Swiatek gets the edge over Rybakina in Toronto, while Shelton’s injury adds another wrinkle to the Montreal final
Brandon Nakashima took out 19-year-old phenom Rafael Jodar in the men’s singles event of the National Bank Open semifinal last night in Montreal, 7-6 (3), 6-4, setting up an all-American final tonight against No. 5-ranked Ben Shelton.
That match is set for 8 p.m. EST, centre court, IGA Stadium. Shelton, the tournament’s defending champion, cruised to the final, taking out Learner Tien handily, 6-2, 6-3.
On the women’s side, on centre court at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, No. 7-ranked Iga Swiatek faces No. 2-ranked Elena Rybakina.
Swiatek’s and Rybakina’s path to the final was more gruelling, with Swiatek winning 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 over Elina Svitolina last night in the semifinal, and Rybakina defeating Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, her third three-set victory in four days.
In tennis betting at Betway, Shelton is the favourite at -225, with Nakashima at +175. In the women’s final, it’s much tighter, with Swiatek at -143 and Rybakina at +110.
Nakashima is playing his first Masters 1000 final. A betting wrinkle is Shelton’s health. He crashed into the back wall during his match against Tien, injuring his arm and hand, but still carried on.
Shelton is 5-0 in his career against Nakashima, including a three-set win in their meeting last year in Toronto, 6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-6 (5).
Best bet is Nakashima +1.5 sets versus Shelton (-154), factoring in how competitive the matchup has been in the past. Their four meetings have produced six tiebreaks, and they went the distance last year in Toronto. I also wonder about that Shelton injury. Nakashima takes one set, I think.
Betway has the Total Games mark at 25.5, with the Over at -112 and the Under at -125. A three-setter puts the Over in play nicely. I am going there.
On the women’s side, I am going with Swiatek Moneyline at -143. Rybakina grinded out three sets against Gauff, with the match finishing near 1 a.m.
I’m also taking three sets at +137 for this one, in the Exact Total Sets market. This is a tough one to call. The rivalry between the two has swung back and forth. Rybakina beat Swiatek at the Australian Open, while Swiatek won in a three-set comeback at Roland Garros last season.
