Tennis best bets and predictions for Saturday, August 19th

By Zachary Cohen (VSiN.com Senior Editor) Follow @BettingOnX

August 18, 2023 04:35 PM

Tennis best bets and predictions for Saturday, August 19th

The US Open is now a matter of weeks away, which means tennis season is really heating up. There have been a lot of big tournaments over the last couple of weeks, and VSiN is here to provide you with tennis best bets on everything that's left before we get to Flushing Meadows. With that in mind, keep reading to get my picks for Saturday, August 19th. This week, the focus is on the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. I'll look to make picks on both the men and the women, and I'll probably be adding more to these columns each day. So, make sure you refresh for more picks — or click the link below for the Pro Picks page.

Hubert Hurkacz vs. Carlos Alcaraz

Hurkacz and Alcaraz have only met twice, but both of those matches were lengthy. Two years ago, Alcaraz earned a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2) win over Hurkacz at the Miami Open. Then, just about a week ago, Alcaraz came from behind to earn a 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) victory over the Pole in Toronto. With that in mind, I don’t see any reasons to believe that this match will go Under the total in Cincinnati.

Alcaraz has been playing tight matches against lesser opponents all week, so Hurkacz should be able to force him to a third set here. And even if he can’t, it’s hard to envision them not playing at least one tiebreaker in a straight-set victory that goes either way. Given Alcaraz’s poor form this week, I can’t say I feel great about the Spaniard coming through and winning this one — which was my pick before the tournament at +200 odds. But I do feel good about these two working one another and putting on a show for the fans.

Bet: Over 22.5 Games (-125 - 2 units)

Coco Gauff vs. Iga Swiatek

Between her title in Washington and her quarter-final run in Montreal, where she lost a very tight match against Jessica Pegula, Gauff has arguably been the best player in the women’s game over the last couple of months. Now, Gauff rides her excellent form into a meeting with a struggling Swiatek. That said, I think backing Gauff to win a set is the right call here. And I’m sprinkling a little on the moneyline as well.

The interesting thing here is that Gauff has been a player with a shaky forehand in the past, but that shot has looked great over the last couple of months. Meanwhile, Swiatek’s world-class forehand hasn’t looked all that great recently. That leads me to believe that Gauff has a legitimate chance of winning this one if she’s serving well. And she'll have the crowd firmly in her favor, which could get to Swiatek.

Bet: Gauff +1.5 Sets (-115 - 3 units) & Gauff ML (+210 - 0.5 units)

ADDED PLAYS:

Aryna Sabalenka -2.5 Games (-170 - 1.5 units) vs. Karolina Muchova

Alexander Zverev +1.5 Sets (+100 - 2.5 units) vs. Novak Djokovic