5 sets, but you're getting much better odds on it (-125 vs. -185). With that said, you'll want to hurry up and jump on that while you can.
Rybakina is probably the second-best player in the world right now, but this isn't exactly her surface. She's the type of player that is at her best on grass, which is the fastest surface there is. These conditions are a lot slower and grittier, which is why Swiatek absolutely loves them. The Pole is at her best on clay and slower hard courts, and she has looked downright dominant at this event thus far.
Swiatek hasn't dropped a set all tournament, and she has only lost more than three games in one of the eight sets she has played so far. There's no need to overthink this one. Just back the best player on the planet to win in straights and live with the results.
Bet: Swiatek To Win 2-0 (-125)