The Cincinnati Open’s round of 64 gets underway on Saturday with a plethora of intriguing matchups.
The pregame narrative: Aryna Sabalenka plays for the first time since her Wimbledon semifinal loss, and she’s a strong pick to beat Marketa Vondrousova convincingly. Elsewhere, Stefanos Tsitsipas remains a fade candidate against Fabian Marozsan.
Check out my top Cincinnati Open predictions for Aug. 9, including a pick on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Joao Fonseca.
Cincinnati Open predictions
Best Bet: Sabalenka -1.5 sets (-108)
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Sabalenka in action.
The top women’s player in the world took some time to recharge after her shocking semifinal loss to Amanda Anisimova at Wimbledon.
Her return is a clear sign that she’s ready to compete again, which is why I’m backing her to win in straight sets.
Sabalenka is on a surface she’s very comfortable playing on. The Belarusian played some of the best tennis of her career on Cincinnati’s hard courts in 2024, winning the tournament without dropping a set.
She joined Vera Zvonareva and Ashleigh Barty as the only women in the Open Era to accomplish the feat.
Sabalenka should also be motivated to find her footing on the hard courts before the U.S. Open. She’s the reigning champ at Flushing Meadows, and she enters the event without a Grand Slam title in 2025.
Vondrousova hasn’t shown much on the hard courts this year. She enters this contest with a 6-5 record on the surface, and she’s a very mediocre 2-2 since Wimbledon.
Back the dominant Sabelanka to win convincingly at Cincinnati.
Key stat: Sabalenka has won each of her last three matches against Vondrousova on the hard courts, winning two via straight sets.
Cincinnati Open best bet: Tsitsipas vs. Marozsan
Marozsan to win (-120): Does anybody remember the last time Tsitsipas won a tennis match?
The answer to that question is June 24. Since then, he’s lost five consecutive matches and has once again reunited with his father and coach, Apostolos Tsitsipas.
Simply put: Until Tsitsipas shows that he’s returned to form, I’ll continue to bet against him.
He’s going up against a very game competitor in Marozsan. The Hungarian has won three of his last four matches, a stretch that includes a victory over world No. 28 Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Best bet: Davidovich Fokina vs. Fonseca
Fonseca to win (+120): This is a price I can get behind with Fonseca.
The young Brazilian has shown signs that he can join tennis’ elite. He beat Andrey Rublev in straight sets at the Australian Open and then won the Argentina Open the next month.
Since then, there has been some cold water thrown on the Fonseca hype train.
The Brazilian’s game didn’t translate as smoothly as anticipated to the clay and grass courts, going a mediocre 11-8 on those surfaces.
But Fonseca owns an excellent 18-4 record on the hard courts this year.
He’s facing a competitor in Davidovich Fokina who retired at the National Bank Open due to exhaustion.
Davidovich Fokina has played eight matches since July 23, while Fonseca has only played twice. I’m willing to back the younger, more rested player at plus-money odds.
Cincinnati Open predictions made at 10:44 a.m. on 08/09/2025.
Stevie’s an avid NFL, NHL, and tennis bettor who has no problem talking himself into the underdog. His previous stops include Yahoo! Sports Canada and Toronto Metropolitan University, where he received a degree in Sport Media.