Game, Set, Bet: Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner at plus-money in Doha and Rotterdam?
Presented by BetMGM, we consider the values for some possible tournament champions—and make some dark horse value picks.
February is a slow month in tennis—if you don't know tennis. For the astute bettor, the second month of the season is loaded with opportunity. There's no Grand Slam or significant combined event on the schedule, but a wide range of tournaments at the 250, 500 and 1000 level offer ample chances to cash in.
Two events on this week's slate generate sizable interest here: the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, a WTA 1000 in Doha, and the ABN AMRO Open, an ATP 500 in Rotterdam.
Past Doha Champions
- 2019: Elise Mertens
- 2020: Aryna Sabalenka
- 2021: Petra Kvitova
- 2022: Iga Swiatek
- 2023: Iga Swiatek
Past Rotterdam Champions
- 2019: Gael Monfils
- 2020: Gael Monfils
- 2021: Andrey Rublev
- 2022: Felix Auger-Aliassime
- 2023: Daniil Medvedev
Betting Favorites
Doha
- Iga Swiatek +250
- Coco Gauff +450
- Elena Rybakina +550
- Qinwin Zheng +1600
- Jelena Ostapenko, Barbora Krejcikova +1800
CLICK HERE for the rest of the odds at BetMGM!
Rotterdam
- Jannik Sinner +125
- Andrey Rublev +650
- Hubert Hurkacz +900
- Grigor Dimitrov +1000
- Holger Rune, Alex de Minaur +1200
CLICK HERE for the rest of the odds at BetMGM!
Court Conditions & Tournament Details
Hard courts at both events, with the women are outside and the men indoors. The Dunlop Australian Open ball will be used in Doha, which features a 56-player singles draw. Rotterdam's singles draw is only 32, with the lowest-ranked main-draw entrant 67th-ranked Fabian Marozsan.
Women to Watch in Doha
Iga Swiatek (+250): The two-time defending champion has won 18 of her last 19 matches—seven of which came against opponents in the Top 10—and she's plus-money to take home the title? You may want to grab this while you can. Elena Rybakina, the No. 3 seed, is on the other half of the draw, and the top seeds in Swiatek's side are an inconsistent bunch: No. 4 Ons Jabeur, No. 7 Maria Sakkari and No. 8 Jelena Ostapenko.
Caroline Garcia (+4000): The next two picks are longshots based on a scenario that Swiatek doesn't come through. But as you'll see, they're both extremely talented players. Garcia faces what may be another popular dark horse in Naomi Osaka (+3300). But while the Frenchwoman has really struggled to start the season, Osaka's form just isn't there. Let's see what Garcia can do with some confidence under her belt at this price.
Victoria Azarenka (+4000): Speaking of added value, Vika at 40:1 feels too good to pass up. She could face Swiatek in the quarterfinals, but if she were to win, she might become the favorite to win it all. She's coming off a semifinal in Brisbane and a fourth-round showing in Melbourne, so she's clearly hitting the ball well.
Men To Watch in Rotterdam
Andrey Rublev (+650): Given what I wrote about Swiatek in Doha, you may be wondering why Jannik Sinner isn't listed here, at plus-money (+125). I just need a better price for someone who, as amazing as he looked in Australia, has always felt like a possible withdrawal in Rotterdam. So I'll bank on a letdown and go with Rublev as my best bet. It's nice value for the second betting favorite—a player who has won Rotterdam before, along with five other indoor tournaments. Not counting the unlucky qualifier he'll get to face in the first round, Rublev needs to win just four matches to take home the trophy and cash this bet.
Holger Rune (+1200): Odds are that Rublev or Rune is coming out of the bottom half of this draw, and for all of the coaching upheaval that the young Dane is experiencing, he's an immensely talented player who feels incorrectly slotted as the fifth betting favorite.
Dino Prizmic (+6600): If you're looking for a real longshot play this week, consider sprinkling a few coins on Prizmic, who took a set off Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. "Tennis has a handful of players who we know by their first names alone," wrote Steve Tignor last month. "After the opening day of the 2024 Australian Open, the consensus among the sport’s cognoscenti seems to be that Dino Prizmic, an 18-year-old newcomer from Croatia, is destined to join them." If that isn't a vote of confidence...