ATP & WTA Cincinnati predictions, odds and tennis betting tips: Alexander Zverev can regain Cincy crown

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Best bets

Alexander Zverev to win ATP Cincinnati
1pt each-way 11-1 bet365, BoyleSports, Hills

Jasmine Paolini to win WTA Cincinnati
0.5pt each-way 20-1 general

Qinwen Zheng to win WTA Cincinnati
0.5pt each-way 14-1 general

ATP & WTA Cincinnati preview

With defending champion Novak Djokovic taking a well-earned rest after securing his landmark Olympic gold medal, the Serb’s Paris final victim Carlos Alcaraz and world number one Jannik Sinner dominate the title betting in Cincinnati.

Djokovic came from a set down to defeat Alcaraz in last season’s Cincinnati final and the Spaniard, having won the French Open and Wimbledon prior to securing silver at Roland Garros, is a firm favourite to go one better.

It is easy to see why as he appears to have the edge on top seed Sinner on current form, with the Italian suffering a quarter-final defeat to Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon and falling at the same stage of last week’s Canadian Open against Andrey Rublev.

So, while Alcaraz could take some stopping and there are few easy opponents in Masters 1000 events, there have been a couple of surprise finals in recent years with Alexander Zverev defeating Rublev in 2021 and Borna Coric toppling Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2022.

Medvedev is in Alcaraz’s half of the draw, has yet to win a title this year and was a second-round casualty against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Montreal last time out, so he looks short enough.

With Sinner currently failing to live up to his world number one status, the top half of the draw could be the place to go for each-way value and Zverev is the obvious port of call.

The German was champion in Cincinnati in 2021 and, having missed his title defence, went on to reach the semi-finals last year, losing 7-6 7-5 to Djokovic.

The third seed has been a big-occasion player this season. He has made the quarter-final in four of the six Masters 1000 events, claiming the title in Rome, while finishing runner-up at the French Open and making the last four of the Australian equivalent.

Zverev looks to have landed in the weakest quarter, where Sebastian Korda and Grigor Dimitrov are the chief dangers, and he has won four of his five meetings with Sinner, which would bode well for a potential semi-final date.

World number one Iga Swiatek makes her return in the women’s event but, having failed to justify odds-on favouritism on her beloved clay at the Olympic Games in Paris, she can be opposed in a tournament where she lost in the semi-final last season.

Defending champion Coco Gauff is hard to trust following her second-round exit to Diana Shnaider in Toronto last time out while Aryna Sabalenka is winless since her Australian Open triumph in January.

With Elena Rybakina proving hit-and-miss this season and Jessica Pegula potentially fatigued after her run to the Canadian Open final, there are grounds for an upset and Qinwen Zheng and Jasmine Paolini may be best placed to spring it.

Zheng should be oozing with self-belief after securing gold at the Olympic Games and her runner-up effort to Sabalenka at the Australian Open earlier this season shows her versatility regarding surface.

The 21-year-old, who has made two quarter-finals in WTA 1000 events this term, is going from strength to strength and she has a nice draw to work with before a potential quarter-final with Gauff.

Paolini, meanwhile, deserves another headline success having played second fiddle at the French Open and Wimbledon and she won the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. A quarter-finalist last year, the progressive Italian looks well placed to go well.

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